Help Make Learning Fun At P.S. 212 In Bath Beach!

PS 212 (Source: nyc.schools.gov)

A teacher at P.S. 212 Lady Deborah Moody Elementary School in Bath Beach (87 Bay 49th Street) is looking for help from the community to raise funds for a project that will help break barriers and make learning fun for dozens of school kids.

Kindergarten teacher Amy Rodriguez is seeking to bring an iPad into the classroom to help her 25 students – many of which speak English as a second language – attain the goals of the new Common Core curriculum.

Rodriguez hopes to use the iPad in her lesson plans, making reading comprehension skills more interactive. The students will film each other as they retell stories they’ve heard, showing their understanding and making it a much more fun, dynamic experience for the kids.

“I try to assure my children that they will love it here with a smile and many fun learning opportunities. My goal is to make this year fun and engaging for each and everyone of them,” Rodriguez writes on her Donors Choose webpage, where she’s raising the money.

More than just retelling the stories, the kids will be involved in their own creative endeavors using the tech tool.

Adding an iPad to our art center will provide a creative outlet for children as they learn to retell. It will also provide me with a better measurement of how well they can retell important details in a story. The iPad has a simple one-tap button that will allow my children to be the director of their own “retelling movie.”
Sounds like fun, right? What better way to assess my little ones? It will be fun and a great tool. In addition, in order to exploring with retelling, my children will need to learn how to plan and problem solve while creating their retelling movies. They will learn how to sort out what props they have and need. They will exercise problem solving skills as they use art center materials to create the needed props. Through creating a retelling movie, they will get to exercise their knowledge of retelling a story. The finished product will help build their confidence in what they can accomplish as learners.

Rodriguez has already received hundreds of dollars from 33 donors, and is looking to pick up another $306.

To help her reach that goal, you can donate here.

UPDATE: Rodriguez just informed us that donations will be matched if you enter the promotional code: M4K2013