My students need 5 craft activities to work on with their community mentors.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Karlin's classroom raised $314
This project is fully funded
My Students
Do you remember a certain adult that made a difference in your life as a child? My students benefit greatly by completing activities with their mentors that they meet with monthly. Having a planned activity brings about discussion and communication in their relationship.
I have 24 elementary students in grades two through five that have been identified as having skill deficits in one or more of the following areas: math, reading, attendance and/or behavior.
I coordinate a mentoring program that provides a one on one relationship between each student and community member. All 24 mentors come to school and work individually with their mentee during the lunch hour. When the mentors arrive, they have lunch with their student and then participate in a planned activity. I plan out, organize and assist the mentors with the implementation of the activity. From this one one one approach, my student's have shown an improvement in school success, along with an increase in a positive attitude.
The mentor involvement and activity is invaluable to a student's life and learning. The 12 girls and 12 boys involved in the program enjoy completing a project and look forward to their mentor visits.
My Project
I have chosen 6 activities to integrate during the mentor visits. The girls will be working with their mentors with creating stories using the Pop-up books. This allows for room to have some valuable conversation. The girls will also create a coffee mug with their original drawing that they can take home to share with their family. The last activity will be creating designs, animals, etc. using the Wiki Sticks. The boys will create their own yo-yo's and see a skill demonstration by one of the mentors. The boys will design their own sailboats and set sail following the completion of all crafts. The coffee mugs and Wiki Sticks will also be a part of the planned activities for the boys. The students are always so excited to take things home that they've created with their mentor. These activities offer an opportunity to be engaged in a relationship, follow explicit directions and a challenge to try new things when success hasn't always been evident.
I have been involved in the mentoring program for 3 years and have observed academic changes in the students that started in 3rd grade and are now in 5th grade.
I've seen improvement in social skills, academic confidence and attitude towards school. These are the students that have difficulty in many academic areas so giving them an activity and outside person to work with makes them feel really special and successful. Through having an activity for the mentor to utilize, the relationship grows.
More than a third 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
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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. Karlin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.