Past projects 32
Sensory Materials for Calm + Focus
Funded Jan 24, 2024Our classroom is feeling organized and calm! We have introduced the sensory toys like pop-its, play-doh, squeeze balls, and finger puzzles, and talked about how holding something or squeezing something can help us feel focused and ready to learn. Students have practiced using different materials and identified which ones help them when they are feeling stressed or anxious. I organized the materials into colorful bins which students now have access to and can use whenever they need them.
They are also easily able to access the whiteboards, erasers and markers that we use for daily phonics practice. When students have agency in accessing their materials it helps them feel independent and in control of their emotions and their learning.
Thank you for supporting us with these sensory materials so that everyone can be calm, focused, and ready to learn!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Winter Woodland Writing
Funded Dec 2, 2023Thanks so much for supporting our winter writing adventures. Students went home over the holiday break with a bag that included a gnome-themed notebook, a woodland pencil, and their own plush gnome. They came back with stories of the adventures they had been on with their gnomes: the parks they had gone to, the animals they had met, and the books they had read together!
We have used own gnomes to inspire our "nonfiction" writing in the classroom (even though gnomes are arguably not real). Now students are going to begin to research real woodland creatures using the beautiful collection of animal books from this project. They will work as a class to learn more about owls, deer, squirrels, and raccoons. They will also begin to explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts. Finally, they will write their own nonfiction "books" about their animals which will be shared with our school community and their families.
Thanks for supporting so much writing growth in our our first grade class.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 18 other donors.Spanish is Our Super Power!
Funded Sep 22, 2023Thank you for these beautiful books which helped us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year. Students enjoyed reading the books together, making connections to their home cultures and writing about their favorite stories. We have committed to reading a #bookaday this year and here you can see some of the books from this project on display in our classroom. One of our favorite stories was "Spanish is my Super Power." Many students shared about how proud they are of speaking Spanish and how they were excited to teach others what they knew. We also loved "My Dog Only Speaks Spanish" and enjoyed talking about how pets understand language.
Thank you for contributing to our diverse classroom library!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by The Peterson Family and 2 other donors.Access and Engagement Through Technology
Funded Aug 31, 2023Our ViewSonic interactive whiteboard has really revolutionized my teaching! First (and most importantly) it provides a beautiful clear display which allows all students access to the content we are learning. I have a classroom filled with light and don't like to close the curtains when I want to project something; now, students can see everything on a screen which is big enough to read and close enough to understand. We use our display for math, phonics, English Language Development, reading, science, and every day classroom routines like birthdays and centers. The sound is wonderful and my students are delighted by everything they see.
The second feature of our viewboard is that it is interactive! We are just beginning to explore its many capabilities, but here you can see the students sharing the electronic pen to make corrections in writing. I am planning to learn more about how I can access the interactive capabilities of the board and use it to differentiate learning for all of my students and make content available to everyone. Thank you for being a part of our classroom journey!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by United Airlines and 20 other donors.Hear it, Say it! See it, Make it!
Funded Jul 22, 2023These hands on materials are really helping my first grade students learn and grow. They are using phonics manipulatives to help them make letter sounds, put letters together to sound them out, and to make words. Their confidence in their reading abilities is improving.
Our STEM kits are everyone's favorite. There are sixteen different sets of building materials (like Styrofoam balls, magnetic tiles, Legos, building blocks and popsicle sticks) and a selection of challenges such as: bridge, tunnel, shelf or rocket ship. The children then work to build their challenge using the materials they've been given. They find creative solutions and talk about the problems they encounter. This is really building their creative engineering skills! And it helps them to make a plan and reflect on their project in writing.
Thank you for supporting our growth this year. The students are grateful and so am I!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Spring Experiments
Funded Mar 21, 2023Thank you so much for supporting our science explorations this spring. With your help students were able to plant seeds and watch them grow. We also observed the butterfly life cycle in our classroom. Our caterpillars arrived in April and they ate and ate until they were ready to make their chrysalises. Then we waited eagerly for them to emerge as butterflies. When they did we carried them out to our school garden and set them free. The students all made a wish when the butterflies flew out into the air. Both of these experiences led to rich classroom discussions and the opportunity to write about our observations. Thank you for being a part of planting the seeds that encouraged my students to blossom and grow!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Creating Calming Corners
Funded Dec 8, 2022My first graders have been doing a lot of work around sensory processing and emotional regulation. They are learning how to identify when they are focused and ready to work, and when they are feeling stressed or out of control and need some help calming down and getting ready. These materials have been so helpful in supporting them. They experimented with all the different techniques: building, coloring, smelling soothing essential oils, touching soft play-doh, cancelling out stressful noises using headphones, feeling the weight of a soft weighted blanket on their lap, or rocking in a wiggly chair. Now they are able to tell me when they need a break or some help getting focused, and they use the materials to help calm themselves down.
I am so grateful for your support of this project. With your help we are beginning to create a calm and safe environment where everyone can learn and be their best selves.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 11 other donors.Winter Reading Wonderland
Funded Nov 26, 2022These books were a wonderful gift to send home with my first grade students to celebrate the holidays and maintain the progress they have been making in reading over the winter break. My beginning readers received a box of early readers by one of our favorite authors, Todd Parr. They will be able to read these with a family member at home and feel success reading independently. The students who are reading at grade level brought home a set of Elephant and Piggie books which are a big favorite in first grade. They were excited to laugh along with these two best friends and their silly adventures. Finally, two advanced readers will explore a set of books about Ivy and Bean and challenge themselves to read their first chapter books. In these photos you can see the students exploring some of the Todd Parr books in the classroom, as well as my son helping me to wrap the gifts to send them home with the students before they left for vacation.
Thank for supporting reading in our first grade class and helping me to encourage my students to read at home!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Classroom Technology Provides Access for All
Funded Sep 19, 2022This project has provided tremendous support to me in my classroom. With a color printer, laminator, and additional supplies (like folders and plastic page protectors) here are some of the projects we have been able to create: a colorful themed calendar for the classroom, math materials like numbers from 1-20 which the students used to practice putting themselves -- and the numbers -- in order, differentiated reading passages so that everyone can read at their just right level, differentiated math packets so that everyone can practice the addition and subtraction facts that they need, and a kindness challenge where we picked a card each day to practice how to take care of the members of our community. Not pictured here is the amazing microphone which I use to teach PE outside which saves my voice from screaming and allows me to relax and enjoy the time we have to play together!
Thank you for believing in us and supporting our daily activities in first grade!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
Adding and Subtracting Like Rockstars!
Funded Aug 10, 2022We are really enjoying using these math lessons and materials from Hand 2 Mind in our classroom. The activities are developmentally appropriate for kids and they are getting excellent practice understanding the difference between addition and subtraction and figuring out the solutions to word problems. Here you can see an example of how the students worked together to show an addition equation and then moved the numbers around to create a subtraction equation (we happened to be celebrating dia de los muertos that day so their faces are painted)! You can also see students working in small groups to solve fact families: three numbers that work together to add and subtract four different equations. I am really looking forward to planning more hands-on lessons with these materials and watching my students' confidence in mathematics grow. Thank you for supporting our discovery process.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Anna
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 9 other donors.