Has music ever reminded you of a wonderful event, taking you back in time? Have you ever wanted to bring back a memory evoked by music? Sounds and smells can evoke memories just as author Marcel Proust noted when he smelled the petite madeleine and remembered special experiences.
The year has begun and I have 30, terrific, first grade students with incredibly vivid imaginations.
They all have stories to tell and want to illustrate them. Music sparks their imaginations. We are a New York City public school in one of the most diverse areas in the nation, the borough of Queens. Ours is an international school community, whose students speak many languages. There are many cultures and traditions represented in our school but music is a common language. Our parents are most appreciative of what we bring to the children and they value the role of the arts in encouraging imaginative thinking. As highly motivated and excited learners, the eager students are anxious to share their stories with each of their classmates.
My Project
Just as author Marcel Proust was reminded of experiences by the smell of a cookie, the children will be encouraged to draw and write about what comes to mind as they listen to various pieces of music. Therefore, to do this, we need a laptop computer to write our stories and a printer to print them out for display. I have asked for a laser color printer because the students will also be able to create digital drawings using the paint feature that comes on every computer. Colorful imaginations need to be printed in color and laser printers print quickly for impatient young authors. Speed is an important feature when you have a full class of eager young authors/illustrators for whom patience is a limited commodity. We need to upgrade our technology to have quality resources in support literacy, learning, and art. I want this to be a favorite time for the children. As they listen to music, they must have a hands-on art and writing activity through which they can express their reactions.
A laptop is portable and can move from desk to desk as the children write, digitally draw, and even research composers whose music they hear.
The printer has a wireless feature that will allow us to print our masterpieces from anywhere in the room, and print them quickly. An entire class of chefs-d'oeuvre (masterpieces) can be printed before day's end with this color printer and we can even print on both sides of the page to ultimately assemble a book.We hope we can find support for our project.
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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. Ickowics and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.