Tuesday, August 20, 2013

I need your help to INSPIRE!

In a bit of a deviation from my usual blabber, tonight's post has a new and very important topic.  My wonderful school full of students and their (and my) desperate need for some new materials. For some quick background information, I teach math, all students grade 1-5, at an elementary school in an urban city just outside of Boston.  My school is old and we are missing a lot of new technology.  Most noticeably, we have no library, just some bookshelves in the hallway on each of the three floors.  Without a library, it's hard to keep these books organized and even harder to find books that are relative to the subject matter.  In an ideal world, I'd be a millionaire.  In the real world, I'm not even close.  This poses a problem most often when there are supplies I want to give my students, but lack the means to acquire the supplies.  Last year I noticed a major drop in mathematical literature for students above grade 2.  There are lots of books at the school about counting, sequencing, and ordering numbers.  Past those basic skills though, there is little to nothing.  I desperately want to give my older students new fictional, math centered stories.  Plenty of these books exist, the problem is getting them into the hands of those who need them.  Some of my favorite math centered books include the Sir Cumference stories and the other math adventure series.  Unfortunately, these books come at a price, and when added up, it becomes more than I can support on my own.
So, this is where your help become necessary.  I've set up a donorschoose project focused around fictional math literature for older students.  My project also includes a video recorder so that the students can practice, explain, and record math strategies, using the books, to show to other students.  You will also see a request for bins, necessary to store the books in a central location and provide an easy way to keep track of what is being used at the moment.  Donating money is a lot to ask, I know this.  But if you can't donate, there are other ways you can help.  One of the simplest ways is to share this blog post or my project link.  If enough people share, I am confident it will reach people that would be able to donate.  Remember, no donation is too small.  Even $1 will push the project along.  In fact, if you donate this week, and enter the code INSPIRE at the payment screen, donorschoose will even match your donation.  This code expires on August 26, but the project will be open until it is fully funded or until December, whichever comes first.
If you read this blog, please take a moment to share or donate, and help these students have a future in math!  Here's the link to my project, just click and go.  Flipping for math
Thank you!


The first Sir Cumference story


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