Funded Nov 25, 2020What joy you have brought to my students! Thanks to your generous donations, my students have the opportunity to develop various language skills through our classroom magazines.
During Black History Month, my students learned about Vivien Thomas, otherwise known as "The Man Who Saved 1,000 Babies". Ever heard of him? Unfortunately, many people haven't. In 1944, he helped develop a method to attach one artery to another, giving blood a new pathway to the lungs. This put an end to "blue baby" syndrome. Vivien Thomas' story demonstrates the benefits of hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. While learning all about this remarkable man, my students worked to develop their vocabulary, ability to summarize, retell, identify relevant details and utilize textual evidence to support a claim.
During the month of March, Women's History Month, my students learned about the work of Dr. Gladys B. West. After living her life on a farm, the gifted child earned a scholarship to Virginia State College. In 1955 she earned her master's degree in mathematics. She went on to work for the Navy, programming computers, facing discrimination in the process. Despite adversity, Dr. West worked very hard. Much of her work was top secret. She actually helped to create GPS which has transformed our lives. While learning all about the life of Dr. West, students worked on making inferences and writing.
Thank you for providing my students with the opportunity to learn the skills they need through high interest literature and helping to foster a love of reading.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Palma