Past projects 4
Bringing High Quality and Equitable Instruction to ALL Students
Funded Dec 29, 2018Thank you so much for your donations. The new device has already enabled me to continue to create tailored assignments to my students. For example, my Civics students are leading a voter registration and education drive around the Chicago Municipal elections, and the handouts I give out would not be available from a standard book. Use of the new macbook helps me create up-to-date materials around current issues students care about. I have also designed and led a Professional Development meeting for the staff here at Fenger, and this would not have been possible without the high quality device you made possible.
My favorite thing about the new macbook so far is being able to model effective use of technology. Although there's an idea out there that young people "know computers", the truth is that this belief is highly culturally and economically dependent. Most of my students may be familiar with a cell phone, but properly using a laptop or chromebook with word-processing software and online websites or email is something that I have to literally show students how to do. Sure, students moan and groan about this at the start, but when their professional essays are printed, their eyes glow with pride at the work they've done.
This new macbook is much more powerful than my old one. I look forward to utilizing its capabilities in my classroom and in my role as a teacher leader. I'm thinking about having my students create more videos and perhaps a podcast. Don't believe the myth that our young people "don't care." They do care, they're just waiting for adults who will listen. I look forward to the new device being a tool that I can use to put my students in front of powerful adults and within earshot of decisions-makers.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Voss
The Students Need Paper!
Funded Mar 19, 2018Thank you so much! With the paper from this project I personally delivered 2 reams to each teacher in the building. Every teacher was so thankful. They can now continue to personalize lessons for each children on a daily basis so that each child can reach their full potential.
An added benefit is that I requested that each of my fellow teachers monitor how long it takes them to go through a ream of paper. We need this data so that we can more accurately predict how much of our budget we should/can devote to paper next year!
I know some of you donors might be thinking, "why paper? This is 2018, shouldn't the students be on tablets or computers?" The answer is that they are on tablets and computers, but paper remains one of the most effective ways to activate learning pathways in the brain. We know from research and experience there simply is no substitute for your pen or pencil being put to paper.
Me personally, each day my students get a paper that has a "Focus Question" at the top. This question will guide the weeks' inquiry. Below that is the day's "objective" that a student will read aloud at the start of class. The directions, activities, text,and assessments that occupy the rest of the paper work to specifically support each student. There's no text book that has these items adapted specifically for my students. Your paper allows me to do this and remain a wonderfully effective and happy teacher.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Voss
Help Chicago Students Find Their Strengths and Become More Powerful!
Funded May 15, 2017Thank you so much for making the last couple of weeks in my Entrepreneurship class meaningful for students. In this class, sponsored by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), students complete a year long Business plan competition... in May. This leaves NFTE teachers around the country scrambling to create connected and meaningful curriculum for the final weeks of the year. I began with the question "what book can my students read, collaborate on, and become more powerful." Enter StrengthsFinder 2.0 and it's Ondine Strengths Assessment.
My students were so fascinated reading the introductory chapters together. Around our table you hear many "ooohs" "ahhs" and "This book is so real!" The students asked why they had not read more books like this through high school giving evidence to the age-old claim that knowing thyself is at the root of all education.
Reflection can be hard for anyone and especially high school students. This book and the Ondine assessment really put a magnifying glass on each student. One of my kids, Amaiyah Leonard observed "I think my mom might be in the wrong job." Making this observation based on her new understanding of peoples' individual talents and strengths.
The students worked together to discuss their assessment findings and apply what they learned to career and college in the creation of a 19-page slide presentation.
I'm so happy Donor's Choose was able to help me organize this little book club with my students and that the students found the material valuable. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Voss
Elmo Document Reader for Student Learning
Funded Jan 17, 2011Thank you all so much for your generous contributions to my classroom. Your commitment to public education is all the more encouraging given the current political climate, and in these hard times it is my students, our students, that are the most vulnerable. We've already seen our budget cut, after school programs cut, and even the nutritional value of lunchroom items decrease. If we want the next generation to improve the world for themselves and their children, they will have to be able to engage the world and experience success in our complex and global society, our students will have to read.
Reading might not be what comes to mind when you think of your Junior social science class, but I assure you that it is a primary deficit here and in poor urban areas across the nation. The essential elements of literacy, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension need to be taught directly to students on a daily basis. The intricacies of what goes through an effective readers while reading--predicting, testing predictions, skimming information--is quite difficult to achieve using an old school overhead projector or a chalk board. For this reason, I asked the donors of Donor's Choose for an ELMO.
Through about 4 weeks since I set up the ELMO students are more engaged in reading activities. They are able to "think through" difficult readings with me. Students are encouraged to share their own reading using the document camera and it helped create a climate of success in my classroom that I am extremely grateful for.
In the pictures attached you see an activity. Students learned about Roth IRAs and 401ks and developed a plan to educate the community about these retirement accounts. This activity was previewed with a reading that explained that among poor people, and particularly blacks, investment using tax-advantaged investment vehicles is well below the average, and has indeed contributed to the widening inequality in our country. This activity had students practicing reading skills and new age technology literacy to present authentic and worthwhile learning to their own community. Something that the ELMO helped empower them to do.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Voss