Past projects 165
Can We Have a Snack?
Funded Nov 18, 2021Thank you so much for funding our snacks project! For the past five months, we were provided with an abundance of brain fuel to get us through the day. I can assure you that we opened and sampled the contents of the packages as soon as they were delivered. I have never seen my students so eager to retrieve the packages from the front office!
The benefits to having additional snacks in the classroom is that it has been most impactful for students who arrive late to school and have missed breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and without it, my students energy levels are depleted. For the third year in a row, one of my students has been so excited to see his "favorite bars" as a choice for breakfast. With him graduating from elementary school in a few months, I can only hope that he continues to enjoy this healthy option. Another benefit to this project is that it has helped my students to have a snack while they are away from school. Specifically, on three day weekends or times in which we have had extended breaks such as winter and most recently, spring break!
As my students have become older, so have their tastebuds. The Black Forest gummy bears and the assorted cereal boxes have now become their favorites. When we have movie days, I notice that they like to munch on the goldfish with a juice box. Either way, I am so pleased that each student was satisfied with their hunger and academics! I would also like to say a special thank you for providing me with the sparkling water and pretzels. It has been perfect on those days in which I needed a snack to continue with the work day.
Next week we will begin our annual standardized testing. During this time, I like to provide the peppermints to students to assist with engagement and being on task. Each and every resource has had great utility! As the school year comes to a close in roughly two months, we are pleased to know that individuals outside of our building are thinking about our needs.
Thank you so much for being you!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and one other donor.The Importance of Anti-Racist Education!
Funded Sep 13, 2021Three cheers to you for funding our Importance of Anti-Racist Education project! These resources were immediately implemented upon receiving and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to you, I have been able to implement anti-racist practices with colleagues throughout the school year while continuing in my own professional development.
A buzz word as of late has been the discussion of anti-racist education. In addition to my role as a special education teacher, I am also an anti-racist educator within our school. This affords me an opportunity to deliver professional development sessions to staff regarding topics such as Culturally Responsive Teaching, and addressing the achievement gap from an ant-racist lens. In addition to utilizing these resources at work, I am also able to use the resources to assist me in my doctoral journey.
Two months ago, I had an opportunity to deliver an afterwork session using the book Culturally Responsive Teaching by Zaretta Hammond. This book is a great resource for teachers as it provides strategies and recommendations for understanding the whole composition of students, while allowing practitioners to be able to examine their own biases when navigating through the world. I am able to use these resources to not only make change within my school, but on a district level. I simply cannot thank you enough for funding this project!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by The Allstate Foundation and one other donor.A Little Bit of This And That!
Funded Aug 19, 2021Thank you so much for funding our project! Whenever I create a project titled "A Little Bit of This and That", it's usually because we need a hodgepodge of items that don't necessarily go with one another, but that are essential to learning nonetheless. This project was no different. Thanks to you, we are able to use the items to support our learning and we couldn't be more excited.
The printer was used as soon as it was received. Our previous printer lasted for 4 years and for that we were fortunate. We are hoping to be able to have the same success with our new printer. Thanks to you, I can avoid waiting in line to use the printer in both the front office and teacher lounge. I have learned how to send items from my phone to the printer for on the go matters as well. Talk about a game changer because this has truly assisted me with maximizing my time. I am able to produce possible last minute announcements that may need to go home or alternatives to learning without having to leave the classroom. For my assistant, she is able to use the printer to create and modify small group learning lessons for students. The utility with this one resource has been amazing!
The refrigerator has been a great addition, and added bonus, to our classroom. We have a small class and we operate much like a tight knit family. At times, students may come in with juice boxes or bottled water that they would prefer to be cold. We may also receive snacks and food for my students to take home throughout the day. Instead of having their yogurt or milk sit out all day, it can remain in the refrigerator until they go home. For me, this has helped with being able to bring my own food items from home and having them stored throughout the day as well. I am most excited about this resource because it can also be used on days that we create recipes from our Food Prints classes or from having special food related events in the classroom. Speaking of our cooking classes, some of the pictures in our thank you package are from our outside cooking lessons. Please know that students did not eat the items that they were working with from the pictures!
