HELP UPLIFT & ENGAGE MY STUDENTS
Donation protected
My name is Iris Nevins and I am looking for financial support from willing donors so that I can uplift and develop students in my 8th grade U.S. History Class. Before I explain exactly what resources I would like to purchase and the reasoning behind them, I would like to preface with a little summary of my students and how I have chosen to work with them.
I work at a Title 1 school which means that more than 40% of my students come from low-income families.
It would not be fair to suggest that students from low-income families are automatically disengaged from school or the learning process--or to suggest that my students’ parents don’t care about their children’s education. What I can say is that the average reading level of my 13 and 14 year old students is below grade level with some students reading below a 6th grade level.
Basic spelling and vocabulary is underdeveloped and so is comprehension. This means that everything from short readings to clips from films are difficult for my students to comprehend because they do not understand the words that are being said. When it comes to writing, most of my students have difficulty writing clear and legible sentences using basic grammar rules. All of this makes it difficult to teach higher-level thinking skills like critical thinking and analysis because so many basic skills are missing.
In addition to these basic skills being underdeveloped, many students have an apathetic attitude towards school. Most put in as little effort as possible and some put in no effort at all. With writing assignments, I struggle to get more than one or two paragraphs out of them. When I ask students to share their thoughts out loud with the class, some either put little effort into what they say or refuse to speak. I rarely give homework assignments but when I do, many students refuse to do it. And when my students begin to get low grades their parents don’t seem to be very concerned or aware.
Now, these generalizations are not entirely accurate because the students in my advanced classes do not have these issues. Most of my “advanced” students are highly engaged and put in great effort. Even those who aren’t fully engaged are at least reading, writing, and comprehending at OR above grade level. So it is really the students in my “regular” classes that I am concerned about.
In summary
a. issue #1 is that many students are lacking basic reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
b. Issue # 2 is that these same students lack the motivation, organization, and self-discipline necessary to be able to improve their reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
c. Issue # 3 is that they do not value “learning” or “growth” which makes it difficult for them to LEARN the important historical information that I am teaching.
d. Issue # 4 is that grades have very little impact on motivation UNLESS they are in danger of failing.
It’s going to take time for my students to fully understand why learning is important. That is something that cannot be learned overnight. But I have found that games are a great way to motivate and inspire students to be ENGAGED in the “learning process.”
These games require the students to complete “challenges” in a specified amount of time. They compete against each other in groups and in the process they both PRACTICE important skills and LEARN about history.
I have tied these games to an “Excellence Program” that rewards students for positive behavior or achievement. Students receive tickets when they make certain accomplishments and then use these tickets to make purchases. Please visit the bottom of THIS page for a chart that gives details about the Excellence Program.
These tickets AND the games have engaged my most difficult and challenging students in ways I had never seen before. When they get their tickets they are so excited and fulfilled. They look forward to the next game. They stop being disruptive or distracted and they GET INTO IT! The excellence program is able to incentivize students in ways that grades don’t but providing the prizes that the students really want costs money and that is where I need your help.
THINGS I NEED MONEY FOR
1. Prizes:
a. “end of quarter lunch parties”
b. Snacks
c. Gift Cards.
2. Binders & Folders: My students struggle with organization. They don’t keep their notes or assignments organized, they forget about deadlines, and they lose assignments. When they lose assignments they’ve already started working on they give up and settle for a zero. So I am having them create “Interactive Binders” that stay in the classroom at all times. These binders will have all of their notes, reflections, and assignments in them along with a table of contents. For over 4 weeks I have been asking my students to bring a binder to school so we can setup their Interactive Binders but only my advanced students have followed through. Thus, I need to buy binders for the remaining students.
3. Flip Chart Markers: Many of the “games” we play involve writing on flip chart paper which requires special markers that don’t run out very quickly. But these markers are expensive and I need enough to last the entire schoolyear.
4. Excellence Tickets: I have been printing the excellence tickets myself but it is requiring a lot of printing, ink, and cutting. So I have decided to get 2,500 tickets made by a local printing company.
5. Films for After School Enrichment Program: I have asked my most challenged and underperforming students to stay after school once a week for “enrichment” activities. This program is film-based but many of the films I need have to be purchased.
Click HERE for a detailed list of what I will be purchasing and the costs.
THINGS YOU CAN DONATE
If you would rather donate physical prizes rather than money here are a list of things you could donate! If you need an address to send them to, shoot me an email at [email redacted]
1. Gift Cards For the Students: Google Playstore, Starbucks, Game Stop, Chick-Fil-A, Chipotle, Bath & Body Works, Claire’s, Olive Garden, Golden Corral, Benihana, Cici’s Pizza, Amazon, Red Lobster, Outback, Chili’s. (based on students’ requests)
2. Gift Cards for me to use: Publix, Tiujana Flats, Subway, Hungry Howie’s Pizza in Lighthouse Point Florida
3. Food/Snacks: anything you would like to donate
For information about my classroom fund go to the bottom of THIS page.
