“You can’t do it. YET!” Instilling a growth mindset in the classroom is empowering for young learners. Students remind each other that maybe you can’t do it yet, but with practice, you will be able to. As you walk through my classroom you may hear, “My brain is getting stronger.” When we make mistakes our brain gets stronger and grows. It’s amazing how students will try anything in my class without fear of failure.
Students challenging themselves and peers, taking risks, and persevering is exciting to observe as an educator.
Our Title I school provides breakfast and lunch for every student, which means less food insecurities and more learning. The class is structured so the schedule is predictable yet flexible. Students understand they get what they need to be successful and that doesn’t always mean they get the same things. My first graders are confident, kind problem solvers, and are happy to come to school each day.
My Project
I want to teach my students not only to be compassionate for animals but also how to handle and take care of pets. Here on the Reservation we have many stray dogs. Every year at least two of my students tell me that their dog or cat was hit by or ran over by a car. I want this to change. I want to educate my students on proper care, spaying/neutering, and if you should adopt a pet. If we begin education early, I believe we can make a positive change for animals.
From Nose to Tail is a five day lesson plan provided through The Humane Society of the United States.
The purpose of the lesson is to inspire care and compassion for dogs. The lessons include dogs’ basic physical, social, and emotional needs, our responsibility for providing humane care for dogs, and dog bite prevention. The stuffed dogs will be used to model care and compassion by treating them as real pets in the classroom. "Buddy Unchained" is a story about an orphaned dog and then adopted dog. The story will be used in the lesson to model compassion and how to treat a new dog brought into the home. In the story "A Home For Dakota," Dakota a dog in a puppy mill that has never known love or trust, when she is adopted she eventually begins to trust her new family. These stories will illustrate the lesson and help to build understanding. We have a local animal shelter about six miles away. My hope is we can wrap up the lesson with a visit to the shelter.
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 Mrs. Moll and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