Finally, the ice maker has been a pleasure and in many ways, an added bonus. In addition to learning, my students enjoy playing with their peers at recess. Many students have purchased water containers or have brought in bottled water to drink daily. Previously, they were accustomed to using the water fountains. When they return from recess or when they have lunch, providing them with ice has helped to cool them off! I can assure you that these odds and ends are impactful to our classroom. Each resource has, and will continue to be used up to several times per day.
Thank you so much for assisting us with getting the resources needed for our classroom! We truly appreciate you taking the time to think about our classroom needs.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by Daily Harvest and 4 other donors.Representation Matters!
Funded Sep 24, 2021Thank you so much for funding our Representation Matters project. We are so in love with our new books in the classroom and we owe it all to you! I can't tell you how excited the kids were when they received the packages, so I am sure the pictures in the thank you package will do the job!
We received the packages early enough in the day that we opened them up and began reading! One of the books that caught student's attention was the book Jabari Jumps. Some of my students are able to swim and a handful are unable to due to fear. For those who have expressed fear, much like the character Jabari, they were able to see similarities and strategies that he used to overcome his fear of swimming. Now, they are more excited than ever to get to the swimming pool this summer. The Magical Yet is one of my favorite books to read to my students. It reminds them of the power in the word "yet" when working through things that they may not be able to accomplish in the moment. The Magical Yet can also be applied to adult mindsets, as my students often say.
Having a class full of boys with various hairstyles has made the book Crown a class favorite. My students are able to see and appreciate hairstyles that are representative of their culture. They are also able to recognize the same images with individuals in society to remind them of their acceptance and place in the world. Another teacher favorite is Black Boy Joy. As mentioned in my project, I proudly teach a class of African American boys who need to see images of themselves in reading and learning. This book has allowed my students an opportunity to be praised for who they are and who they have yet to become. I was also able to provide one of the copies to one of my students for a raffle and the feedback that I have received from his parents has been great. It is my hope that he will continue to reference this book when he graduates in June.
All of the resources in this project will allow for my students to see representations of themselves in the classroom and to know that they are represented in the world. This is very important to me so that my students will be able to know and believe that they are capable of being great while simply being themselves. Literature resources will forever be the gift that keeps on giving in my classroom. Not only can the resources be used for my current class, but it can also be used in future classrooms to support diversity in the classroom.
Thank you so very much for bringing this project to life!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by The Allstate Foundation and 4 other donors.Odds + Ends = So Much Fun!!
Funded May 6, 2021Thank you so much for funding our Odds and Ends project. At the time this project was written, we were returning to school in-person for the last few months of the previous school year. This was such a time! We weren't sure of what to expect when we arrived but thanks to patience and the funding of this project, we made everything work perfectly!
In the spring and definitely in the summer, it can become a bit warm in our classroom. We are in a much older building with some recent upgrading, but at times, it can become warm despite efforts of cooling. The fans were needed to ensure proper circulation in a very warm classroom. Thanks to you, our warmer days began to get a bit cooler. Even though we are currently in the season of winter, I plan on bringing the fans back out when the weather gets warmer.
One of the highlights from this project, that we are sure to use again, was the Butterfly project. One of my students was so excited that we were able to order the caterpillars for this project once we received the package. Previously, she thought that the caterpillars came with the original project resources and had concerns they were harmed. Once she realized that we were able to order them after receiving the kit, and that the shipment would arrive quickly, she independently tracked the package herself. She was so pleased to see that no caterpillars were harmed with the creation of this project! We've added a few pictures of their transformation, for you to see, in our thank you package.
The coolest item for me has been the Cricut Air! I knew that the kids coming back to school would be great and wanted to decorate the classroom door with one of their favorite games, Minecraft! Thanks to the Cricut, I was able to produce letters using Minecraft fonts and create many of the Minecraft accessories when writing their names on the door for their arrival. Their new request has been to decorate the door with the accessories from the game Fortnite! I think I will be able to satisfy their requests when they return from winter break.
