Welcome to my Giving Page! Please support my efforts in Science Bloggers for Students challenge, a friendly month-long competition (10/10/10 through 11/9/10) between science blogs to see which can do the most to help low-income classrooms on DonorsChoose.org. Pick a classroom project from the list to support. And let’s beat the other bloggers! (By the way, DonorsChoose.org is a 501(c)3 charity. See below for approvals from Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.)
I am more than grateful to you for your generosity and enthusiasm in funding my project entitled, Photographic Memories. Not everyone sees the value of extra curricular activities in education even though research studies show a direct correlation between early exposure to community awareness and ecology. Unfortunately ongoing budget cuts have severely impacted extra-curricular programs in schools. Our children are the future. It's our responsibility to offer creative ways to teach kids what they need to know to respect the environment and save this planet, not only for themselves and their children, but also for many generations to come. Classroom projects such as "Photographic Memories" bring to light the beauty of animals in their natural and well-deserved habitat. Through the eyes of a camera, students learn that the ocean and its creatures can easily become finite and will not last forever fact unless we respect them. There's something about cameras that draws kids like a magnet. Teaching a child how to take pictures can be the spark that starts a life-long interest. There is something magical about capturing an image, some small piece of reality, and turning it into an artifact of one moment in time. Kids love to take pictures of animals, especially the ones they are researching. But equally fascinating at this age is the richness of nature and an animal in its natural habitat!
Our children are the future, and the fate of this planet, our oceans and the plethora of marine animals, are in our hands, and in theirs too. Teaching kids this message through fun-filled outdoor activities, including student generated photography, is imperative. The most important thing for kids to know is that ecology and community/pollution awareness is a lifestyle. As adults, it's our job to teach them this. They need to see how protecting and preserving the ocean is important to us, not just by our words, but by our actions. Saving our planet through our own actions can help others become more aware. Extra curricular programs can help kids become aware of the environmental fragility of this planet especially when it comes to pollution in their own beach environment. As far as I'm concerned, Photographic Memories has had a powerful and positive influence on each and every one of my students.
It is due to Donor Choose and your thoughtful donations of a digital camera and memory card that my students have had the opportunity to have a more enriched program this year. The impact of ecology in the classroom is immeasurable. It is important for everyone committed to the importance of Earth awareness education to join together to ensure its place in classrooms. Thanks to the donors of Donor Choose, I have been able to utilize some of the new technology now available that was easy to implement. Thank you sincerely for your generosity and awareness of our needs. You have made a difference for all of us! Sincerely, A Very Fortunate and Appreciative Teacher Mrs. V”
With gratitude,
Ms. Volpone
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney's Planet Challenge and 7 other donors.
I cannot express how thankful I am for the supplies you have given us! The whiteboards and dry erase markers have helped my students in many areas, including math and science. It's nice for the children to have a way to express how they learn through a media other than just paper and pencil.
We use these supplies every week, and are so grateful that you have passed on the benefits to our class. Many times, my students have come up to me and said how much they are enjoying learning about math because they have a fun way to use the whiteboards.
Thank you once again for these wonderful supplies, and for giving my students the opportunity to learn through a new medium.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kertamus
This classroom project was brought to life by Friends at the Eccles Foundation and Wells Fargo and 4 other donors.
Thank You very much for you contribution to our project, An Ocean of Animals. We have been able to use the Ocean books, magnifying glasses and animal home games for many purposes. In addition to students using the books in the classroom, I also allow them to take them home and share them with their families. We have the animal cards and magnifying glasses set up at a observation center, children may go and look closely at the animals and notice their characteristics. Students can then visit the writing center in the classroom to draw pictures of Ocean animals. Now that students are beginning to learn to read and write, they are beginning to label their pictures. They have really enjoyed our new supplies and I am truly grateful for your contributions. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Basulto
This classroom project was brought to life by Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation and 5 other donors.
What a wonderful addition to our classroom! Our primary Montessori curriculum has a strong focus on developing geography/map skills and also having each student understand their own place in the universe. Our new continent books have been in high demand during work time for various reasons. The third graders have used them to find the square miles of each continent and order the continents by size. The first graders are using them to find animals that live on each continent. The second graders are also looking at animals, but are using Venn diagrams to compare and contrast.
Our new hanging maps are colorful and accurate! Our previous set was so ancient and faded that the new maps with their bold colors make a powerful statement. Everyone is excited about using them! What more can you ask for than enthusiastic learners who want to use materials and gain knowledge?
Thank you so much for your generous donations to purchase these much needed materials. Your generosity has made an impact on this group of children and will also impact the classes. to follow.”
Thank you all for your generous support of my classroom. Our items have arrived, we are back from break and my students have been hard at work learning the periodic table. Just today we did an overview of ions, isotopes, periods and groups.
