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
Letâs start with the concrete. The process of learning math starts with making situations concrete and then taking them into the abstract. Cuisenaire blocks provide the perfect hands on representation my students require to build strong number sense for students who need remediation, and to help students make fractions concrete.
I teach at Title 1 school in Kansas City, MO.
My students come from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds and even more diverse academic backgrounds ranging from below grade level to above grade level. My school has a 96% free and reduced lunch population and a growing number of English Language Learners. Despite their backgrounds, my students come to school every day fighting for an excellent education. They are hard working and very motivated to learn.
My Project
Many of my students have been sent to 2nd Grade without strong number sense. With only a few months left in the school year I want to provide every opportunity to create strong number sense for those who still need it, build upon the number sense others have worked on, and provide more opportunities for students to further explore their number sense. Cuisenaire rods are the perfect tool for this! These rods can be manipulated so students don't have to memorize basic math facts, but can see how numbers fit together. The rods are useful for all number operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions so students will be consistently working with the rods. Building number sense is so important because it is the foundation for all other math functions. If students can succeed now, they will have great success in math classes to come!
Using Cuisenaire rods will help my students understand why numbers fit together and will be much more engaged in math.
So many students are passed on to the next grade level without a concrete number sense foundation. Please help my students build theirs so they are on grade level and above when they graduate from my classroom. Cuisenaire rods will ensure mastery of math standards.
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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. Cruz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.