{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Randolph Early College High School","outOfStateSupporters":9.1,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10517316,"projectId":10303579,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our DonorsChoose project and providing my chemistry classroom with 50 copies of The Disappearing Spoon. Your generosity has given us the opportunity to use this fascinating book to help students discover that the elements of the periodic table are much more than symbols, atomic numbers, and facts to memorize. Each element has a story, and those stories connect chemistry to history, medicine, technology, war, exploration, and even some of the strangest moments in human history.\r\n\r\nI have been using The Disappearing Spoon as a springboard for exploring these stories more deeply. As we encounter interesting topics in the book, I create supplemental ACT-style reading passages that allow students to investigate the science and history behind them while also practicing the reading and reasoning skills they will need on the ACT, which all of our juniors are required to take this year. Students are not simply reading about an element; they are following its story into the real world and seeing how chemistry has influenced people and events throughout history.\r\n\r\nFor example, after learning about mercury, we explored the medicines carried by Lewis and Clark on their expedition, including the mercury-containing laxatives used by members of the Corps of Discovery. Students learned how archaeologists have even used elevated mercury concentrations in soil as evidence when identifying possible expedition latrine sites. When studying antimony, we investigated the historical use of antimony compounds and examined the story of King Nebuchadnezzar II, including claims surrounding antimony- and lead-containing materials and the limits of trying to use modern chemistry to explain historical accounts of illness or unusual behavior.\r\n\r\nOther topics have taken us in completely different directions. We have explored Fritz Haber and the complicated legacy of a chemist whose work helped make large-scale fertilizer production possible while also contributing to chemical warfare. We have investigated tantalum and other elements used in modern electronics, connecting the periodic table to cell phones and to the environmental and human consequences associated with obtaining some of the minerals used to manufacture them. We have also explored the Voyager Golden Record, using its story to connect chemistry and science with humanity's attempt to communicate who we are beyond Earth.\r\n\r\nThese are the kinds of connections that are making the periodic table come alive for my students. Instead of seeing elements as boxes on a chart that they need to memorize for a test, they are beginning to recognize them as substances that have shaped civilizations, changed the outcomes of wars, enabled new technologies, advanced medicine, and sometimes created unexpected consequences. The book has prompted curiosity and conversations that would not happen if our study of the elements ended with atomic numbers and chemical symbols.\r\n\r\nThe timing has also been especially meaningful. We are currently studying nuclear chemistry, and our reading this week aligns beautifully with what students are learning. We will be exploring stories involving the Monte Carlo method and the development of nuclear weapons, including the proposed \"doomsday\" weapon that was never built. Students will be able to connect concepts from our chemistry lessons with the scientists, decisions, and historical circumstances surrounding the development of nuclear science.\r\n\r\nThe impact of this project has even extended beyond my class. Two of my English teacher colleagues became so intrigued by what we were doing that they began reading The Disappearing Spoon themselves. They are now helping support me as I incorporate more literacy into chemistry instruction. Their collaboration has been especially valuable as I develop opportunities for students to read complex scientific and historical texts, analyze evidence, make inferences, and communicate their thinking. What began as a chemistry project has become an opportunity for meaningful collaboration across subject areas.\r\n\r\nMost importantly, students are enjoying it! They are discovering that chemistry is not isolated from the rest of the world, it is woven throughout history, technology, medicine, exploration, and everyday life. At the same time, they are strengthening their ability to read challenging informational texts, analyze evidence, make inferences, and think critically.\r\n\r\nYour donation made all of this possible. Since we now have a classroom set of 50 books, students can experience these stories firsthand, and we can continue returning to The Disappearing Spoon throughout the course as new chemistry concepts arise. You did not simply provide us with books; you gave my students a new way to experience chemistry.\r\n\r\nThank you for investing in their curiosity, their learning, and their success. I am incredibly grateful for your support of my students and our classroom.","fullyFundedDate":1781231977633,"projectUrl":"project/connecting-literacy-and-chemistry-one-el/10303579/","projectTitle":"Connecting Literacy and Chemistry One Element at a Time","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Wood","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp10517316_orig.jpg?crop=241,241,x0,y61&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1779456974214","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10517316"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_26221","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":357,"numTeachers":12,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":6,"percentBlack":2,"percentWhite":54,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":34,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":2,"gradesServed":"9 - 12","studentTeacherRatio":"29.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":false,"metroType":"RURAL","ncesMetroType":"TOWN_DISTANT"},"inStateSupporters":90.9,"schoolId":26221,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Randolph Early College High School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Randolph Early College High School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/randolph-county-school-district/randolph-early-college-high-school/26221"}