The cost of a laminator, laminating pouches, phonics tiles, an inflatable solar system set, a butterfly garden, and a Getting Started Core Classroom Kit is $719, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I am a first grade teacher at a school in rural south Louisiana. At least 90 - 95% of the students that attend our school qualify for free lunch. We don't receive much "outside" funding so the teachers all try to make do with what they have or come up with ingenious ideas to create the things they need.
Our classroom is made up of 19- 23 students. I have observed that this group of students soar when they are given chances to explore concepts hands-on. Because of their inquisitive nature, I am asking that you help us by purchasing hands-on manipulatives and supplies. As anyone who has ever encountered a first grader they always want to know "why?". And through the experiences of working with these manipulatives, these students will get the chance to have a greater understanding of the concepts that I am trying to teach them.
The first thing that I am asking for is an inflatable solar system set. The students will be actually able to manipulate the planets to either understand their revolutions, learn the order of the planets and even understand things such as the planets' different temperature. Many students at this age think that the planets are all in a straight line because that is how it looks in their textbooks. With this set, they will be able to understand the planets location in reference to the sun.
Next, I am asking for a butterfly garden. One of the things that we teach about in science is the life cycle of a butterfly. What an awesome experience it would be for the students to observe this life cycle first hand! I can just see my students' faces as they see the butterfly emerge from its cocoon.
I am also asking for Phonics Tiles Learning Centers. My students have very low reading levels. By using these centers they will be able to manipulate the letters and sounds to create words. They will be able to see how the different letters and sounds change words. I can actually use these centers in many, many ways during our reading groups.
One of the things on my list is a Math kit. This kit has many types of manipulatives that can be used in a variety of ways to help the students get a deeper understanding of math concepts. Instead of just completing worksheets, this kit will have the students experiencing the math concepts and solving problems using things such as bear counters or links. A higher order skill that I like to use in my classroom is to have the students explain certain concepts to the class. By using the objects in this kit, the students will be able to understand that if they have three red bears and four blue bears, they will have seven bears in all. This is a lot easier for the students to understand than just memorizing "3+4=7". There are so many ways that we can use this kit. In fact, this kit will most likely be used daily.
I am also asking for a small class laminator. Many of the things that I make for the students to use could last much longer if it was laminated. Instructional materials for my students , when laminated, could be used with dry-erase markers and crayons and then easily cleaned off to be used again.
I know that this sounds like a lot of things, but we really could use it all. Any help that you could give us will be greatly appreciated.
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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. W. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.