My students need premium access to these tools. The capabilities of FlipGrid are endless and allow for all students to have a voice. The lessons within Quill allow students to work at their own pace.
7th graders are unique. They aren't little kids, so they don't want to be treated like elementary students, but they aren't adults either, so you can't completely treat them like high schoolers. After 12 years teaching in a middle school, I found that the key to reaching them all is finding the happy middle- and that happy middle lies between holding them accountable for their work and actions, but also rewarding them and doing fun activities that they don't even realize they are learning from!
Anytime I tell people I teach middle school, they always respond with a groan and sympathy, but I love every minute I spend with my kids.
They are at such a formidable age, and I know that I have the power to help them be successful. It is my personal goal to create an environment that they want to spend time in, and when you do that, they are more likely to learn.
My Project
I would like full access to two different online programs: FlipGrid & Quill.
There are so many different programs out on the web right now for teachers to use, but I have found through trial and error and research, the two that will have the most positive impact on my students learning.
FlipGrid is a program that allows each student in the class to share their voices and be heard. Students record responses to a myriad to topics and then share them out for the class to see and receive feedback. Using the free version is great, but the capabilities on the teacher version are so much greater from specifying the length of the videos to uploading a rubric to score right then and there on the screen.
Quill is an amazing writing/grammar program that offers interactive lessons that the teacher facilitates as well as independent practice for students. It also has the option to do a diagnostic test at the beginning of the year to determine what skills students are specifically in need of and the ones they don't need. This is essential for targeting a student's specific needs rather than them working on something that he/she already knows how to do.
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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. Speicher and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
