Past projects 5
Thinking (and Feeling) Classroom
Funded Sep 18, 2024Thank you so much for donating to my project, refreshing my Thinking Classroom. Having whiteboard tables to write on helps students be "brave" when working on unfamiliar problems - they are more likely to TRY instead of just asking the teacher for the correct answer if mistakes are easier to erase. This helps decrease math anxiety, which is a real barrier to learning for many students, as well as helping to foster a growth mindset by encouraging exploration of ideas.
The fidget stickers on our desks are also helpful, as it makes this accommodation accessible to everyone without singling out students (they don't have to go to the teacher's desk to get a fidget item, or be seen with one in their hands).
Thank you again for being my student's village and helping to make their classroom environment that much nicer.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlyer
Art of the Game (2.0)
Funded Jan 18, 2024My students this semester are hard at work perfecting their games for our 2nd iteration of "Bxchs-Collab-Con" in June. They have been enjoying the Crayola Air Dry Clay in particular, and most of them are using this to create the pawns etc. for their board games.
This semester they have been really experimenting with this medium, seeing how best to get colorful results with this clay (which comes in just white, blue, yellow, red). On top of mixing the base colors of they clay, they decided to experiment with markers, and have discovered which markers work best for "pre-coloring" the white clay (the smelly Mr. Sketch ones seem best of what we have available).
Having enough materials available to let them just experiment and see how to best make their art projects has been a wonderful learning experience for them - and honestly a luxury for me as a teacher. Thank you very much for your part in this.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlyer
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone who cares about New York City and 4 other donors.The Art of the Game
Funded Oct 11, 2023Thank you again! Your generous donations allowed my students to showcase their creativity and learn new artistic techniques.
As the semester winds down we are getting ready to present their creations to our school community. I'm hoping that "bxchs Collab Con" becomes a repeated event for us.
This would not have been possible if we were limited to basic classroom supplies. You can only be so creative when all you have are 8 marker colors and maybe some construction paper. Air Dry clay, a full range of markers, cut and stick vinyl, and the pizza boxes they used as game boxes, alowed their creative ideas to come to life. You made this possible, thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlyer
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 6 other donors.Thinking Classroom in Mathematics
Funded Oct 11, 2023Having the space to work together while being able to easily erase errors has allowed my students much greater freedom when exploring new mathematical concepts. We have used our whiteboard surfaces for everything from working out "what is a proof" using a simple conjecture (an even plus an even will always equal an odd) to solving systems of equations and exploring precalculus. Drawing out patterns helps them understand geometric problems, and having room to write ideas helps them learn to explain their mathematical thinking.
Being able to see what other students are working on, without having to get up and move around the room, also helps ideas circulate. Students learn more from other students than they do from each other, and this setup facilitates that sort of learning. Our students have moved through some fairly complicated material more quickly than they had in prior years.
Thank you again for being the villiage that my students need in order to succeed.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlyer
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 8 other donors.Math made Simple
Funded Oct 13, 2022I use the manipulatives that were funded by this project in creative ways on a weekly basis. Most recently, the "area" blocks helped me to explain the idea of squares and square roots to a student in algebra 2. We've been graphing functions, and she remembered what shape a square root function makes on the graph, but she didn't understand WHY because she didn't have a concept of what square root was. Being able to build a square out of 9 tiles, and see that the width of one side was 3, got the concept across to her. Yes, you can draw it out on graph paper, but using blocks is a better kinesthetic experience and often gets the point across more quickly.
Factor tiles are a great, easily gamified, activity when explaining prime numbers. Fraction pie slices help remind students how fractions are used to describe parts of a whole. All of these tools have helped my students immeasurably by saving time when reteaching foundations so that they can understand the new concepts being introduced. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlyer