Past projects 21
Research Workshop Supplies
Funded Aug 5, 2012Thank you so much for donating to my project! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support of my students and my instruction. Education is so powerful and I am doing everything I can to make sure my students have the best!
The supplies you donated to our classroom are being used on a daily basis. Students are constantly working in groups, partnerships, or individually around the classroom, and those clipboards have been so helpful! It feels like we can't live without them! The magazines have also been such an enriching and powerful tool for my students. They love "coding their thinking" about their new learning on sticky notes. I have been so pleased to see that the topics of the articles are both engaging and relevant.
Thank you again for your commitment to public eduction!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
Lamination Station!
Funded May 23, 2012Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been by far the best project I have ever had funded! I have been able to meet my students' needs on a whole other level because of having a laminator. I have been using the laminator to laminate math work stations, literacy work stations, and intervention activities that I have created or bought based on my current students' current needs. Laminating is normally incredibly expensive and had deterred me from making new activities as frequently as I have this year. Thanks so much for supporting my classroom and my students. I appreciate your generosity and your commitment to public education means the world!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
We Love Technology
Funded Feb 24, 2012I can't thank you enough for your generous donation to my classroom. Receiving the digital camera was such an exciting day me! It was also perfect timing. I had been trying out this new technique for teaching math (using a constructivist approach to an investigative workshop unit on place value) and desperately wanted to video tape both myself and small groups that I wasn't meeting with on a particular day. The camera allowed me to do just that! It was so helpful to watch myself and listen to the language I was using to see how I could change my approach for the following day. I was also able to respond to groups' misconceptions and questions whom I didn't meet with, but was able to see on video.
We also used the camera to take pictures of clouds during our weather unit. I was then able to project them onto our screen for students to analyze and classify. I know next year, I'll be even more creative with the camera now that I'm getting used to having it at my disposal.
My students were so excited to see the camera when it came in, and when I asked them how they wanted to use it, they said they wanted to bring it on field trips and take pictures at class parties to remember what we did. Cute ideas!
Thanks again for your commitment to educating our children and your support of my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
This classroom project was brought to life by * and one other donor.We Need High-Interest Informational Texts!
Funded Nov 25, 2011Thank you so much for donating to his project! As you may know, kids LOVE to learn. With your help, my classroom is filled with informational texts that my students can't wait to read and learn from. With the Common Core State Standards now in full effect, using informational texts in my instruction is more important than ever. Many of you are family and friends and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you supporting my students and me. It means a lot to know you are invested in our students as well! Just today, we I was reading an informational text about lady bugs aloud to my students. The excitement in their eyes just over learning what an aphid is was so fun to see. Thank you so much for providing us texts that truly engage my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
Help Us Update Our Classroom Library
Funded Oct 7, 2011Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. The books you gave us are some of the most popular titles in our classroom library. The Fly Guy book series has been especially instrumental in encouraging some of my struggling readers. They are written at a level at which most, if not all of my students can access the text, and to top it off they are about a hilarious fly with really cool illustrations. The Bananas book series has been a great set of leveled chapter books for my more fluent readers. The illustrations are very modern and enticing for any young reader. They got a lot of "ooos and ahhhs" when I first introduced them to our library.
I can't thank you enough for being willing to help us out. Through this website, I have been so encouraged that so many people care about education and the future of our students. It means so much me that you were willing to give to my classroom! The books are in great hands - 2nd graders who love to read!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
Build Vocabulary with Fancy Nancy
Funded Jul 14, 2011I cannot thank you enough for bringing Fancy Nancy alive in our classroom. We are loving our journey through all of the amazing Fancy Nancy books you have so generously given us! Learning vocabulary words has never been more fun. As you can see in the pictures, we have an interactive bulletin board, where students can use words we have learned from Fancy Nancy in their writing or for various word work activities. My students are so taken by Fancy Nancy that they want to be just like her. Whenever I read one of her books, I dress up with a hot pink boa and glittery sunglasses. My kids just about die every time! What's even more telling is how often the Fancy Nancy book bin gets visited during independent reading. My students choose books themselves and Fancy Nancy is probably in almost every student's book box!
Thank you again for your generous donation to our classroom. You have truly made a difference in the lives of my student this year and will in years to come as well!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.Flawless Fluency!
Funded Mar 25, 2011This is just a small thank you for your generosity. Your donation to my classroom this year made a huge difference for my students. The headsets with microphones were incredibly valuable in allowing me to hear my students reading while I was working with other groups of students. The CD players were such a hit with my students. They couldn't wait until it was their turn to use the CD players to listen to rich literature. What an addition to my classroom!
As you know public schools are facing tough times in Illinois. Without donations like yours it would be difficult to get all of the materials we need to teach our students properly. Thank you for partnering with me and with schools to make a difference in the lives of children!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
This classroom project was brought to life by Chicago White Sox Charities and 3 other donors.Support Struggling Readers
Funded Oct 25, 2010I can't thank you enough for your generosity and belief that children deserve a quality education. The books you purchased for my classroom have made such a difference in my guided reading groups. At the beginning of the year I had nine students reading at a kindergarten level. As a second grade teacher I had some books for that level, but not enough. The books you donated allowed me to instruct those students at their level. Not to mention how excited my students were about some of the cool books (as opposed to the outdated ones my school has). I am happy to report we do not have any students reading at a kindergarten level any more!
Thank you for supporting teachers in their quest to educate children. It means a lot to know people believe in us”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.Hands on Science!
Funded Aug 11, 2010Thank you so much for your interest in improving the quality of science instruction in the classroom. Hands on science is so important for kids, and I appreciate your desire to give them the tools they need. The frog unit was a complete success. We were able to use frogs as a framework to study other animals and animal groups. It was also really fun for my students to watch and observe the tadpoles as they grew. I will definitely be doing this unit year after year! Thanks again for choosing my classroom to help out -- I know there are so many great projects out there to choose from!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley
Fairy Tales and Folk Tales for Second Graders!
Funded Sep 7, 2010Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. Folktales and fairy tales always hold a special place in the hearts of children. I have two bins filled with folktales and fairy tales in my classroom, and those bins are always the most read. The amazing titles that you have given us have excited my students so much. Right now, they are able to read the books during independent reading time everyday. Later in the year, we will do a folktale/ fairy tale unit, which I can't wait to start! Through this quality literature my students will learn about different cultures, literary elements, characters, and genre traits. Thank you again for your desire to improve the education of my amazing students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alley