This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
In kindergarten, my students are required to digest huge amounts of brand new information on a daily basis. Many of them come to me not recognizing letters of the alphabet or numbers 1-10, yet they are eager to dive into the world of reading, writing and problem solving.
Many of my 25 kids are kinesthetic learners, meaning that they need to work hands-on with a lesson in order for it to stick permanently in their growing minds.
Research has shown that there is a huge improvement in student learning with the increased use of interactive learning strategies, even after controlling for individual and community demographics. Classes that spent at least 25 percent of class time using interactive learning strategies averaged more than TWICE the gain scores as compared to classes that spent less than 25 percent of class time teaching interactively.
As many of my students have limited or no access to technology outside of school, they light up when I bring my laptop or small iHome speaker to show them a short video or song that relates to the lesson for the day. However, many of them often complain that they can't see my small computer screen, and I constantly think about how awesome it would be if ALL students could interact with the material ALL the time.
My Project
Our reading and math curriculum both come with an online component in which students can watch videos to help them understand the material, as well as play games that let them interact and see the concept in action. However, our school does not have the necessary funds to purchase SmartBoards or projection technology to allow students to use these resources effectively.
An LCD projector would allow my class to view and interact with the world of reading, language, math, science and social studies on a daily basis. The projector will give them the opportunity to be introduced to new concepts, participate in modeling and guided practice, and open up discussions about what they are seeing and how they understand it. My students deserve the chance to take advantage of the amazing resources available for them that can help ground their minds in concepts that are often difficult to visualize.
Being able to interact with their lessons will revolutionize the way they think about things like modeling mathematical problems, and it will help build literacy skills, such as reading comprehension and phonemic awareness.
They will in turn be able to see that there is often more than one way to solve a problem, and they will become better critical thinkers as a result. It is my hope that students will take more ownership of their learning as concepts come alive for them through technology.
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. Matrisciano and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
