Our school system is in a rural county with a low-income/high poverty ratio, and I want to keep the world available to our precious students. This year I am working with two eager third graders who are thirsty for information about the world around them. Like most students, this little boy and girl are excited to learn, explore, and soak up information; however, they are uniquely set apart from their peers because one is deaf and the other is hard-of-hearing.
They just need to see it!
Imagine talking about the word "hippopotamus" without knowing what it is, what it does, or what it looks like, but the moment you see a picture, your mind instantly makes new connections. Oftentimes, this experience represents our daily routine. Before introducing new ideas and abstract concepts, we must first establish what others might assume to be the basics, and the easiest way to do that is through illustration or physical demonstration.
Despite the challenges set before them, these two young minds are eager for each new opportunity to learn. Thank you for helping me bring the world's wealth of information to them!
My Project
Much of our work involves close quarters where the students and I are sharing a work space to simultaneously allow for clear communication through American Sign Language, hands-on instruction, and guidance for assignments. This style of interaction is most beneficial because deaf and hard-of-hearing students must look up for instruction and then down to their workspace. So the closer we are, the better we can get things done without getting lost across the crowd.
These white boards, markers, erasers, and backpack are ideal for brainstorming and instruction, whether individually or in the small group setting.
It is ineffective to switch back and forth from the large, classroom board to their desks, so these materials will place all the benefits and practicality of the white boards into their hands; additionally, the backpack will ensure everything remains readily available for the next stroke of genius. We will be able to effortlessly arrange the boards, use the markers to record their brilliance, the happy-face erasers to clean up quickly, and the board cleaner to ensure our work space and backpack remains neat and tidy. Additionally, because everything is so portable, these materials will easily travel with us outside the classroom, to the library, onto the playground, and even on our annual field trip to the McDuffie Environmental Education Center where students enjoy a day full of nature-related activities and fun.
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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. Whitaker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
