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Ms. Thomas from Oakland CA is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

The Student Centered Design Think Tank

My students need hands-on tools. We need MOD-t 3D printer, 1 sound wave sensor, 1 sound level meter, 1 ripple tank, 2 posters, 17 spools of 3-d printer materials, and 1 Doppler wave model.

  • $1,988 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

Celebrate Black Teachers and Students

This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.

My Students

My students have really great ideas. Every day we have a whole group morning meeting where we help each other solve problems. The children are often thinking of inventions for specific problems. For example, one child wanted an invention to help her because her pencil kept rolling off her desk. Many of our problems need inventions; we need some sound proofing materials for a video recording space in the back of the classroom. Further, we also brainstorming inventions for our indoor growing station because no one is at school to water on the weekends.

On a typical week, we think of one or two new inventions that we really need.

My school is a funky elementary school filled with creative young people. Children at our school learn mostly by project based learning. I try to teach make the classroom a group think tank space. This year I have a parent who works at a place in San Francisco that invented a three dimensional printer app that helps folks design environmentally friendly inventions and architecture. We are headed for a field trip to her work space to study the app, but here's the catch: We don't have a 3-D printer!

My Project

This project is a design project where children make inventions. We have two issues that demand inventions right now: sound proofing designs and a weekend watering system for our salad bar plants. Children are already studying sound waves; the sound meter and sensor will enable us to test sound proofing prototypes. There are two posters and a Doppler model ordered to help children understand wave patterns. The ripple tank allows us to better understand the behavior of waves. According to the Physics Classroom.com, "A ripple tank is a large glass-bottomed tank of water that is used to study the behavior of water waves. A light typically shines upon the water from above and illuminates a white sheet of paper placed directly below the tank. A portion of light is absorbed by the water as it passes through the tank. A crest of water will absorb more light than a trough. So the bright spots represent wave troughs and the dark spots represent wave crests." I also bought 17 spools of filament and a 3-D MOD-t printer to breathe life a into student sketches and ideas.

This project aligns with fourth grade Next Generation Science Standards: "Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved." Last, to make our project "green", we will utilize recycled items to build larger models and learn how other teachers are recycling school plastic waste in 3-D printers.

Ms. Thomas
Grades 3-5

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Thomas is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
RIPPLE TANK • Frey Scientific $485.99 1 $485.99
New Matter - MOD-t 3D Printer - White • Best Buy Education $372.09 1 $372.09
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament 1.1 lbs. - Deep Black • Best Buy Education $22.09 5 $110.45
METER SOUND LEVEL DIGITAL • Frey Scientific $89.99 1 $89.99
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament - Cotton White • Best Buy Education $22.09 3 $66.27
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament 1.1 lbs. - Racecar Red • Best Buy Education $22.09 2 $44.18
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament 1.1 lbs. - Natural White Translucent • Best Buy Education $22.09 2 $44.18
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament 1.1 lbs. - Blue • Best Buy Education $22.09 2 $44.18
Dremel - 1.75mm PLA Filament 1.1 lbs. - Electric Orange • Best Buy Education $22.09 2 $44.18
RoBo 3D - 1.75mm PLA Filament 2.2 lbs. - Wood • Best Buy Education $38.36 1 $38.36
SENSOR SOUND WAVE • Frey Scientific $36.75 1 $36.75
POSTER VISUAL ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM • Frey Scientific $18.89 1 $18.89
SOUND LAM POSTER • Frey Scientific $17.96 1 $17.96
DOPPLER STUDENT DEMO SET EA • Frey Scientific $14.39 1 $14.39

Materials cost

$1,427.86

Vendor shipping charges

$79.68

Sales tax

$130.65

3rd party payment processing fee

$21.42

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,689.61

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$298.17

Total project goal

$1,987.78

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$1,987.78

4 Donors

-$993.89

Donations toward project cost

-$844.81

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$149.08

match offer

-$993.88

Match offer toward project cost

-$844.80

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$149.08

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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