CFWT Mini-Grants for Teachers Story: Oak Ridge Elementary

An Oak Ridge Elementary teacher purchased Boogie Boards for their classroom with Mini-Grants for Teachers funding assistance from the Community Foundation of West Texas. Not to be confused with the floatation device, these Boogie Boards are reusable writing tablets that provide students with a unique, fun, mess-free way to practice many necessary skills. The Oak Ridge Elementary teacher said the students use tablets to practice phonics, writing and "scratch paper" for math practice.

The 3rd-grade teacher wrote:

"Using the Boogie Boards is a definite treat for students, and I love working with them in small group sessions using these boards. Before the Boogie Boards, we used dry-erase boards during small group work. The boards were messy and bulky, the markers smelly, and the erasers were always disappearing. Markers are expensive and have to be replaced often as they dry up, or the lids are lost, and they have to be thrown away.

The Boogie Boards are not only fun but practical, easy to use, compact, and allow students to practice important skills using a stylus that is very similar to a pencil. Students love these boards, so they are incredibly motivated and excited to work when we use them!"

The teacher reported on one student and how these tablets affected his writing ability: "One student, in particular, has struggled with handwriting. In fact, his handwriting was completely illegible at the beginning of this year (I teach 3rd grade). As we are working on cursive, he was still struggling to even make his print letters legible and correctly sized...This student absolutely loved practicing on these boards! The stylus was more like the size and shape of a pencil whereas markers are not. The Boogie Board's quick-erase button allowed him to get rid of mistakes fast and easily with no eraser crumbs getting all over the place! As he continued to practice his print letters, and eventually his cursive letters and writing full sentences, we were amazed at how neat and legible his handwriting had become! We are helping him transition onto paper now, but the freedom from lines, erasers, and margins provided by the Boogie Board has completely transformed this student's handwriting skills while also boosting his self-esteem!"

To donate to the Community Foundation of West Texas and help other teachers incorporate new learning opportunities for their students, use the following link: www.cfwtx.org/give-now.