Past projects 18
You Wouldn't Want To
Funded Feb 1, 2020We only had a short time for students to read these books before our school was closed for what is likely the remainder of the year. However, they have been a valuable tool for students in class prior to the shutdown and via virtual video chats. I have been able to share with students the challenges people have faced throughout history.
Of special interest during these trying times are: You Wouldn't Want to Be Sick in the 16th Century! and You Wouldn't Want to Sail on the Mayflower! (discusses the challenges in staying healthy on the ship). For other students who want to escape the trials and tribulations of current life, they can travel back in time and pretend to be a ninja warrior, mammoth hunter, wild west cowboy, or ninja. We will be voting on which read aloud will be next and I'm sure the kids will be excited for our next story.
Thank you so much for your donation and interest in our class. It is especially important for kids to be listening to stories at a time when school and town libraries are closed!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 13 other donors.Fun With Finances
Funded Nov 22, 2019We have really enjoyed these books, games, and resources. These materials have been used to complete a college and career research project. Students have become interested in engineering, teaching, graphic design, food preparation, zoology, and biology as well as other careers.
Many students have decided on tentative career paths based on their research; others have decided to keep options open. They have all learned about different levels of education and training required to do these jobs as well as skills and character traits needed to succeed in each job.
Having the Budget game and Financial Peace Junior games has allowed students to see how earning, spending, investing, and donating money they earn can affect their every day lives and futures. I can already see their wise choices as they navigate everyday situations like deciding what to do with leftover lunch money, how to budget cash at the book fair, and deciding what to do in the event of a book sale online.
We really appreciate your donation to this project as it will not only have an impact on the lives of our current students, but future ones as well.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 6 other donors.I See Me and the Color of My Words
Funded Oct 6, 2019My heart has been so warmed each day when my students struggle to put these books down! They boast to their parents how much they love their classroom library and I have never seen such wonderful engagement with books and reading before. Each student has a list a mile long of books they can't wait to read as well as a nice list of books they have finished. In the past, I used to see so many books get put back on the shelves with looks of disinterest. My students don't want to leave these books at the end of the school day because they love the characters and stories so much.
It's very common for a student to tell me that they never would have considered a certain genre of book that has now become a favorite. There was an audible cheer from every student in the class when we switched our focus from nonfiction to fiction because they would have more time to gobble up these books. Your donation has not only affected the lives of my current students, but also the lives of my future students who will also be able to read these books. In addition, it encourages me to seek out diverse books that will match with or challenge my students to practice empathy for others. Thank you for helping make a difference in our classroom and the world!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
Financial Literacy Fun Through Films
Funded Aug 17, 2019Our classroom is full of excitement because we have hit the point in our social studies curriculum where we are learning all about New Jersey history and its role in world history. Many events of the American Revolution took place here, within just an hour's drive or less from our school. Students are planning out which scenes they will write screenplays for as well as which props and costumes they will use. Students who will not be acting are so excited to use other materials to create movies with claymation or Legos. The books about general movie making and how Harry Potter's Hogwarts Magic is mage have been especially popular. Thanks again for helping history come to life!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 16 other donors.I See Me, A Scientist to Be!
Funded Jul 13, 2019Having grade level appropriate science materials has made a huge difference in our class already this year! Students are voluntarily selecting a variety of scientific reading materials - fiction and non-fiction books, biographies, postcards, Fandex guides, etc. Fiction used to rule the roost, but not now!
The girls are especially excited to see female and minority scientists represented in many different fields - engineering, astronomy, botany, zoology, chemistry, and so many other areas. They have conversations about the women and their own future scientific careers and explorations.
Even better, students are putting technology down to observe the environment around them. As fall approaches, students are paying attention to leaves and plant adaptations that help them survive the colder mornings. This winter, we will be able to grow new plants and help existing ones thrive with the grow lamps. Come spring, we will use wildflower guides and roof maze to study phototropism, or plants reaching out towards light. The impact of this project will be felt for years as future students can also reuse the materials.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 5 other donors.Differently Abled, Not Disabled
Funded May 10, 2019After receiving these materials, we sat down and discussed the challenges each of the characters was facing as a preview to the books. Students immediately asked to use the wobble cushions since they often have to wait to use the 3 we already had. While we sat there, I reminded students that we learned about empathy from our previous social stories book projects. I wanted the kids to try to imagine that they were these characters or their friends or family members. As students heard about different books and characters, you could see their faces light up when they heard about a book they were interested in.
