An integral part of our day focuses on "community." Being a project based classroom, we have created a community through intentional dramatic play. Students have created authentic purpose for learning Common Core standards through a cafe, a grocery store, a library, a bank, and now, a toy story.
Our school is a project-based school that encourages learners to Think, Innovate, and Create.
This school is brand new in our area and learners are responding with excitement about being active participants in their learning, excitement about being decision-makers, and excitement about doing school in a different way. We believe that learners should feel safe to fail and persist in success. We believe that intellectual growth occurs when students have an authentic purpose for learning, solving real problems for a real audience. Lead learners (teachers) guide, support, and instruct students. My students come from many different backgrounds (home school, private school, church school, public school, etc). The varying backgrounds has presented academic and social development at many different levels. Students have come together eagerly to form a successful community of respect and responsiveness to one another.
My Project
The items requested will be included in our "toy store" resources. This is a list that the learners came up with, as well as what they would learn with each item. They are excited about adding the "toy store" to our community. There are a variety of math objectives that can be covered with just the train set; order 3 objects by length, express the length of an object, reason with shapes and their attributes. Also, addition and subtraction can be incorporated as students compare their train track patterns to that of other students. What if the students created a plan book of possible routes? In this way, social studies standards can be covered through destinations, train schedules, timelines, community helpers. In addition, language arts and writing standards can also be addressed when completing train tickets for passengers, itineraries, or a destination book (recording the train routes that they have created, so that others may duplicate). And that is just for the train set!
Donations to this project will introduce novel and enticing materials that the students have requested.
Their requests follow their interests. What if all adults loved going to work each day? For students, school is their work. Shouldn't they love it and want to dive in each day! Shouldn't they pop out of bed wondering what they can think up, what they can create, and what they can innovate! Their knowledge of standards will grow deeper as they participate in hands-on learning.
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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 Mrs. Shelton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.