Strummin’ Towards Success
Everything went amazingly well this year, and turned out better than I ever dreamed. Despite all the restrictions and challenges that covid presented this year, the instruments and supplies purchased have made so many opportunities available for my students. To see the enthusiasm and joy of the students as they come in every week, is incredible.
Wireless Headphones to Support 21st Century Learning
Students learned quickly how to access their online learning content on Chromebooks. The wireless headphones made learning a bit more simple because they were familiar with the headphones from using the same kind with iPads in previous years. Student focus increased because headphones were comfortable and easy to use.
Sphero Robot
We have seen our students use collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills the most as they perform tasks with the robots. We have had students do any thing from bowling activities using the parts sent with the robot to creating and running their robots through mazes. We have been able to assess the impact of our grant anecdotally as well as students increase their communication, collaboration and critical thinking each time we use the robots. As students get more familiarized through each use, we have been able to see the increase in their level of comfort addressing problems and compromising.
Wellness Room
The Wellness room at Forbes has been a beneficial tool in helping our students learn to self-regulate. Before implementing the wellness room, we tried to teach our students that they could walk away from a stressful situation, but the only place to walk to was out in the hall or in the front office, where behavior tended to escalate. With the wellness room, students can take a break when needed in a place that is calm and non-threatening. They are encouraged to ask for a break to visit the Zen Zone before their behavior has escalated. Teachers were trained to watch for pre-behaviors and help students to recognize that they need a break.
Stopping Weathering & Erosion
My project turned out great. Students were engaged and really learned from the science experiment. It really provided a deeper learning experience for the kids. One of the articles we read talked about how a landslide wiped out a city in Guatemala. Students collaborated in groups and used critical skills to come up with ways to prevent their city from having the same result. Without the grant, I would not have been able to purchase all the supplies to give my students this deeper learning experience. Students are more likely to learn and retain this experience since it was hands on.
Items for Science Phenomena
It was so great having the items for my students to do hands on investigation of a phenomenon. My goal was greatly met and I was able to see the impact as my students used the items and wrote about their phenomenon. I think I got greater understanding and responses when doing a hands on investigation as opposed to watching a movie or reading about it.
Buddy Reading Rugs
The students have loved sitting with a buddy to practice reading. It’s important they hear other readers and practice reading aloud themselves. These buddy rugs were a great way to make it fun and engaging and keep them on task. The new books have been a favorite.
Promethean ActivPanel
I have utilized my Promethean Board daily in my classroom. It has been super helpful as a tool for teaching my students, showing them information clearly, and allowing them to interact with the teaching process as well.
Monarch Waystation
The Monarch Waystation is a beautiful addition to our school. Mayor Jenney Rees, a USA Monarch City Mayor, dedicated the Waystation. The garden has attracted several monarchs which laid eggs. More than a dozen monarchs were raised in the classroom. The third grade experienced the life cycle of butterflies in their classrooms and released many monarchs, including some from the super generation that have migrated to California. They learned how the environment affects monarchs. They are citizen scientists that care about the world and the life we find in our world.
Flexible Seating
My goal has been achieved. The grant allowed me to provide all 28 students with a form of flexible seating. Students and parents have expressed how much they appreciate this type of seating and how much it has helped them with focusing and still being able to move around.