I teach in a Title I public middle school in Brooklyn. My students come from many different countries, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, China, the United States, Yemen, Chile, Pakistan, and Ecuador. Together, we study Social Studies and learn about the values, customs and beliefs that have shaped America's history. As you can imagine, my students' experiences truly enrich the learning inside our classroom.
My students love listening to stories about Revolutionary War spies and the reactions of the native Taino people when they first encountered Christopher Columbus.
This storytelling pulls them in and gets them interested and invested to do the hard work that I ask of them. My students are expected to read critically, analyze multiple historical perspectives, and reflect all that they have learned in their writing. It is challenging work, but every year my students continue to impress me by asking thoughtful questions and placing themselves in the shoes of those who have come before them.
My Project
When it comes to staying organized, even adults have difficulty! Remember what it was like to be in middle school? Organization is often a struggle, along with self-confidence, peer pressure, and learning everything necessary to be prepared for high school. Seventh grade is a critical year in middle school and my students need support staying organized. Purchasing school supplies is often a financial burden that puts a great deal of stress on students and their families.
My project helps alleviate a lot of the anxiety many of my students and their families feel in the beginning of a new school year.
In addition, as I’ve sat and read through my students’ evaluations during the summer, so many of them reported that they felt like they learned a lot and were kept interested last year because of the systems that were in place. This project goes a long way towards helping my students adjust to my class, as well as providing them with the necessary supplies they need in order to succeed in school.
I will be teaching American history to 150 7th grade students. Approximately 90 of my students are English Language learners, special education students, or both. I am so excited to help my students get the year started off on the right foot, and to see them fill their notebooks and folders with information on Native Americans, early explorers, the 13 colonies, and the American Revolution. Students will be able to use each different colored folder for every marking period, and their notebooks will be uniform, so no one will have to worry about not having the necessary supplies. In addition to that peace of mind, the markers will help us create colorful posters that we can use around the room as guides for learning!
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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 Mr. McCurry and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
