We are a K-6 school in the suburbs outside of Salt Lake City, UT. While we have a great community with super supportive parents, 29% of our students are economically disadvantaged and our end of the year math proficiency scores were 10% below the state average.
Our fourth grade is a large and diverse group of learners!
Students' reading and math abilities range from first grade through high school. As their teacher, I make it a point to help EVERY student make progress throughout the year!
The teachers at our school have made a serious commitment to help all of our kids reach proficient levels in reading and math. Despite this, only 41% of my students entered the year meeting those proficiency levels from third grade.
As I've worked with these students, I've learned, they all want to learn! Previously, many have struggled when it took them longer to grasp a new concept when all they really needed was extra practice. In contrast, many of the more advanced students need to be challenged because the material is too easy for them. Help ALL of our students learn THEIR own way!
My Project
In 2018, technology is essential to student learning. My students use computers almost every day to write, read, create, and calculate. Currently, our class of 25 students shares only 6 Chromebooks. I'd love to double that number!
Technology supplements my teaching and allows students to work at their independent academic level.
At the beginning of the year, only 41% of my students were on grade level for language arts. Through classroom instruction and practice with the online Lexia program, 76% of students are now on or above grade level! I've had students move from first grade levels all the way to fourth grade in just half a year! Having more computers in class will allow for more independent practice while I read and discuss literature with small groups of students.
The end of the year SAGE tests require students to compose essays on the computer. To complete an essay, students need about an hour. With six more Chromebooks I can have half of the class practicing writing essays through the Utah Compose program while I work with the other half of the class on specific writing needs. By allowing students independent practice and smaller group instruction with me, I know their writing will improve by leaps and bounds.
A third reason our class would like more Chromebooks is for research. I think it is very important for students to explore their passions. With library and computer time limited to once a week, our class doesn't always have access to research materials. An additional six Chromebooks would allow twice as many students to research their interests and create projects to share with the rest of their classmates.
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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. Thompson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
