Past projects 5
Is It Reading? Is It Math?
Funded Dec 18, 2009On behalf of the students who are reading the books you have donated, we send you a humble yet deeply felt thank you. Your generosity is helping children get excited about math! I am also learning much about what kids like to read.
Here are some highlights of what I have learned about the Math Library from the children so far: The number of dinosaur books in the library is not equal to the number of students who want them! The number of book titles in English is greater than the number of book titles in Spanish therefore I ought to purchase more books in Spanish. SIZE (of book) matters. Interest in BIG numbers is greater than or equal to the amount of interest in the book. Food math concept = favorite book Two friends two books of the same title = perfect shared reading. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thome
Making Math Meaningful with Manipulatives
Funded Oct 24, 2009Thank you so much for your generous donation to our Math Classroom. The wide variety of math manipulatives that you have provided give students the opportunity to explore many mathematical "mysteries".
Here are a few examples of the learning made possible with the materials you donated:
*Four and five year old students explore the many, many variations of triangles, helping them to see that all triangles are not equilateral and that "upside down" triangles are really congruent triangles!
*Third fourth and fifth grade students discover that 3D shapes are created from 2D shapes.
*First and second grade students extend their adding and subtracting skills by using 12 sided dice in addition to 6 sided dice.
*Third grade students uncover meaningful and logical patterns as numbers grow larger or smaller by interacting with a place value chart.
The goal of making math accessible, meaningful, and attainable is being realized thanks to your generosity. You have made a real difference in the mathematical lives of many students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thome
Reading for the Love of Math
Funded Jul 20, 2009What a joy it is to watch and listen to students as they immerse themselves in a new batch of books that gets them talking and thinking about math! "Can I check this book out?" is like music to my ears! I am thrilled that so many children want to continue reading at home. Some ask for another book to take and read to a sibling. The power of a book never ceases to amaze me!
Not only are students reaping the benefits of the Math Library -- teachers are asking to borrow books that they can share with their classes. They have asked for books that support concepts such as counting by 5s, the vocabulary of probability, spending money and geometric shapes.
The Math Library will soon be open to parents, too. They will have the opportunity to borrow books and to learn how they can support their child's education at home.
Your generosity is reaching the lives of many students, and we cannot thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thome
Where's the Math?
Funded Jul 8, 2008Wow! This is a project that I've wanted to get off the ground for a number of years. I can't believe it is actually going to happen! Thanks for being a part of this project. Your contribution is going to get kids reading and doing math! Students will have the opportunity to check out a wide variety of books and think about not just the story, but the math. The stories they read will introduce them to characters creating graphs, solving problems, measuring, counting, calculating and using lots more math in everyday situations. This is going to be great!
Again, thank you for being dedicated to the education of our kids”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thome
Calculatorless
Funded Mar 5, 2008Wow! I am thrilled and amazed by your sense of generosity. I am confident that my students will become better learners of mathematics having calculators readily available. Research suggests that when students are given the opportunity to explore and use calculators, they will learn when it is appropriate to use a calculator and when it is not. This doesn't imply that students will not continue to learn how to estimate, calculate mentally or solve problems the old fashioned way, with pencil and paper. My students will still learn algorithms and learn how to solve problems but now they will have an additional tool to help them navigate their learning and understanding of arithmetic.
Again, many thanks”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thome