The items that you contributed to my classroom address a variety of learning needs and styles. There are activities that we can do for the hands-on learners. We have nice visual presentations aids that help all students but those with a more visual learning style in particular.
It is through your individual efforts that I am able to improve the curriculum in my classroom. You have had a very direct impact on my students and their desire to learn science. With the appropriate materials, not only will my students understand and retain more but they will want to learn more now and in the future. Hopefully, working together, we can inspire students to keep pursuing science education”
Thank you for your incredible generosity. My school is facing budget cuts and without your donation my students would not have been able to use these amazing supplies. My students have had a great time using the rock samples, globe, aquarium and seafloor model.
We used the aquarium and seafloor model to learn vocabulary and create topographic maps. Students are always surprised to discover that there are mountains, canyons, and volcanoes below the ocean's surface. When we used the globe to locate the features they were able to understand that the geographic features on the land and under the water are very similar. This year my students were able to see and touch the features on the ocean floor. I feel like the aquarium, seafloor model and globe really helped my students understand this unit.
I can't wait to use the aquarium to teach my students about currents and seafloor resources. I know that seeing the currents in action is going to help my students understand more about the ocean.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Leachman
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney's Planet Challenge and 8 other donors.
Our new classroom projector has afforded my students many opportunities to interact with the new information in which they are learning. Our studies come to life. Everything they have ever wanted to know is before them. Not only can they see it, but via the computer, they can hear it. The projector gives a voice to our studies. And yes, they have heard the whale sing. They have even played interactive games with Santa's elves. It just doesn't get better than that.
The projector is our own personal window of the world. It is an amazing tool and we are thankful that you have donated this wonderful gift.
Thank you so much for opening the eyes, the hearts, and the minds of my students. Your donation will forevermore, change the way I teach and the way my students will learn about their world. ”
Thank you all so very much for your thoughtful contributions. We have received our DVDs and the students are very excited. We have not had the opportunity to watch them all yet but will do so when we are at the appropriate place in our curriculum.
Being able to supplement instruction with such great material is so helpful to the students. These films will allow us to explore places we could never go in person. We will also be able to see and experience things that we cannot in our rural area. My students are highly visual learners and they love to watch films. I anticipate that the DVDs will generate a high level of interest as well as increase retention.
Your kindness allows me to bring materials into my classroom that I otherwise would not be able to. Thank you so much for being a generous supporters of public education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rodrigues
This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and 7 other donors.
On Monday, we sorted our first bunch of recycling for the year! We have been collecting wrappers to "upcycle" with Terracycle. Kids worked in pairs with one student tallying what we collected while their glove wearing partner sorted and packaged candy wrappers, capri sun juice pouches, granola bar wrappers and chip bags. It was great to finally have enough gloves for each person to wear a full pair. Last year, we sorted garbage with used gloves that we kept washing and only wore a glove on one hand. We feel safer and healthier already!
Today and yesterday, students rotated to a listening station at the computer. Eight students could watch the short video "Garbage Moguls" that highlights why we are recycling wrappers instead of throwing them in the trash. My Advisory/Home room students will watch the video tomorrow and hopefully get more exciting about bringing in their holiday wrappers from home instead of filling up the landfill.
In January, I will provide each teacher from my school with lesson plans and the video "Tapped" so more students can learn about the many health and environmental issues that are caused by drinking and buying bottled water.
We never would have the resources to educate our students so profoundly this year if it weren't for you, Tye, Katie, Chelsey, Vanessa and Anonymous Donor! Our school has zero funding for anything this year. Your help has greatly increased the excitement in my class for helping preserve the environment and maintaining the health of our families. Yes, even the students' families are changing to Brita filters instead of buying individual bottles of water at Costco! I am so proud of my students for helping make a positive change in their household. These are the future stewards of the earth and I hope to provide them with as much knowledge as I can while they are in my classroom. Your donation is and will continue to be extremely valuable in the lives of my students and their families and extended families.”
My students have been having so much fun using the books to learn more about the ocean and the life in it. Because of the books, they are becoming more and more interested in non-fiction writing. I have seen more students checking out non-fiction books from the library since we've received the books in our classroom. I love hearing them tell each other what they learned about particular animals and they are amazed at how large some of the animals are and how strange some of them look.
Now that they have gotten interested in ocean life, we are starting to use the books to research particular things in the ocean, starting with anemone and ending with zooplankton. At the end of the year, each student will have their own ocean research book and will be able to share all their new knowledge with their family and friends.
The book bins have been so helpful in keeping the books organized so my students and I can find the ocean books easily.
Thank you again for your wonderful support of my class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Francis
This classroom project was brought to life by Friends at the Eccles Foundation and Wells Fargo and 8 other donors.
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