My students need concrete ways to interact with the materials and concepts that are being taught. The lamination & velcro allow me to modify book illustrations making them interactive for students who are unable to read.
"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery."
Mark Van Doren
Students in our district are from a small, rural community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our community has a lower socio-economic population, with state data showing 57% of the students being economically disadvantaged and 77% of the eligible students participating in free and reduced lunch programs. Our attendance averages above 95% daily with only one day this past year below 90%. Our students are dedicated and enthusiastic learners. They react well to research-based instruction. My goal is to purchase supplies allowing us to support academic and social situations, and focus on individual living and life skills. When this project is funded, my students will be able to have additional resources that will allow them to thrive educationally and emotionally in an effort to meet each individual’s personal potential.
My Project
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin
Modified materials are a NECESSITY to engage my students with special needs, while they continuously reach for understanding of the environment around them.
This is the final piece of 3 Donor's Choose projects that I am hoping to be funded. My other 2 projects "Butterfly Investigations" & "The Ants Go Marching" identify supplies to study and raise butterfly eggs & ants. Each project offers a variety of ways for my students to observe, care for, & learn from the insects in our classroom. This includes: plastic models to hold & explore, a variety of magnifying glasses to use based on individual physical needs, & a magnifier that can be hooked up to my computer and projected onto our SMART Board. This project adds additional options for larger enclosed observation settings to enhance the safety of the bug being observed, further encouraging students to be gentle as they watch.
Literacy encompasses a love of books as well as reading. My students DEFINITELY have that. The books in this project further the understanding of bugs around us, but I have students who are unable to read. I chose multiple copies of some books so I can laminate and velcro the pages creating interactive books for those students. This encourages EVERY student to be engaged in the lessons at his/her individual level. Viewing of beautiful illustrations expands to the large puzzle in this project & furthers conversations & observations of what we see. The final item works on interactions with others. It is a game that encourages team work to complete. Through the use of a variety of teaching techniques, I am able to create strong traces to enhance student engagement in learning about our environment.
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. Putnam and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
