This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My 1st-grade students may not come to school with a backpack or a pencil, but they come with boundless energy and an excitement for learning. They love to read, solve problems, and succeed!
I teach at a school on the south side of Chicago where 98% of the students are from low-income households.
The goal of our school is to prepare our students to be lifelong learners. My classroom is a place of learning and respect; a safe space where children are encouraged to work hard, accept challenges, have fun, and feel a sense of accomplishment.
My Project
My 1st graders are familiar with screens. They play games on their parents' phones and tablets, and they love it. Now I want to give my students a chance use these screens to increase their learning in the classroom. Currently the students in my class share 2 laptops (that are about 10 years old) and 3 Chromebooks. None of the classrooms in my school have tablets. There is one tablet cart that the school shares, but the devices are so outdated our district refuses to allow upgrades on them, therefore making them almost unusable.
I want to get 4 Amazon Fire Tablets for my students so they can use apps to increase their reading and math skills and to create digital portfolios.
During independent work time students can use the tablets to play games that meet their individual reading needs. Some students need to learn their letters and letter sounds while others may use the tablet to read independently or do research. During math, students can use apps to learn their numbers, practice addition and subtraction to build fluency, and to do a variety of other activities to increase their understanding of numbers.
Another important need that the tablets will fill is to give my students the opportunity to create digital portfolios. Digital portfolios are a way to celebrate the successes of students over a period of time, and to share student learning with parents. My students are always excited to use our currently outdated technology, and parents like getting messages and pictures from me. Imagine everyone's increased enthusiasm with devices that work consistently and are from this decade. To be able to do all this, I need your help.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Sabino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.