I teach third grade in an alternative public school in Cambridge, MA. Approximately half of the student population comes from low income families and a large portion of the students are recent immigrants to the United States. Aside from its obvious diversity, my school also prides itself on teaching students through meaningful, hands-on project-based learning. Our students learn most by doing.
My students are talented artists, actors, musicians, and writers, but do not have the technology resources to collaborate on lasting theatrical products. Teachers that have gone before me, have written and performed historically based plays with their students, but old programs are all that is left of them. My school is currently struggling to preserve our project-based philosophy within the restraints of a standardized curricula. Meaningful learning could be documented for the future teachers and students of our school.
In order to make my students theatrical efforts a permanent fixture in our academic community, we will need a digital camcorder to document our work. We plan to create documentaries of community service projects in our school, reenactments of the history of our famous state, reader's and poet's theater productions, and animation and puppet shows of student writing. The list of possible projects is endless. Best of all with the help of my film producer/editor fiance my students will be able to learn more about the importance of post production.
I cannot express in words the power of such a multi-faceted project. My students will have a hand in every part of the films we create, from the first brainstorming session to the final cut. By contributing to this project you will be providing a priceless gift to my current students and the preservation of my school's project-based philosophy.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. V. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.