My school is in the remote eastern portion of our state. Surrounded by creeks, rivers and the Atlantic Ocean, many of our students have never explored the shorelines or the coastal region. Attending a Title I school, our students are from homes where farming and various forms of labor work are the predominant occupations. Many of our students have few life experiences. Field trips enable us to take them to places many of them would not visit without the opportunity being provided at school.
As Title I money dwindles and resources become fewer, we struggle to find the funds to provide field trips for our students.
In the past, a trip to a nearby historical home helped our first graders to understand life long ago.
My Project
The students at our Title I school come from homes where travel to new places is not possible. Being able to visit a historical site in the neighboring town would help our students glimpse the history of our area. The students would play games and hear stories from long ago, broadening their understanding of how life and culture have changed over time, and specifically in our area.
One of the three most important components of reading comprehension is background knowledge.
Besides having limited vocabularies, the students in our remote, rural area simply have not traveled or engaged in experiences outside their homes and our school. Due to dwindling funding for Title I schools, we no longer have the money to pay for our students to attend off site field trips.
The DonorsChoose.org grant would allow our students to travel to a nearby town and experience history first hand. The students would tour a home, hear the history and engage in activities appropriate for that time period. Our students would leave with a knowledge base that many are missing. By providing background experiences through field trips, we help build a foundation for our students to understand and comprehend historical books and articles.
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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 Mrs. Duncan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.