Did you ever hear the phrase, "How many trees had to be chopped down to make that packet, book, handout?" Every day I ask myself how can we become more green.
Fourth grade requires us to do a lot of writing and calculating. I often find myself asking the children in our class to get out a sheet of paper or find your notebook to complete a task. We encourage our students, staff, and faculty to recycle in many aspects, but there are other ways to be responsible. It is our duty as citizens to make the world a better place!
As we recently worked on an activity for the upcoming Earth Day, one student posed the challenge to me. "What can we do to use less paper in our classroom?" Great question, we brainstormed ideas on PAPER. The ideas were great; use the backs of paper, have a recycle box in the classroom, give less homework worksheets, write more on the board. They were all wonderful ideas but the last was one that was doable for all.
The problem is, the classroom has two large white boards but how could each student be given the opportunity to use it when needed? How can each student work on a problem independently if 26 other students are looking on their space on the board to copy their answer? Who gets to go to the board first? Will some students at their seats still need to use paper and pencil? All questions that would need to be analyzed.
The solution to so many of these questions is as simple as personal dry erase boards and markers for each student, kept at their desk. From answering questions in Social Studies to drawing and labeling a diagram of an electrical circuit in Science, to a quick informal quiz to see who knows what is going on, the personal dry erase boards are our new paper. It is that simple!
By helping to fund my project, you will give our children the opportunity to help save a tree or two! You will also give our class the chance to be responsible, Earth friendly citizens. Having ownership and something new in the classroom creates a new excitement that teachers are always trying to create. Do your part to help the Earth too, you know how important that is to our future!
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. Spiker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
