This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Peaceful greetings! Thank you for taking time to read this proposal. I am a "Teach for America" Corp member serving high-risk third graders on a Title 1 campus in the fourth largest city in the country. I teach self-contained third grade, and I will be the "Team Leader" in third grade for the 2008-2009 school year.
"Mrs. X," whines a student, "do we have to do math today?"
Teacher: "Most certainly!"
Student: "Man!"
This wonderfully-frustrating exchange greeted me almost daily throughout the last school year. My third graders hated math, and it was my job to do anything in my power to make it interesting.
And, try as I did, staying up late to craft intricate lessons, often those lessons fell flat. I was left as frustrated as my students. It is quite a challenge to get my students engaged in what they were supposed to be learning, and this is something that I imagine many Title 1 teachers struggle with daily. Almost 90% of our campus receives free lunch, which requires a family to be living well below the poverty line. For our students, it's hard to focus on "fractions" when you don't know what situation you may be faced with at the end of that school day.
Last year, I wrote a grant for a set of reading games through "Lakeshore Learning Store." I had seen these games on a visit to a top-rated elementary school, and wanted to see how they worked in my classroom. They were an overwhelming success, and the reason that I am writing this proposal today.
Lakeshore has developed similar board games that cover major 3rd grade math objectives. The beauty behind these games is that the students are instantly-engaged, and don't even realize that they are learning important concepts.
In "game" format, math problems become riddles, or mysteries that have to be solved. They can become math explorers, detectives, or archeologists, not simply students chained to desks. Games raise the students' levels of self-esteem, making them more willing to try new problems without instantly fearing failure.
The Lakeshore game set that I am asking for today contains 4 board games. Kids wind their way through a haunted house as they solve place value problems…serve up a giant pizza as they practice matching fractions…fill up their piggy banks as they add up coins…or race through a full day of school—using time-telling skills to stay on schedule! All of these are very important concepts, and this is where I need your help.
Help me turn those math frowns upside-down! End the math complaints in my classroom! I know that I could use these resources to help my students be better prepared for future levels of math, and standardized-tests...all I need now is your help and generosity.
Thank you for your time, and please consider supporting my class.
My students need the "Lakeshore Learning Store's Mastering Math Game Library" along with an extra container of dice, because throughout the year ours will inevitably go missing!
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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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. Milianta-Laffin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