Thank you again for funding our project and providing us with items that we will be able to use for the next couple of years! We truly appreciate you taking the time, during our current state of the world, to assist us with classroom resources.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and one other donor.Teachers Helping Teachers!
Funded Sep 14, 2021Thank you so much for a resource that was right on time and much needed. The beginning of the school year is always a busy time. This year was no different with many students returning from virtual learning. While being able to conduct school required beginning of the year assessments, I also wanted to determine student needs in the form of personalized assessments. Thanks to you, this process was seamless and we were able to use the gift card once I confirmed that we still needed it for our class!
Teaching one class consisting of multiple grade levels and learning differences is not easy, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. One of the reasons I like Teachers pay Teachers is because I am almost certain to find a resource that I will need for my community of learners, from a community of teachers like myself. This site allows me to focus on one concept of learning while making sure the resources meet each of my student's needs. Another reason why I prefer this website is because I am able to give a token of my appreciation to the teachers who used their free time to create shareable resources!
This is a gift that keeps on giving because I have also been able to download games and activities that can be used to supplement lessons in the classroom. For example, we were able to purchase the unit on the Westward Expansion which included several reading comprehension assessments on a variety of reading levels, along with a Jeopardy game. The best part was demonstrating to my students a game that I used to play when I was their age called The Oregon Trail, which also highlights components of traveling west for pioneers. We've even used resources for assisting my students with multiplication and division.
We are halfway through this resource but we are taking our time with selecting our classroom materials. I am uncertain as to what the next semester will bring in terms of students reporting to school in person, so I want to be prepared for any next steps that we may encounter. As I mentioned earlier, this was truly a right on time resource.
Thank you so much for thinking about my students and their needs!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
Back to the Basics!
Funded Oct 24, 2019Thank you so much for funding our "Back to the Basics" project! When we received the package, my students were most excited by the pencils as well as the AstroBrights paper. To them, everything is better with color. So once everything was opened, it was a must that we use those items first!
The last half of the previous school year brought about a huge change in our classroom environment. As opposed to being able to interact daily at school, we had to transfer our learning to our homes for distance learning. It took a bit of time to transition to this platform, but we were able to do this with your assistance. Prior to distance learning, we were accustomed to planning homework and class packets for our students. To continue this at home, the pencils, notebooks and folders were very instrumental. It allowed for students to keep all of their information in one place when at home as well as a good journaling tool for notes on certain subjects.
Originally I thought that we wouldn't have an opportunity to utilize all of the resources from this project due to distance learning. However, I've found that I was wrong. The tabletop easel and dry erase markers allow me to demonstrate strategies across all subjects by prerecording lessons. Now that we are back in school in person, I can use the same resources for in person small groups.
We're so thankful that you were able to assist us with resources for the last half of the school year and we hope that you enjoy our in person pictures!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 7 other donors.We're Back...And So Are Our Appetites!
Funded May 6, 2021Thank you so much for funding our snacks project for our classroom! During the time that this project was created and funded, several students as well as myself returned to school for in person learning. This was the first time that we had all seen each other since the previous school year in March of 2020. While many of my students returned, several had graduated and transitioned to middle school! One thing that remained the same was their appetite for snacks and learning.
There were many changes made to our school during our time with in-person learning. At times, students would be able to have an additional school issued lunch. This allowed for students to be able to sustain the remainder of the day without requiring a snack, or what I like to call "learning fuel". Due to limited movement in the building as well as remodeling in our cafeteria upon return, students were provided with bag lunches with limited options. Thanks to you, we were presented with many choices to accompany their lunches, allowing them to be satisfied for the remainder of the day.
If you were to ask my students, they had a top 3 snacks items with this project. All of my students love cereal. It can be with or without milk as they aren't picky in that department. If they arrived to school late and didn't have an opportunity to grab breakfast at home, they were very content with having cereal as a supplement. Once I began to notice this pattern, I was able to save several cartons of milk each day to store in our classroom refrigerator. When paired with the bowl and flatware that we had in the classroom, everything worked smoothly. In my past teaching experiences, I had never encountered a student who was fond of Frosted Mini Wheats. That is, until the previous school year. One of my 5th graders enjoyed eating the cereal without milk. So it was great to have the juice boxes available for her once she was done!
