Mrs. Coats' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 50

• "Positively" No Bullying Allowed

  Funded Feb 21, 2012

  I am writing to thank you for all of the anti-bullying materials that we received this spring. My students enjoyed hearing all of the stories, and we had great discussions about bullying and friendship issues. Our class meetings had a very positive impact on our class climate. My students became closer friends and learned to cooperate with one another. Many other teachers in the school commented on what a nice group of students they were. Hopefully, their friendships will continue into third grade and they will remember the important things they learned about dealing with bullies and also about being a true friend.

  The banners will be used again next year as well as most of the stickers, nametags and award certificates. I plan on using the star theme to begin the year, so I will be able to decorate the room using all of the star borders, posters and nameplates. I appreciate your donation very much because our budgets are limited and I would not have been able to purchase all of these materials without your help.

  I want to especially thank you for the camera. I took zillions of photos! I used the photos to create slideshows that I shared with their parents and with their epals in Australia. The parents loved seeing the photos of their children! The students loved watching the slideshows too.

  All in all, we had a terrific year together and you helped make it extra special. Thanks so much for making my students feel like stars. Your help with this project was greatly appreciated. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 6 other donors.

• Creating a Cozy Reading Corner - No Bullies Allowed!

  Funded Apr 18, 2012

  I am writing once again to thank you for helping us get plastic book boxes, computer ink and labels. My students have been very busy organizing our class library this month. I let them decide which books to group together in the boxes. The girls worked on it one day and then the boys took a turn. They ended up using every single one of the book boxes!

  My goal for the summer is to completely level my classroom library, so the students in the fall will be able to find just the right books to match their reading levels. The new boxes will provide a place for most of my books and will help add more organization and color to our library. The computer ink will be used for posters and certificates centered around our theme of a "No Bully Zone". I will have more time to work on the reading corner over the summer and will set up an area to showcase the anti-bullying books that I received from Townsend Press.

  I want to thank all of you for your generosity. My students have learned so much about bullying and what to do about bullies through our class discussions and the books that I shared with them. Hopefully, they will continue to be kind and caring to their peers next year and in the years to come. Thank you for making a BIG difference in our classroom, in their education, and in their lives!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 5 other donors.

• Are There Any More Ipods?

  Funded Apr 2, 2012

  I am writing once again to thank all of you for your donations to our ipod project. It was such a wonderful surprise to have the project funded over spring break. The ipods arrived within a week and the students began using them almost immediately! Since we already had a few ipods in our classroom, the students already knew how to operate them. In fact, a few of my students continually teach me about some of the different features!

  One of the things I really like about the ipods is that I am able to download free apps for the students to use to practice important skills in all subject areas. I can find apps for a student who struggles in math as well as apps for the students who excel! They are able to use the ipods to access all of the websites that I have recommended.

  I come to school a half hour early each day so some of my students are able to spend almost forty-five minutes using all of the technology in our classroom before school actually begins. The ipods are very popular during this morning technology time. The students love working together to figure out the new apps or challenge each other to see who can get the higher score in a math game.

  I recently attended a workshop to learn about some of the best apps for the ipods and ipads. I was given an extensive list of excellent apps for every subject. I have downloaded some of them and will continue to check out the others in the next few weeks.

  My students and I are very grateful for your generous donations to this project. My students love the ipods and I will be able to use them with future classes, too. You have truly made an important contribution by providing these ipods for my students to use in all subjects. I cannot thank all of you enough for reaching out and helping a class get such exciting technology.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

• Kindle the Spirit of Friendship - Extinguish Bullying!

  Funded Mar 13, 2012

  I am writing once again to thank all of you for your generous donation to my Kindle Fire project on Donors Choose. Because of your generosity, my twenty-two second graders received two Kindle Fires to use throughout the day. I was able to set up a technology center in my classroom and use the Kindle Fires with guided reading groups. I am trying hard to incorporate technology into the curriculum, so adding the Kindles to our literacy block was exciting. I plan to explore this idea even more this summer and search for appropriate online books and ones that are available on Amazon for my second graders in the fall.

  The Kindle Fires are very popular in the classroom because the students are able to use them to access the Internet. They can go to all of the recommended sites on our District web page. I have set up a page specifically for them to access online books, poems and songs. I plan to develop a page of links to all of the books that we found dealing with friendship issues, so future students can learn about being a good friend too.

  Again, thank you so much for supporting this project. The funds that Townsend Press provided for anti-bullying projects allowed us to get lots of resources. My students have learned a great deal from the books and teaching kits we have received about the effects of bullying and what to do if someone is bullying them . We have had very good discussions about bullying and hopefully my students will continue to treat each other with kindness and respect when they leave second grade. Thank you for helping to spread the anti-bullying message in our classroom and school. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.

• Feed USA: We Want To Be 21st Century Cooks!

  Funded Dec 3, 2011

  I am writing once again to thank you for your donation to our Donors Choose project, Feed USA: We Want To Be 21st Century Cooks. Your donation provided my class of twenty-two second graders with an iPad 2 and a Smart cover for the iPad.

  The iPad is by far, the most popular piece of technology in our classroom! My students use it in every subject to reinforce important skills. I have installed beautiful e-books which the children can read by themselves or listen to the story. There are apps for reading, writing, spelling and math installed on the ipad, too.

  We visited sites focusing on healthy food choices and most of us learned we need to increase the number of fruits and vegetables that we are eating daily. We also searched for recipes to use in the classroom. Since we have Australian e-pals, we decided to make an Australian recipe. The children worked together to make a batch of scones. The cooking activity involved reading and math skills. It was the perfect culminating activity for our math measurement unit!

