My students need a globe & atlases to learn about the world. We need headphones & reading phones to support low readers. We need a book rack to store our growing library.
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
Give us a passport and a ticket around the world! My students need to learn about the world around them with a globe and an atlas. My low readers need tools that will make reading a little less scary. And the many cool books we received from my last project need a home in our classroom!
My students are bright, spirited, dynamic 6th graders who attend a public turnaround school on Chicago's South Side.
About 99% of our students are African-American and qualify financially for two free meals per day. Two years ago my colleagues and I came to the school with the critical mission of dramatically improving what was a failing school. Most of my students are reading 1-3 grade levels behind and are working very hard to catch up. My lowest readers are reading at a kindergarten or 1st grade level. The work is urgent and critical.
Despite all of the challenges they face, these kids are ambitious, curious and trusting. Because of the fact that testing has often dictated curriculum, they have had very little social studies instruction. Many have reached 6th grade not knowing the difference between a continent, a country and a city. There are huge gaps in their knowledge and I work very hard to help fill these gaps and foster their desire to keep learning.
My Project
Who of us has not been inspired and changed by travel? It opens your eyes, mind and heart. Unfortunately my students know little of the world around them and I feel an urgent need to expose them to it. Their lack of knowledge about geography and history is only matched by their enthusiastic curiosity about those subjects. Their questions are endless: Why is it hotter in some places than others? Can you see the equator? Where is China? I desperately need tools to give them the answers to these questions and continue to foster their curiosity. The atlases will help me to do daily geography lessons, which will give a context for history lessons. I will also use these resources to broaden the learning to encompass tolerance and openness to foreignness. My ultimate goal is to turn them into globally-minded travelers who one day see the world for themselves.
The reading tools are critical in helping me reach my extremely low readers and allowing for the organization of our growing classroom library.
Think of all the opportunities you've had to learn about the world, and even see it for yourself.
Think of how much it has enriched your life. Please help give that enlightening experience to my students, who so desperately want to learn more. Help me send them out into the world being able to read a map and understand cultural differences. Technology is making our world smaller and smaller and these skills are becoming necessary for survival. With your help, these kids will have a better shot.
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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. Garvey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.