My students need games (Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Taboo) that help them practice their spelling, vocabulary, and argumentation skills.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Landry's classroom raised $188
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Students need to train for adult life the same way that professional athletes train for championship games: Hard work, dedication, and a growth mindset. By the same token, though, they should take joy and pride in that training, and it is my job to give them that opportunity.
The first thing my students hear each day is, "Welcome, come on in and get logged in.
We've got a lot of work to do!" Their work is to learn, and they just need the tools. They always do the rest. Most come from families experiencing poverty, and about half of them are first-generation immigrants. Many have come from refugee camps and seen violence in their homelands. Almost two-thirds of them are or were English language learners. At home, they are hearing Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Arabic, and other languages, in addition to English. This may sound like a recipe for chaos and disharmony, but they mix and mingle freely, finding friendship across boundaries of language, skin color, and religion. What strikes me most about these students is how many of them are so eager to learn and reach for a better life for themselves and their families.
My Project
Recent research into human (and particularly, adolescent) brain development shows us what many of us have known instinctively for many years: People learn best when they are having fun actively doing something. Games in the classroom fulfill both these important criteria.
These games will let students have fun while actively engaged, pushing them to expand their skills in spelling, vocabulary, and argumentation.
We recently added Scrabble sets to our classroom, and they've been a huge hit. Next school year, we want to make part of every Friday into "Word Game Day" where they rotate between different games to make sure they are expanding all their skills.
Roots is a game where students have to combine word parts (roots and suffixes) to make existing English words or new fanciful words to win. Taboo and Apples to Apples are games where students have to practice their verbal language and persuasive skills to explain their reasoning to the other players in order to win.
The best part is that they don't even feel like they are studying when they do this, but the "fun" is activating the learning part of their brains much more than boring lectures, worksheets, or any of the old "standard" teaching methods.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Mr. Landry and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
