Third graders at our school love that they get to do Genius Hour for the first time. Genius hour is time set aside when students get to direct their own learning. They choose their own topics, guide their own research, and decide how they will share it with their classmates or the world.
We have three teachers who are eager to take Genius Hour to the next level--MAKERSPACES!
Our school is a K-12 school that promotes our older students being role models for younger students. We hope to have some older students, along with adults in our building or community members, mentor our 3rd graders to enhance the learning by connecting them to an "expert".
My Project
We are establishing a makerspace area for 3rd graders to direct their own hands-on learning. We need a variety of tools and supplies available to them, so they are able to jump right into a project that inspires them.
A makerspace is a collaborative work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools.
These supplies will help create that space for our students.
Some project will be fully or partially teacher-led while others will be fully directed by the student with guidance from an older student or adult. Examples of makerspace projects that students might choose would be learning how to make a birdhouse then build one, learn about musical instruments then make one and play a song with it, disassemble something to find out how it's made or how it works, or invent something to improve an activity in their lives.
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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. Wathke and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.