My students are an incredible bunch of hard-working kids with a true passion for learning! They never cease to amaze me! Our school is an academic prep school that develops excellence through emphasis on a strong foundation in mastering academic standards and excellent behavior. Volunteers and substitutes who visit are astounded at the respectful attitudes they display on a consistent basis. Our school consists of predominantly Southeast Asian and Hispanic students with 85% being labeled socioeconomically disadvantaged. Many of their parents and grandparents came to America for a chance at a better life, and their hard work ethic is quite evident in their children.
We are a GATE cluster school that supports excellence through a program that specifically addresses the needs of gifted children.
Our instructional model provides basic skills instruction, enrichment, acceleration and in-depth learning experiences for the more academically able student. Our students develop lifelong skills by participating in art, music, physical education, and the sciences. Our school-wide class meeting model helps students become outstanding citizens learning ethics, problem solving strategies, communication skills, and conflict resolution.
My Project
Dungeons and Dragons has a plethora of benefits for children of all ages! Math and literacy immediately come to mind. In regards to math, kids will need to work with dice roll totals, adding and subtracting bonuses, and referencing tables. In order to create and play a character, kids need to read about the different race and class options. The more they read, the better of a player they'll become. In order to flesh out their character, they will need to use their imagination and write their character's background. In order to pick the best equipment, weapons, and spells they will need to research. Which tools will optimize my character into being the toughest player in the party?
Dungeons and Dragons also teaches problem solving skills.
There are problems upon problems that need to be solved on any given quest, whether its using a riddle to navigate a maze, deciding the best, safest way to storm a goblin tower and take out the goblin king, or deciding how to curry favor with the local magistrate in order to rescue a jailed teammate. Kids who play D&D unwittingly develop not only problem solving skills, but practice critical thinking, collaboration and cooperation, exercise their improvisational skills, empathy, tolerance, and learn to see problems from multiple perspectives, all of which are skills that can help them in the real world!
Finally, instead of staring at a screen, children get valuable practice in face to face communication, something I think is lacking in today's digital-oriented society. In short, Dungeons and Dragon is much more than just a game for geeky teenagers. Playing D&D can enable kids to connect with others, as well as themselves, to develop complex problem-solving skills, and to foster creative ability. But the bottom line...it's 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 Mr. Lundstrom and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