  Thank you so much for supporting so many teachers and students all across the United States. As you can see from this letter and photos, you have made a BIG impact on our classroom. The iPad will be used in my second grade classroom for years to come. The memories that the children have of our second grade year together will last forever! Thanks for helping to make our year extra special.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by FEED USA and 7 other donors.

• Individualized Learning With An iPod Touch Center

  Funded Dec 13, 2011

  I am writing to thank all of you once again for your generous donations to our ipod project. My second graders absolutely love the four ipods and use them throughout the day. I come early each day and open my classroom for forty-five minutes before school begins to allow students to fully use all of the technology in my classroom. The ipods are very popular during this tech time. They use a variety of math apps to practice their math facts and solve math problems. They read and listen to stories on the ipods. Word games are very popular, too. The students are able to access our recommended websites on the district web page and practice important skills in all subjects. Some students have even used the ipod's camera and video camera for various projects.

  I absolutely love using technology with my students and I try very hard to incorporate it in meaningful ways to enrich my lessons and my students' lives. I recently attended a fantastic ipod/ ipad workshop where I learned some excellent ways to use the ipods more effectively with my students. I received a handout that listed great apps for every subject including art and music. I plan on adding most of these apps to our ipods in the near future.

  Thank you so much for reaching out to a classroom of students across the country and making a big impact on their education this year. The four ipods have helped them improve their skills in all subject areas. They have enjoyed using them this year and my students and I are very grateful for your help. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

• All Fired Up To Stop Bullying

  Funded Feb 28, 2012

  I am writing to thank all of you once again for your donation to our anti-bullying project, All Fired Up To Stop Bullying. Your donation provided two Kindle Fires for my second graders to use during their literacy block.

  My students absolutely love the Kindle Fires! They use them every day to read and listen to books. We have found many web sites that have books about friendship issues that can be listened to or read. A few of our favorite web sites include Bookflix, Tumble Books, and KOL. The children have read books about friends including: Chrysanthemum, Arthur's First Sleepover, Do Unto Otters and Leo the Late Bloomer.

  We have used the Kindles to find books about bullies. We have made a list of the books and are reading them during independent reading time. Some of the suggested books are: Oliver Button is a Sissy, Goggles, Giraffes Can't Dance, The Berenstain Bears and the Bully, Pinky and Rex and the Bully, and Chester's Way. We have also found youtube videos about bullying including McGruff's Anti-bullying Film.

  One of our best discoveries was the kid section of the web site of Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center at http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org . We found all sorts of great resources including three reader's theater scripts about bullying. My students loved reading the plays and they did a wonderful job of adding expression as they read each one. We had some very good discussions following each one, too.

  As you can see, your donation is being put to use to help stop bullying in our classroom. The Kindles are very popular and my students are becoming very good readers by using them. Thank you so much for supporting our project. We are so lucky to have such great friends!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 4 other donors.

• Newsflash: Bullying Is Not Acceptable Anywhere!

  Funded Mar 24, 2012

  I am writing to thank all of you for your recent donations to our anti-bullying project called "Newsflash: Bullying Is Not Acceptable Anywhere". Our materials have already arrived and my students are enjoying reading the new books and magazines during our literacy block. They loved the big book and they enjoy reading it over and over. The book, Billy Bully, is also a class favorite. They enjoy the rhyming text and they like to read it with their friends.

  I am very excited about the three different news magazines that we will be receiving next year. I plan on sharing the 25 subscriptions of Weekly Reader, Scholastic News and Time for Kids with all of the second grade classes. Your donation will provide excellent informational text for approximately one hundred second grade students in the fall. I am sure they are going to absolutely love these three news magazines! They will learn important social studies and science concepts while becoming good readers at the same time. Thank you so much for supporting classrooms all over the country. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 8 other donors.

• A Townsend Press Kindness Project: Be a Friend - Not a Bully

  Funded Dec 1, 2011

  I am writing to thank all of you once again for funding our anti-bullying project.  The Townsend Press books have arrived and my second graders are taking turns reading the books aloud to the class.  Once they finish reading the book, we have discussions about how the students felt in the book.  They also make connections and share stories about similar incidents in their own lives.  We are having wonderful discussions and the students are learning that their words can make their friends feel very special or they could also hurt their feelings..  We are trying very hard to choose our words carefully, so we make each other smile instead of frown.

  We have used the art supplies to make special cards for one another.  We love the bright colored cardstock and all of the glitter.  The art materials will be available throughout the year to make special friendship cards.  Our goal is to try to widen our circle of friends. 

  Our principal always says, "There is no such thing as having TOO many friends.  Try to make as many as you can."  

  Thanks so much for helping us with this anti-bullying project.   It has had a very positive impact on our class.  You have reached out and touched the hearts of a whole class of second graders!&nbsp”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 8 other donors.

• Spread the Kindle Fire For Reading

  Funded Feb 14, 2012

  I am writing to thank you for your donation of new technology to my second grade classroom. We received two Kindle Fires, protective sleeves and leather covers through your current promotion on http://www.oo.com/sa500kids . We feel extremely fortunate to be one of the classrooms that had a project funded. I am very thankful for the support of family and friends through the whole voting process.

  My students love the new Kindle Fires. They are able to listen to online books during their independent reading time. We have headphones and splitters, so students may listen to a story with a friend. I have created a page of online stories for the students, so they can easily access books. The new Kindle Fires have vibrant colors, are very fast and are easy to read and navigate. I have also been able to find wonderful apps that reinforce the skills my students are learning in our classroom. The Kindles and the new apps are very popular with my second grade students.

  I want to thank you for helping teachers add new technology to their classrooms. I would never have been able to get these two Kindle Fires for my students through my classroom budget. Thanks to you, my students have the very latest technology to use throughout the day in all subject areas. Thanks so much! ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Coats