Ocean Bloggers Oceans in the Classroom Initiative

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I can't thank you enough for funding the "Breaking Science News" project. It is great to see that you realize the importance of science in the education of our youth.

Your generous donation allowed me to supplement my curriculum with current science topics and news. My students had the chance to enhance their knowledge of science and connect it to the real world. They were extremely excited to receive each and every issue. It is wonderful to see them so excited about science and about reading.

My students and I are extremely grateful. Thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of children.

”

With gratitude,

Mrs. L.

Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom! Each year my class studies ocean life. With your donation of games and sorting materials we have brought the ocean right into our classroom!

The children were so excited when they saw the boxes being opened that they actually cheered. Everyone wanted to be first to try out the games and sorting pictures. They loved the ocean figures that were included in the materials. Everyone couldn't wait to play and when they did they shared and took turns so that everyone would have a chance.

Once again I want to express my gratitude and appreciation on behalf of my class. You really did help make Ocean Life come to life in my classroom!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Craig

From my students and myself, we want to thank you sincerely for your generosity! We have received and used our new dissection tools already, and our experience has been one of great learning and fun! So far, this project has impacted the science education of 8 night school students, and will be used by the regular day classes this coming week!

The students who used the tools today had the opportunity to dissect and explore the anatomy and inner workings of perch. The students were taught how to use the tools properly, and taught the procedure for dissecting the fish. Then, the students in small groups followed their lab manuals and utilized the utmost care and respect for the animals. The students learned so much, and their enthusiasm and engagement is evident in the photos. I only wish you could have seen and heard them, it was the culminating event of our night school class!

My students, seniors, have not had the opportunity to dissect and see anatomy hands-on. Some of them are college bound, and really benefited from this process. Others also benefited, and are more connected with nature and the things we share with fellow creatures. It was a great project, and we will definitely be using our tools in the future!

In conclusion, we could not tell you enough how grateful we are for your support. Without you, students such as mine would be losing out on wonderful opportunities that every student should have, regardless of their school's location and economic status. Thank you kindly for your support, and we hope you continue to help classrooms such as ours who need it!”

With gratitude,

Ms. M.

Thank you so very much for donating the transportation funds for our field trip to Age of Sail. Each one of our four 4th&5th grade classes was able to participate in an experiential learning project that will undoubtedly change their lives.

Students learned about the age of exploration and life as a sailor in the 1700s and 1800s. They had to cooperate in groups to perform all the duties of the ship without adult assistance. It was amazing to witness sstudents who don't normally speak up, take charge of situations and solved complex problems. Also, students who usually have challenges in academics had a chance to excel in interpersonal communication and tactile problems.

This field trip changed the way students regard one another. They have new respect for quiet and shy students, while the typical leaders are humbled. They know that they need to work hard at a task before they're successful and they know it takes a diverse group of talents to reach their goals.

We are so grateful for having the opportunity to have experienced history this way while being challenged to succeed as a group. Thank you again for your donations. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. da Silva

Hello,

This is Ms. Myrieckes We are so happy and grateful to have the journals and flip books.

The students are learning to research the coral reefs and marine animals. They have learned to set up two pages on the computer, one for the word document and the other for the coral reef and marine animal research. I taught them how to copy, paste, and save their work to a flash drive. Then they learned to print the saved research from the flash drive.

The students had to complete the research outlined in the table of contents for each the coral reef and the marine animal. For the Coral and Animals, they needed to provide information about the polyp, habitat, diet, colonies, reproduction, a did you know, how endangered, conservation, anatomy, vocabulary, and web sources in the table of contents and body of the flip books.

To initiate the student's interest in the project we completed a packet of worksheets. Such as a word search on the 'Plants and Animals of the Coral Reefs', Word Unscramble of the 'Animals of the Sea', a 'Name That Coral' fill in the blank, an 'Animal Research Sheet', a 'Compare and Contrast of the Coral and the Animal', and a 'KWL'. The worksheet packet was completed after the trip to the Shedd Aquarium.

This has been a very successful project. I am very grateful for your contributions!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Myrieckes

I am so amazed by the positive impact on the students in my classroom. We have had shelves built for our sensory ocean and now the students can go in and use it daily.

One example of how important this room is.

One of the students in my program is not able to communicate, but when she goes into the Sensory Ocean she sits in the beanbag with the ocean music and laughs and plays with the new balls. Because of your kindness she has shown new skills of rolling the ball and pushing it away from her. This step is huge and we are going to build on it!

The students love spending time in the Sensory Ocean and I am so excited to use it more. Many adults also enjoy coming into the Sensory Ocean, teachers and parents love going in and relaxing after school! This room has also been used for students with behavior concerns, they can go into the room and relax and use the sensory equipment. This room has given them an escape that is healthy and rewarding.

I can not thank all of you enough!!!!!!

Thank you again,

Miss S”

With gratitude,

Ms. Seaholm

Thank you so much for helping to bring the ocean to our midwest classroom. The majority of our first grade students have never been to the ocean, and likely won't be going there anytime soon. We have a great resource nearby, a very popular aquarium, but many of the kids' families can't afford a visit there. By funding this proposal, you have given students a chance to experience ocean life right here at our school. It is very exciting for students this age to be able to see and touch live ocean animals while learning about how they live in their natural habitat. This has been one of the most worthwhile proposals I've had funded for my classroom so far, giving students a chance to experience something they otherwise wouldn't! Thanks to all of you! Thanks to those of you who are ocean bloggers who took up our cause! Thanks so much!!!! I encourage you to continue to support Donorschoose.org and students!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Stanton

I would like to thank you for your generous donations to my Science project. My class and I were thrilled to receive the opportunity to complete our unit of study on Oceans and Landforms by doing so many hands-on projects.

My students were able to build landforms with shaving cream, make the ocean floor from Play-Doh, make and label waves with Twizzlers, along with so many other things. All of these great activities could not have been possible without your help.

Again, I thank you for taking the time out to read over my project and for deciding to donate. My current class has benefited, and so will more of my classes in the future. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Coleman