My students need brightly colored cardstock, lamination, lanyards, and place value discs so I can provide them with hands-on experiences and visual opportunities in math.
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
The young mathematicians at our elementary school enjoy opportunities to explore and learn new skills and concepts through hands-on lessons, activities, and experiences both in and outside of the classroom. Although eager to learn, not all students have the background knowledge, strategies, and perseverance needed to tackle new, and sometimes challenging, concepts. Frequently, our students come from low-income families where English is not the spoken language. Despite the obstacles they face, these students have made tremendous growth in learning, but continued work must be done to sustain the gains and make these students proficient learners. It is my job, along with our other amazing teachers, to provide a mathematically rich environment and an abundance of hands-on activities that connect the students to real-world experience.
My Project
A mathematically rich environment at school is a step toward demystifying vocabulary these students are unlikely to encounter outside their classrooms. Such an environment includes labels throughout the school identifying examples of math vocabulary and concepts. Room numbers identified as odd and even numbers and bends in pipes labeled as the appropriate angles are only a few examples of bringing real-world meaning to the vocabulary used in class. With colorful cardstock, paint, and laminating material supplied by this grant, I will be able to cut large, eye-catching, kid-friendly words and numbers to display around the school. By painting large number lines that students will encounter throughout the day, I can reinforce their classroom experience regardless of where they are in the building. I am seeking the means to make the labels and signs more durable so they can be added to rather than recreated every year.
Another example of providing students with hands-on experiences and visual opportunities in math involves using place value disks.
Because base ten is the foundation of our number system, place value is a very important concept in all grades for elementary students. Place value concepts become clearer when teachers use number disks to equate value to create numbers and reinforce traditional algorithms. Supplying classroom sets of disks for all teachers would be a great advantage so they are always on hand when needed to create a visual representation for students.
My final request to make learning as engaging and clear as possible would be to purchase lanyards with plastic sleeves. This engagement tool that can be used with any concept. Students wear their lanyards to “own” their newly acquired math vocabulary or concept both in and outside of the classroom to facilitate discussion.
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. Cassano and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
