Visual Thinking Strategies: Show What You're Thinking!
My students need double sided dry erase lapboards, a Post-it Super Sticky Tabletop Easel Pad and plastic clipboards to show and practice their visual thinking strategies in many different subjects.
My 5th-grade students are curious, untouched and excited to learn. They come from extremely diverse backgrounds, from upper middle class to being homeless, or living in subsidized housing.
No matter the degree of hardship or privilege, each student craves and deserves the opportunity to grow, discover and fuel his or her curiosity!
Who knows? I could very well be teaching the next Marie Curie or Bill Gates.
When these 27 students hit the door each day, my classroom bursts with energy and excitement. They are eager to tell me what they are reading, what they did last night, and they want to know what's in store for the day.
My Project
My students have been working on visual thinking strategies and routines. When a student can articulate on paper or verbally what s/he is thinking, greater learning and retention takes place. I have found that all of us can learn to better articulate and show what we are thinking; we can improve our thinking processes.
White boards are used every day in class to promote visual thinking strategies.
(The boards have been used so much that they are wearing out!) We use dry erase boards for showing our thinking in all sorts of math problems, for drawing vocabulary words, review, summarizing, and predicting or evaluating short pieces of text. Students also learn a lot from other students by looking at others' whiteboards. We draw complete circuits and magnetism sketches. By looking at a sketch or written work of any kind, it's easy for a teacher to identify levels of student understanding, or misunderstanding. The Post-it Easel will also be used for VT methods, but in small groups. Students create posters that help increase understanding. A girl in my class recently made a poster, complete with beautiful graphics and pictures that states, "Horse to fly- multiply!" and "Fly to Horse- divide, of course!" These short phrases have become the mantra of class members when they are converting measurements of any kind. Converting a smaller to larger measurement would require division, while a larger to smaller measurement would use multiplication.
Your generous donations will also give my class more clipboards. Clipboards allow the students to "travel" and work in small groups with their assignments and paperwork. The whiteboards are fantastic, but sometimes the work must be done on paper to be turned in. This smallish project will have a big impact on my class!
DOUBLE SIDED Dry Erase Lapboards Pack Bulk Includes 30 Pcs 9 x 12” Inch Mini Small Whiteboards With Erasers and Markers For School Students Write Large Classroom Drawing Interactive Office Supplies
• Amazon Business
$57.97
1
$57.97
Post-it Super Sticky Tabletop Easel Pad, 20 x 23 Inches, 20 Sheets/Pad, 1 Pad (563 DE), Portable White Premium Self Stick Flip Chart Paper, Dry Erase Panel, Built-in Easel Stand
• Amazon Business
$18.90
1
$18.90
Trade Quest Plastic Clipboard Transparent Color Letter Size Standard Clip (Pack of 6) (Assorted)
• Amazon Business
$16.55
1
$16.55
Trade Quest Plastic Clipboard Transparent Color Letter Size Low Profile Clip (Pack of 6) (Assorted)
• Amazon Business
$14.95
1
$14.95
Materials cost
$108.37
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$1.63
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$140.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$24.71
Total project goal
$164.71
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$164.71
3 Donors
-$164.71
Donations toward project cost
-$140.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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. Holmes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
