My students need a Post-it Pad for each of our 5 tables for group work, and one for me as the teacher to use for instruction as my chalkboard is too mangled to use.
Even though I have limited experience with underprivileged elementary-age students, I am well aware of the fantastic potential for learning my high-poverty 3rd graders will bring to my classroom...that is, if they have the right resources
As a first-year Teach for America teacher, I knew I would be coming into a school with limited--very limited--resources. But one thing I was really counting on was a chalkboard! Upon visiting my classroom for the very first time yesterday, I found that the chalkboard was in really bad shape--beyond repair and far too damaged to use for instructional purposes. I thought, how am I going to teach my students if I have no way of physically modeling skills and knowledge for them, as I would on a chalkboard??
It occurred to me that none of our instructors at our Teach for America summer institute had chalkboards for instruction--they all used these neat papers that can best be described as "giant Post-its." Not only were they more visible than a traditional chalkboard, they also proved to be more engaging, as we 'students' could write on them easily as we interacted with what we were learning, and the opportunity to write with various colors is more appealing than that old white chalk. Additionally, we found that for group work purposes (which I fully intend to implement in my classroom as a social learning tool) these pads are invaluable and provide literally a blank slate for students to engage creatively with. They can take learning and make it their own, something a decades-old chalkboard makes it impossible to do.
With YOUR help, I will be able to use these products to effectively engage my students and teach them by showing them, rather than turning off their "I-want-to-learn" switch with an endless stream of worksheets. You will make it possible for my students to learn in an interactive way, making their 3rd grade experience just a little more colorful.
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