My students are from a very rural area in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. What makes my students so special is that they are all identified as gifted in specific areas. I teach the primary talent pool and gifted and talented students in our school. We have twenty-five students in our school who benefit from this program. We only began this program three years ago and it has been a wonderful experience for my students to be engaged in higher level activities and STEM activities that their regular classroom teacher may not always have time for. My students are not given the same opportunities as students in other areas, for example to even get to the nearest Walmart we have to travel at least 30-45 minutes, and that’s not counting the students who live in hollows. Some of the hollows do not even have access to internet, as the terrain makes it impossible to reach them. My students deserve a classroom that is fun to come to where they can participate in these engaging higher level activities while being in a comfortable environment.
My Project
I am requesting funding for two Apple iPads, an Osmo Genius Kit, and an Osmo Creative Kit to be used in my Gifted and Talented/STEM Classroom. The students who come to my classroom are bright students who are intellectually or creatively above the other students in their classroom, and the time that they are in my room is a time for enrichment activities.
I want these students to feel like they are being rewarded for coming to my classroom, not punished, so I want to make learning fun.
One way to help make the learning in my classroom fun is to have the Apple iPads available along with the Osmo Genius Kit and the Osmo Creative Kit.
The Osmo Genius kit and Creative kit both come with tangible game pieces that can be used to play along with the iPad. Skills that can be covered are counting numbers, letters, creativity, shapes, problem solving, spelling, and programming. By incorporating technology and "games" into students' learning, it helps them to become more attentive and more active participants in their learning experiences.
The kits are suitable for ages 8-10, which is where the majority of my students fall. I would hope that this project could be funded so that my students could have a fun learning experience while receiving enrichment services!
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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. Mayhorn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.