I have 25 clever and hard working second grade students. I rely heavily on small group instruction in my classroom due to the vast differences in academic abilities. To accomplish this, the other students need to have educational activities that they are able to access and use independently.
My students come to school every day excited and eager to learn.
They are from a wide variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Some have the best of everything and need to be challenged, while others have next to nothing and need all there is to give. I have several children that have extremely limited English skills and others that have autism or special academic needs. I also have students that will most likely be classified as "gifted" in the future. I have a true melting pot in my class that requires one on one time often, or at the very least work that occurs in small groups.
My Project
As a result of the enormously diverse population in my classroom, I need to be able to focus on small groups and differentiate the method of instruction and materials for the different small groups. While I am teaching one group, the other children also need to be engaged in learning activities.
One way to accomplish this is by having one small group work on computers in a center with this laptop computer, wireless mouse and case. They will play math games to practice computational skills, phonics games to practice letter and sound recognition and use still other programs to create art projects and learn keyboarding skills. They will be "playing" yet practicing skills that they need in order to move to the next grade level successfully.
A computer center will allow my students to have an academic experience with a technological device they will need to be successful. More and more learning is becoming technology based. If these students are to be successful and current, they will need to be comfortable using the latest technology available.
This project will help me to interact with and instruct my students individually and in small groups on a more consistent basis.
By creating a center that allows for small group instruction, I will be better able to assess the individual needs of all of my students, then modify and create accommodations for students in need. It will also allow my students to practice writing and computational skills in a way that is enjoyable and fun!
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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. Burkhart and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.