I teach at a public, Title 1 Impact school in Savannah- Chatham County. My school currently has 90% of the population receiving free or reduced lunch. The word impact by definition means to "have a strong effect on someone or something." As a teacher, this is my goal each day: to make the greatest positive impact on my students.
My students come from very diverse backgrounds.
My school is certified for English Language Learners moving to this country. The students come from many different countries around the world. Most of our ESOL students were forced to leave their country of origin because of war, persecution, and/ or poverty. Often times these children come to us in complete shock. They are completely unfamiliar with the language and social mores of our country. In addition, they are expected to perform academically.
Despite being from a different country, a single parent home, or a poverty-stricken neighborhood, my students are bright, energetic, and loving. I hope to continue to make the greatest impact on my students by offering them a safe, positive learning environment in which they will continue to thrive.
My Project
So many of my students struggle with math because they lack a strong foundation in number sense. In order for me to combat this struggle, it is important to show students the meaning of mathematics through the use of hands-on manipulatives and visuals. Instead of simply teaching my students the algorithm, my approach is to show them the meaning behind the computations that they are doing to solve a particular problem.
At the elementary level of education, it is important to transfer the abstract concepts into the concrete, visual realm.
The skills that are learned in elementary math are the most commonly used skills in the real world by adults. Decimals, percents, fractions, area, and perimeter are just a few of the core standards that are taught in my classroom. My focus is to create a strong foundation for my students so they will enter the workforce with confidence in their mathematics abilities.
An important item that I am requesting is an upper grades manipulative kit. Some of the items included in this kit are decimal squares and fraction circles. These items will allow me to show the value of a decimal, fraction, or percent by using a concrete visual model. Another item included in this kit is paper money and coin counters. I have found that many of my older students cannot write $20.00 as a decimal. They also have trouble conceptualizing the value of money. With the money manipulatives, I can use real-world scenarios to help them establish number sense in regards to U.S. currency. There are also many different types of art supplies(glue, markers, colored pencils) in my item requests. My hope is to use interactive notebooks with colorful and exciting visuals to serve as a reference guide that they continue to build upon throughout the year.
More than three‑quarters 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 Mrs. Roberts and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