Before students were able to check the books out, I explained how I have an uncle with epilepsy, a niece with ADHD, and a nephew with Down Syndrome. Then we talked about my dreams for them and how I want to see them be treated. Then I opened up the class discussion to allow for them to tell us about their experiences with people with disabilities. One particularly touching moment was when a student told us about how his brother was diagnosed with autism, going from verbal to nonverbal at the age of 2. Another child told us how proud she was of her brother for overcoming his challenges with being wheelchair bound due to muscular dystrophy to go to college. She was so proud to be able to wear her MD awareness shirt and bracelet so that she can educate others on his condition and to make him feel loved.
Finding Perfect, Deenie, Braced, Focused, A Boy Called Bat, and Fish in a Tree were snapped up immediately. It has been interesting to watch as students gobble up these books and talk about them with others. We have created slideshows, posters, and mock t-shirts to show our support and understanding of those who battle these conditions.
We all agreed to keep these books separate from others for the purpose of completing our thank you cards, but want them to be mixed into our library later in the year and for the future. Since we focused a lot on including everyone in our class this year, we don't want books that include characters to be displayed differently than other books. Students truly have gotten the message that we should be supportive of others and now they are compiling lists of more books that include characters who face challenges like disabilities so that we can do another project! Thank you so much for helping fund this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.Props for a Play? Hooray!
Funded May 13, 2019Students were so excited to receive these props! We opened them as soon as they arrived! We had already memorized our lines, gathered furniture and materials like desks and chairs, and practiced blocking the stage. Students created backgrounds to set the scene and these props were just what was needed to make the plays come to life. Students performed plays titled "The Truth About George Washington," "Busy Ben Franklin," "Susan B. Anthony Gets the Vote" and "Phyllis Wheatley: Voice of Reason." I purposely chose props that would be able to be used for multiple plays and several characters within each play. Students especially loved wearing the grey wig and tricorner hat. They loved examining the mock Declaration of Independence and Constitution documents. Their parents loved seeing pictures of the plays and next year we will be making videos. Hopefully by then, we will have had our other play project funded so that we can add in full costumes. We'd love for you to check back in on our class blog or Twitter page to see when that happens. Thanks again for helping us make social studies memorable. These lessons were ones that students will never forget thanks to generous donors like you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.You Glow, Girl! Celebrating HERstory
Funded May 7, 2019"Move aside, HIStory, it's time for HER story!" is the quote inside the most popular book from this project. My students have been thrilled to pick up anthologies that compile biographies of many women around the world. Prior to this project, most of the books I had in our classroom library to celebrate women's history month were about white American women who lived or were born 50-100 years ago. By funding this project, I have enough books to equal those of the male biographies and I now have hardcover books that will last for years. The covers are super attractive to the students as they see people of all colors, religions, and nationalities shown. These books span from the times of Cleopatra up to Malala. Students are learning about women beyond the suffrage movement. They are learning about current global challenges and successes of women while being motivated to work to change some of the struggles women are facing around the world. On June 4, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment by having a party where students may choose to dress up as the women they've learned about, and show posters, dolls, cereal boxes, and dioramas they have created. Current and future students will use these materials to write to try to persuade legislators to name streets, buildings, and holidays after these courageous women. Thank for so much for donating to this worthy cause!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 15 other donors.Collaborative Classroom Carpet
Funded Mar 26, 2019Thank you again for your donation to our carpet project. The kids have been so happy to have a nice comfy, clean place to sit with lots of elbow room. They have sprawled our to watch a movie after a field trip, have made electric circuits in science, spent independent reading time snuggled up, and just sat and talked with friends while playing cards at recess. However, their favorite thing to do each day is to practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques after a busy time at lunch. It's nice to spread out in peace! I am looking forward to many great stories and conversations on our carpet for years to come! Check out our Twitter page to see daily activities we're using it for and see our current Donors Choose project for an idea of where our carpet will be taking us next! As always, we appreciate your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
Open Books, Open Minds: Part 2
Funded Mar 15, 2019In uncertain times like these, children look to the adults around them to make sense of the world. It is through projects like this that I can help send the message to my students that diversity is something to be celebrated and welcomed. By donating to our classroom on Donors Choose, you have helped create a lasting impact for years to come. After all, we are all more alike than different! Immediately upon seeing Amazon packages, my room was filled with shrieks and requests to be the first to read some of the books. We have welcomed back "old friends" like Alvin Ho and Gluskabe. We are excited to meet new characters like Snow Flower, Amina, and Pashmina. One of my students who previously felt unrepresented now has a reading list of several books long that he just can't wait to get his hands on. In fact, he asked if he could read instead of playing during indoor recess! Thanks for helping keep our passion for reading and story telling alive!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.