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Goal

Ninth grade is undoubtedly the most difficult year in a student's academic career. It is often a turbulent time filled with insecurity, typical teen angst, and the process of self-discovery. I teach 9th grade Critical Thinking, a freshman seminar-style class that equips students with the tips, tools, and strategies they need to have a successful freshman year of high school. My ultimate goal is to provide a nurturing environment where students can develop personally, academically, emotionally, and socially. Team building activities are a great way to foster their self-confidence and develop the communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills they will use for the rest of their life.
 

What will be done with my students

Every Friday, students are engaged in various team building activities with an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). They work collaboratively on various activities, such as the Marshmallow Challenge, Build a Bridge, Float Your Boat, and Back-to-Back Drawing. These are highly engaging activities that motivate students to work together to reach a specific goal. While some of the activities involve little to no set-up or materials, many of them require supplies for each team. Because every 9th grade student is in my class, the cost can add up very quickly. This funding from this grant will allow me to purchase supplies for these activities.
 

Benefits to my students

These STEAMbuilding activities will help to fortify a classroom culture that has been built on respect and responsibility. They will require students to think critically and problem-solve through inquiry and analysis, while at the same time encouraging an interest in STEAM content. Through these shared experiences, students will all experience high levels of success in the following areas:

Teamwork: These activities will develop their social skills as they learn how to communicate their ideas and point of view, and how to cooperate with others to reach a goal.

Leadership: These activities will instill leadership qualities as they take ownership of a task and see it through from start to finish. They will learn how to manage resources, listen to input from others, and develop their problem-solving skills.

Relationship Building: Students will connect with each other in meaningful ways and improve their interpersonal and communication skills.

Creative Thinking: Students will have an opportunity to imagine multiple possibilities, execute their ideas, and refine those ideas if they don’t work.

 

Budget Narrative

Ideally, I will be able to purchase many of these items at the Dollar Store and will be able to return any unused funds to the donor. To that end, I have listed approximate prices from WalMart and a few other vendors. Prices are estimated based on six classes for a total of 150 students.

Breakdown:
Food items: boxes of spaghetti, bags of marshmallows
Building materials: plastic straws, paper cups, string/yarn, masking tape, rope
Drawing Supplies: magic markers, paper, colored pencils 

Items