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
"History is Our story. What will your chapter be?" I ask students on the first day of class. With this as our guiding question, my students start to contemplate their identity as a citizen and what their role in the future of this country will be as they learn of our Nation's history.
My students are 8th graders in a diverse community.
We are recovering from several years of tragedy and turmoil. Unemployment and underemployment (working several part-time jobs to make ends meet) remains high. Over 90% of students receive free or reduced priced lunches. Despite these obstacles, my students are so curious about the world around them, but they have had little opportunity to experience. Websites like National Archives, Constitution Center and Smithsonian bring that world into the classroom.
My Project
My goal is to get them a class set of Chromebooks so they can research and experience these important documents, artifacts and artwork right in the classroom. We examine pottery, jewelry and cliff wall paintings for clues about what's important to early Native Americans. We look at portraits, landscapes, paintings of historical events. Then analyze each quadrant for details. This process leads to discoveries about attitudes and opinions about what was important to people during that time period. The end result is, the students are developing historical empathy and critical thinking through art. My reason for requesting the art materials is so my students can then put that newly developed empathy to use and create projects that communicate what they've learned in a hands-on way. The process of creating their own art will take the retention of material to an even higher level.
This project is so important because access to artwork and artifacts brings the names and dates in a textbook to life.
It gives insight into the past in a meaningful way. They will analyze these items and practice critical thinking skills such as point of view and motive. My students will develop researching and problem solving skills as they learn to distinguish reliable sources. Lastly they will create, which makes their learning personal and powerful.
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. Simmonds and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
