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
My classroom has 22 very active children in it. The three words that best describe my students are hopeful, savvy, and extremely resilient.
Our classroom motto is "Get Smart, Be Kind, and Make Good Choices." We spend the day using our brain power for good - by sharing with each other, playing games, working in small groups, building connections in the classroom, making art, and conducting experiments.
I strive to create an environment that is engaging, challenging, nurturing, and relevant to my students' lives. Above all, it needs to be FUN!
My students are from a Title I, urban school with a 98% poverty rate. Almost all of my students live in public housing or are homeless; many of them have experienced trauma in their young lives. Our school works extremely hard to make sure our children's needs are met. We provide every student with a mentor from first to fifth grade, as well as weekend meals, clothes, school supplies, and after school tutoring. I strive to give my student's the best because they aim to give me their very best every day!
My Project
For the last few years, I have taught reading with the Wonderful World of Wonka. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has lots of fuel for this teacher's fire: a delightfully insane inventor, naughty characters with challenging behaviors (great for social-emotional problem solving), descriptive language, tons of poetry, and a moral that is especially poignant for my students. Not only that, but every read aloud is always mouth watering and gets our imagination juices flowing. In the past, we have explored the characters, compared the text to the movie, and created our own Wonka candy.
With two littleBit Maker Kits and everyday classroom objects, students will use design thinking to create an object that makes a difference in a Wonka character's life.
First, students will explore the littleBit Maker Kits and their different capabilities during our Tech Fridays. In small groups, students will rotate through my already established centers on coding and circuit creation, with the new addition of littleBits.
Next, students will brainstorm ideas for different characters, like the Oompa Loompas or Charlie Bucket. What machine can we build that will keep the Oompa Loompas safe from the snozzwangers and whangdoodles? What can we create to help Charlie Bucket make money for his family? They will work on their prototype in small groups, test it, and make improvements.
Lastly, students will write about the process and create an advertisement to "sell" their bot. They will extend their thinking to how their invention can help other individuals with similar problems.
My goal is to have my students use their reading comprehension and technical engineering skills to realize their design ideas, making both the fictional and real world a better place.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Nelson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
