Project: Putting A Different Spin On Science Class
Resources Needed: bicycle wheel gyroscope, turn table and rotating stool
School Poverty Level: High
Location: Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Lodi, NJ
Total Cost: $545.67
Still Needed: $160.38 COMPLETED!
Expires: Jan 29, 2013
Teacher's Comments from Mr. Bigos:
My Students: Physics is FUN! So many people don't believe me when I say this. I believe this belief is deeply rooted in their first experience with the subject. All too often, a first experience consists of word problems and math. I like to make the first experience much, much more exciting to hook them for life!
My students are a curious bunch, eager for knowledge and passionate about growing as individuals. They do, however, often forget this! But that is where I come in, to remind them daily that life is full of surprises and curiosity is a gift which needs to be shared. I teach over 125 children with dozens of different personalities and interests. Our school district is not overly affluent and with New Jersey in the midst of education budget cuts, supplies are becoming more difficult to acquire. It is my hope that this organization can help these children become interested in learning. This will serve them well in the years to come.
My Project: Have you ever wondered why you can balance on a bike while it is moving, but not while it is standing still? How about how a figure skater can spin so incredibly fast? Both of these questions as well as countless others can be quickly explained in a dynamic, hands-on, fun, and, most importantly, memorable demonstration using the supplies I have requested.
Many people have played with gyroscopes. Most don't understand the physics happening with a gyroscope. However, imagine instead of playing with a gyroscope, you became one! While I won't be turning my students into gyroscopes, exactly, I will be providing them with a demonstration which will allow them to feel and see the effects first-hand. Once this is accomplished, teaching the mechanism of the action becomes much easier and it will stick in their long term memories much more effectively.
I teach 8th grade science, and I am the first teacher to expose many of my students to basic science principles. As a result, it is my goal to hook them and hook them well. All too often, a student's first exposure to science is dull and uninteresting, thus resulting in a belief that science is dull, boring, and hard. I wish to shatter this belief! It is my goal to have every one of my students become scientists or doctors. Will I accomplish this? Probably not, but these supplies will sure help.
COMPLETED!
Please move on to the Bonus Project!