"Teacher! I think I know where Portugal is. It's next to Mexico. Right?" Now, I can just see you grinning as you read this. I spend my days with 27 darling 8 year olds in a busy classroom that has neither a wall map nor a world globe. And with all of the budget cuts and spending woes facing cash-strapped school districts today...that isn't going to change any time soon. How on earth can I show my curious little children where we live? Where their families are from? Where Portugal REALLY is?
A US classroom without a world globe? In 2009? Go figure.
My third graders love to snuggle together on our little rug and talk about where their families are from...the countries they would love to visit and to ponder how far away those countries might be. They need to know where the countries are that they hear about each evening on the news. But when you're little and you've never held a brightly-colored globe in your hands,it's very hard to imagine where these places might be or just how far away they are. My children are extraordinarily curious and they need answers to all of their questions...Where's the Northern Hemisphere? What does "Canada is our neighbor to the north" really mean? Where is South America and why does Belize have tropical rain forests but Oregon doesn't?
My curious little explorers would enthusiastically use these three child-friendly Geo Safari Talking Globes as they sit in collegial little groups each morning during social studies...physically spinning and studying them together. These interactive globes would literally bring them the world...show them where our wonderful new Ukrainian student came from and the route his family took when they emigrated to the United States last summer. Help them make important discoveries about our planet...the temperatures at the equator and why the polar ice caps exist. And the clear digital voice that answers their questions will give them much more than just the names and capitals of the countries about which they inquire...they'll also find out all about the population of each country, the currency of each and much, much more.
Although I know that three interactive globes may not sound as exciting to you as they do to us...these little globes will change both the WHAT my children learn about the geography of our planet, and the WAY they learn it and that's what good teaching is all about. Providing smart, motivated learners with the sophisticated tools they need to make learning both relevant and authentic. They'll learn where Arkansas and Afghanistan are...how far to the north Hudson's Bay is... and why the polar bears live there and not here. But perhaps most importantly, they'll see just how close we all are to one another on this planet...why we need to live together peacefully and begin to understand and respect where we're from and our differences. We've got everything crossed that you'll grant our request and that at the end of this year each kiddo in our classroom will know exactly where Portugal is...and much, much 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. M. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.