Our Title I school is located in a close-knit, rural community near Syracuse, New York. Many of the families at our school have been in the school district for generations. Agriculture is an important part of the local economy, as apple orchards flourish on the rolling hills. My second grade students' learning styles and needs are as diverse as their backgrounds, but they all have the yearning to be successful.
My kids are curious about the world around them and enjoy solving their own questions through experiments and hands-on activities.
Every Friday in our classroom, students participate in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Challenges and have time to tinker in our classroom makerspace. This is a wonderful way to end our school week.
"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” ― Mary Lou Cook
My Project
Last year, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the "Get Your Teach On" conference and I learned many different ways to motivate and engage learners. Two of the presenters, Hope and Wade King teach at the highly-acclaimed Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta and are known for completely transforming their classrooms for specific units. Since the conference, I have transformed my classroom into a pizza shop for our fraction unit and a surgery room to review text features.
Now, I would love to engage my students with a day full of mystery.
My junior detectives will use the Sherlock Holmes hats and magnifying glasses to get into character and solve mysteries.
We have been reading the book "Poppy" as a read-aloud and one of the characters, an owl, is accused of eating rodents. My student detectives will try and crack the case by examining the requested owl pellets. The mystery-themed Teachers Pay Teachers activities will be used to review our recent units including addition and subtraction with regrouping and main idea. Students will use the ink pads and Play-Doh to investigate the science of fingerprints. Detectives will also complete an activity called "Secret Code" with the Sphero robots. The kids will practice their spelling and sight words with the invisible ink pens and flashlights. With these hands-on activities, I hope to excite my students about learning and encourage them to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Jacobson Hat Company Men's Sherlock Holmes Cotton Cap, Black/White, Adult
• Amazon Business
$6.35
12
$76.20
Sphero Mini Pink: The App-Controlled Robot Ball
• Amazon Business
$49.90
1
$49.90
Sphero Mini Green: The App-Controlled Robot Ball
• Amazon Business
$45.89
1
$45.89
Barn Owl Pellets - Large - Pack of 6
• Amazon Business
$15.99
2
$31.98
Jacobson Hat Company Men's Sherlock Holmes Cotton Cap, Black/White, Adult
• Amazon Business
$5.89
4
$23.56
VICOUP Black Light UV Flashlight, 12 LED Blacklight Flashlights with 6 AAA Batteries, Mini Pets Urine and Stains Detector for Dogs, Bed Bug Detector(2 Pack)
• Amazon Business
$10.99
2
$21.98
Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 8.9 x 11.4-Inches, 3 mil thick, 200-Pack, Clear (TP3854-200)
• Amazon Business
$20.58
1
$20.58
Invisible Ink Pen, Spy Pen Secret Message Writer with uv Light Magic Marker for Drawing Fun Activity Kids Party Favors Ideas Gifts and Stock Stuffer - 24 Pack
• Amazon Business
$18.99
1
$18.99
Scotch 5-Inch Soft Touch Pointed Kid Scissors, 12 Count Teacher Pack, Green (1442P-12)
• Amazon Business
$8.40
2
$16.80
Play-Doh Modeling Compound 10-Pack Case of Colors, Non-Toxic, Assorted Colors, 2-Ounce Cans, Ages 2 and up, (Amazon Exclusive)
• Amazon Business
$7.99
2
$15.98
Hampton Art SP2102 Black Jumbo Washable Ink Pad
• Amazon Business
$11.24
1
$11.24
Fangstar 10 Pack Plastic Portable Reading Magnifying Glass Kids,Pocket Magnifier Home Work and Life Tool,Handheld Black Magnifying Glass for Classroom, Indoor and Outdoor Use(5X）
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Fangstar 10 Pack Plastic Portable Reading Magnifying Glass Kids,Pocket Magnifier Home Work and Life Tool,Handheld Black Magnifying Glass for Classroom, Indoor and Outdoor Use(5X）
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Reading Activity: Fairy Tale Mystery Case File #1 The Stolen Slipper
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$8.00
1
$8.00
Crime Scene Do Not Cross Barricade Tape 3 X 100 • Bright Yellow with a Bold Black Print for High Visibility • 3 in. Wide for Maximum Readability • Tear Resistant Design
• Amazon Business
$7.99
1
$7.99
Main Idea and Details for Informational Text
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$7.00
1
$7.00
Swanson BT30CAU2 Disposable Barricade Tape, 3 In W X 300 Ft L X 2 Mil T, Caution, Polyethylene 300' (feet),
• Amazon Business
$6.99
1
$6.99
Letters From Mystery Animals: Read, Write, Infer, and Solve a Mystery!
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$4.00
1
$4.00
Drawing Conclusions with Detective Dan and Inspector Spot
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$4.00
1
$4.00
Fingerprint Detective Forensics Experiment Book with Scientific Method
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$3.25
1
$3.25
Math Mystery Phrases without Regrouping (2- & 3-Digit)
• Teachers Pay Teachers
$3.00
1
$3.00
Materials cost
$397.31
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$5.96
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$433.27
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$76.46
Total project goal
$509.73
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$509.73
1 Donor
-$247.13
Donations toward project cost
-$223.89
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$23.24
match offer
-$246.33
Match offer toward project cost
-$209.38
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Ms. Silvestro and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
