My students need assorted math manipulatives including play money, student clocks, and fraction and decimal circles in order to make visual connections with abstract concepts.
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
I remember sitting in Math with my notebook and a pencil, watching the teacher work problems on the board, and be expected to do the same. There is nothing more dull than practicing math skills with a piece of paper and pencil. I want to make learning math exciting; thereby, gaining comprehension.
Our community does not have a strong corporate tax base.
There are no Fortune 500 companies in our area. Therefore, our school must rely on the generosity of our benefactors to enrich the educational programs for our students. Our students have historically scored below average in number operations. Furthermore, our children live in disadvantaged environments. It is my job to provide a variety of activities that challenge the learner.
My Project
Oh! What fun we will have moving, arranging, and sorting the new manipulatives to learn math! The coins and paper bills will allow my students to pay for items and make change during small group instruction. The clocks will be used to find actual and elapsed time. Finally, the place value strips and fraction/decimal/percent circles will give my students the visual connection needed to understand these expanded concepts. Students are more likely to remember information by doing rather than seeing or listening. Manipulatives will allow students to explore math concepts with a hands-on approach to problem solving.
I must present content in various ways in order to address many learning styles.
Manipulatives give students the opportunity to touch and move objects to make visual representations of math concepts. Research shows that when students "learn by doing," 75% of information is retained. Our students do not have the resources at home to reinforce what is learned during class. Because of this, it is critical that the initial learning is meaningful.
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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. Wilson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.