My students need
1. World & US Maps to track the places we have visited and hope to visit.
2. Wipe On/Off world map to calculate distances to various destinations.
Being a small rural school means travel is rare and expensive. Recent trips to Gettysburg PA (6th Grade) and London/Paris (the newly started International Club) have whetted the students' appetite for more. Now we're eyeing Washington DC for 8th Grade and Italy/Greece for International Club.
The school is small and rural - graduating classes number about 60 students.
But rolling hills and narrow roads make us one of the largest districts square mileage wise. Long bus rides bring farm kids to our school, the real "center" of the community since there isn't a true town in the entire district. The students are polite and good hearted. And very naive concerning the world. They are often shocked to learn how differently people live, since they don't know anyone who isn't like themselves (we're a very heterogeneous group in ethnicity, socioeconomic levels, religion and culture.)
As teachers, we strive to make sure the students know there are many different cultures not just in the world, but in America and that those cultures are all interesting and worth studying. We also try to expose them to American historical places and sites of interest they might not get an opportunity to visit otherwise.
My Project
The large world and US map will be displayed at a common point in the school near my classroom, or possibly the entry or cafeteria, with markings showing where various students and teachers have visited. This is to engender a sense of the various destinations available that have already proven worthy to friends and teachers.
The wipe on/off world map will be used in my classroom as we discuss future trips and calculate the distances involved and what areas will be passed along the way.
By doing this, the students will learn that while the world is a large place, with immense distances, people they know have already conquered those distances and returned to tell the tale, thereby encouraging those new students to dream big and follow their hopes to visit other places in the world.
The days of growing up and old in the same community you are born in are rapidly disappearing.
My students might come from a small, rural area with little ethnic diversity, but their chances of spending their entire lives there are quite slim. Learning to see the world and other places are something to be curious about, not afraid of, will serve them by making them feel like true global citizens. That way, leaving home for college or a job hopefully won't be quite so overwhelming.
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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. Martinak and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