From when I was a student in elementary school to watching my student's in class, Goldfish crackers are definitely here to stay. I am unsure if it's the cheese or the fish shape, but my students can't get enough of these bite sized snacks. To also know my students is to also know their love of chips and gummy bears! We all love the Black Forest brand because it's a bit more healthier than the brands that we've tried in the past. In terms of the chips, I wanted my students to try an alternative to their regularly favorite brands. While I still provided them with what they enjoyed, it was good to see many of them enjoy eating the Sun Chips as well.
I personally would also like to thank you for providing me with a bit of learning fuel to make it through the teaching day as well. The sparkling water and the Nutri-Grain bars were helpful on those days that I either missed breakfast or needed a bit of energy for the remainder of the day. With so many snacks, we were able to extend the sharing beyond the classroom and to other classes that were on our floor! We had enough to get us through the end of our very short, in-person school year and couldn't be more thankful.
Thank you so much satisfying my students appetites as they returned to school for in-person learning.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.Multitasking In A Virtual World!
Funded Dec 2, 2020Thank you so much for funding the resources needed for our "Multitasking in A Virtual World" project! At the time this project was funded, it had almost been an entire year since I had my seen my students in person. We were all very anxious about the "newness" of everything and was uncertain as to the outcomes. With me and my co-teachers being accustomed to multitasking in the classroom day-to-day, we were unsure of how to keep the same pace in our virtual space. But thanks to you, we were able to virtually multitask in order to support student learning!
Receiving this resources from this project during a time when we were away from the school building really assisted me with continuing the learning process for my students. Some of my students have technology devices at home and as a result, they had experience with navigating certain steps with their computers. However, there were many students who were new to technology and had to rely on it for their learning. With the iPad, I was able to be in two places at one time. I was able to use my main computer to show lessons and videos through our Microsoft Teams platform. Then, with the iPad, I was able to log on to Microsoft Teams to support any misconceptions happening with student access to learning tools. This was really helpful when it came to viewing the chat where students were able to ask for, and receive, assistance.
I was also able to use the iPad for real time writing activities with my students. This provided me with being able to also see student handwriting in real time to be able to address possible errors in capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. It is also important to address the Apple Pencil which also allowed me to work with our occupational therapist to demonstrate proper techniques when writing.
The previous school year was unlike any other that I have encountered. Any help that would facilitate learning for my students was certainly appreciated and did not go unnoticed. I am still amazed at the effort put forth by my students, teacher colleagues and student families. We are also thankful for individuals such as yourselves. Thank you so much for thinking of all of us!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 2 other donors.The Show Must Go On!
Funded Dec 1, 2020Thank you so much for funding the materials needed for our "The Show Must Go On!" project. The period during March 2020 until the end of the previous school year was one for the books. Having to navigate through distance learning for about a year, and returning to school for in person learning during the last few months of the previous school year, brought about anxiety and worry of the unknown. But thanks to you, we were able to have success while away from school!
Quite easily the most important resource in this project has been the external hard drive. During the period of distance learning, there were so many resources that were created and downloaded to support student learning. Now that we are back in person, many of those same resources are still being used. Having the external hard drive has allowed me to free space on my teacher laptop. This was most helpful when downloading large files such as books to be shared with students and families as well as large files that were shared among our teaching staff.
While making copies and multiple trips to the copy room is a mainstay in the teaching profession, it was great to be able to have ink to use for documents for my printer in my home office. When having to scan certain items to parents and colleagues that required signage, the ink was able to assist with getting items done. Even when sending items to parents for my students, the colored ink was good to have for labeling and sectioning student tasks.
During a time of great uncertainty, thank you so much for thinking about the needs of my students. We appreciated your assistance with helping us continue our learning at home!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Woods
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 2 other donors.