Help me give my students the year they've been wishing for! Please help to provide all of the hands-on learning tools that best support learning. Notebooks, crayons, markers, and book bins will get 2021 started right!
I teach in a Philadelphia public school situated in the heart of the city. Our school serves about 600 neighborhood children from kindergarten through fourth grade. Ours is a Title I school where our children qualify for free breakfast and lunch. Many of our children have not been regularly exposed to reading experiences prior to school. Many have undergone trauma or have faced challenges in their lives that overshadow the focus on those skills required to set them up for academic success. This, coupled with the new challenges of remote learning has heightened the role of technology in academic achievement.
As I consider the experiences during remote instruction, it becomes vividly apparent how essential hands-on learning will be this year to increase engagement, retention of knowledge, and to build problem-solving skills.
In the virtual learning world, much remained the same: we taught reading, math, science, social studies. However, there was a great deal of difference in the way in which we were able to present information and truly sustain focus. That's why this year we need to hit the ground running with all of the tools that will allow them to be engaged as experiential learners.
My Project
After a tough year, too many of our students have been missing the hands-on aspect of learning that best supports ownership of concepts. We are looking to make the return to in-person learning the optimal boost that our students need. I have continued to build our library with more recent books as many were in poor condition and/or without mass appeal. However, we will require bins to hold them in an appealing new library area.
With your help, our students can start the year FULLY ENGAGED in a multitude of hands-on activities that will keep them engaged and growing.
Research has clearly proven that Experiential Learning -engaging multiple areas of the brain while allowing exploration of the five senses - strengthens early literacy skills.
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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