My students need clocks that they can hold in their own hands to help them solve elapsed time problems.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Bongers's classroom raised $244
This project is fully funded
My Students
Imagine you're a 9-year-old trying to do this problem in your head or with a clock that's broken: "Tom dusted for 45 minutes, scrubbed the floor for 35 minutes, and mowed the lawn for an hour and 5 minutes. He started his chores at 11am. What time did he get done?"
My students are 26 fourth-graders in a small school in Southeastern Wisconsin.
Our motto is to be respectful, safe, and responsible learners every single day! Our fourth graders are vibrant, hands-on learners who learn math concepts best when its made visible.
My Project
'Judy clocks' are clocks that students can hold in the palm of their hand. When students move the red minute hand, the blue hour hand will maintain its correct hour/minute relationship. Without clocks to manipulate, students are left to figure out elapsed time in their heads, which is very difficult for a fourth grader. Currently we have one set of clocks that we share between 3 classrooms. Because the clocks have been handled by so many students over the past 5 years, the clocks themselves are falling apart and the hour and minute hands are no longer proportional. The three sets of clocks I've put on my wish list will provide my co-teachers and I with our own class set of clocks to replace the single set of clocks we have that are far from functioning.
Understanding elapsed time is a life skill.
Our kids need to be efficient managers of their time as they grow older. When students get to physically move the hands on a clock to see time elapsing, they eventually can visualize the same image in their heads as they make the transition to not having one in real world settings. Youngsters need clocks in their hands to help them truly understand the concept of elapsed time.
More than a third of 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 Ms. Bongers and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.