Any EXTRA money that is raised will go to purchasing gift cards or extra prizes!! =D
I work at a Title 1 school which means that more than 40% of my students come from low-income families.
It would not be fair to suggest that students from low-income families are automatically disengaged from school or the learning process--or to suggest that my students’ parents don’t care about their children’s education. What I can say is that the average reading level of my 13 and 14 year old students is below grade level with some students reading below a 6th grade level.
Basic spelling and vocabulary is underdeveloped and so is comprehension. This means that everything from short readings to clips from films are difficult for my students to comprehend because they do not understand the words that are being said. When it comes to writing, most of my students have difficulty writing clear and legible sentences using basic grammar rules. All of this makes it difficult to teach higher-level thinking skills like critical thinking and analysis because so many basic skills are missing.
In addition to these basic skills being underdeveloped, many students have an apathetic attitude towards school. Most put in as little effort as possible and some put in no effort at all. With writing assignments, I struggle to get more than one or two paragraphs out of them. When I ask students to share their thoughts out loud with the class, some either put little effort into what they say or refuse to speak. I rarely give homework assignments but when I do, many students refuse to do it. And when my students begin to get low grades their parents don’t seem to be very concerned or aware.
Now, these generalizations are not entirely accurate because the students in my advanced classes do not have these issues. Most of my “advanced” students are highly engaged and put in great effort. Even those who aren’t fully engaged are at least reading, writing, and comprehending at OR above grade level. So it is really the students in my “regular” classes that I am concerned about.
In summary
a. issue #1 is that many students are lacking basic reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
b. Issue # 2 is that these same students lack the motivation, organization, and self-discipline necessary to be able to improve their reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
c. Issue # 3 is that they do not value “learning” or “growth” which makes it difficult for them to LEARN the important historical information that I am teaching.
d. Issue # 4 is that grades have very little impact on motivation UNLESS they are in danger of failing.
It’s going to take time for my students to fully understand why learning is important. That is something that cannot be learned overnight. But I have found that games are a great way to motivate and inspire students to be ENGAGED in the “learning process.”
These games require the students to complete “challenges” in a specified amount of time. They compete against each other in groups and in the process they both PRACTICE important skills and LEARN about history.
I have tied these games to an “Excellence Program” that rewards students for positive behavior or achievement. Students receive tickets when they make certain accomplishments and then use these tickets to make purchases. Please visit the bottom of THIS page for a chart that gives details about the Excellence Program.
These tickets AND the games have engaged my most difficult and challenging students in ways I had never seen before. When they get their tickets they are so excited and fulfilled. They look forward to the next game. They stop being disruptive or distracted and they GET INTO IT! The excellence program is able to incentivize students in ways that grades don’t but providing the prizes that the students really want costs money and that is where I need your help.
THINGS I NEED MONEY FOR
1. Prizes:
a. “end of quarter lunch parties”
b. Snacks
c. Gift Cards.
2. Binders & Folders: My students struggle with organization. They don’t keep their notes or assignments organized, they forget about deadlines, and they lose assignments. When they lose assignments they’ve already started working on they give up and settle for a zero. So I am having them create “Interactive Binders” that stay in the classroom at all times. These binders will have all of their notes, reflections, and assignments in them along with a table of contents. For over 4 weeks I have been asking my students to bring a binder to school so we can setup their Interactive Binders but only my advanced students have followed through. Thus, I need to buy binders for the remaining students.
3. Flip Chart Markers: Many of the “games” we play involve writing on flip chart paper which requires special markers that don’t run out very quickly. But these markers are expensive and I need enough to last the entire schoolyear.
4. Excellence Tickets: I have been printing the excellence tickets myself but it is requiring a lot of printing, ink, and cutting. So I have decided to get 2,500 tickets made by a local printing company.
5. Films for After School Enrichment Program: I have asked my most challenged and underperforming students to stay after school once a week for “enrichment” activities. This program is film-based but many of the films I need have to be purchased.
Click HERE for a detailed list of what I will be purchasing and the costs.
THINGS YOU CAN DONATE
If you would rather donate physical prizes rather than money here are a list of things you could donate! If you need an address to send them to, shoot me an email at [email redacted]
1. Gift Cards For the Students: Google Playstore, Starbucks, Game Stop, Chick-Fil-A, Chipotle, Bath & Body Works, Claire’s, Olive Garden, Golden Corral, Benihana, Cici’s Pizza, Amazon, Red Lobster, Outback, Chili’s. (based on students’ requests)
2. Gift Cards for me to use: Publix, Tiujana Flats, Subway, Hungry Howie’s Pizza in Lighthouse Point Florida
3. Food/Snacks: anything you would like to donate
For information about my classroom fund go to the bottom of THIS page.
Any EXTRA money that is raised will go to purchasing gift cards or extra prizes!! =D
Organizer
Iris Nevins
Organizer
Hollywood, FL
