Our school is located in a large urban area of Illinois. The neighborhood the school is in is low income. Ninety-eight percent of our students receive free breakfast and lunch. Our school was built five years ago to relieve crowding in nearby underachieving schools, and we have taken that task to heart. We work hard to give our students experiences that are interesting, challenging and useful. We are a neighborhood school ourselves but are part of a math and science magnet cluster. We focus our lessons on these subjects, including enrichment classes before and after school. We have several classes available to help our 8th grade students prepare themselves to achieve and succeed in high school.
We offer an Algebra morning enrichment class to our 8th graders. Students meet 5 days per week, from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. This class gives our children a solid foundation for high school mathematics and prepares them to compete with students from less economically depressed areas of the city. Learning to use and then practically applying the use of the scientific calculator is an excellent lesson that students will draw on in high school. We often tell our students that what they put into their heads can never be stolen from them, and they have taken that advice to heart. Our attendance at these morning enrichment classes is amazing!
I need 14 Texas Instrument TI-83 calculators to supplement the Algebra class and bring our teaching into the 21st century. The students will use these instruments to solve problems, turn the data into graphs, and analyze the solutions. They will become comfortable with their use and not have THAT hurdle to overcome in high school science and math classes. I feel that the students who attend this morning class and demonstrate such an eagerness to learn and succeed should be rewarded and encouraged.
You can provide a firm stepping stone to a successful future by helping us teach our students to use these 21st century tools. We'll practice higher order thinking skills, problem solving, graphing and logic. This calculator, and you, can make the difference in the future of an inner city child.
Nearly all 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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