Past projects 23
S.T.E.A.M. Gators
Funded Jul 27, 2022The S.T.E.A.M. Gators project has made a strong impact on my classroom this year. My students enjoyed reading about characters who followed their passions and who used creative thinking approaches to problem solving. We were able to read the books and have discussions about the characters to uncover similarities and differences between them.
The students have loved participating in S.T.E.A.M. lessons. We were able to use the TPT gift card to obtain projects such as Creepy Carrots, I Need My Monster and Ancient Civilization Architecture. Students were provided a variety of questions to start discussions and then collaborated with peers to discuss ideas. They were able to plan their designs individually and bring it to group design sessions. This allowed them to see perspectives of others and use them to develop a design to solve a variety of problems. They have learned how to work together and develop critical thinking skills.
Participating in engaging S.T.E.A.M. Education lessons has been especially helpful for students who enjoy movement and like hands-on learning. One of their favorites was creating a design to build a structure modeled after The Great Wall of China. This has also helped them improve their writing because they participated in these lessons which gave them background knowledge to provide in their responses. We look forward to many more opportunities to engage in S.T.E.A.M. education lessons. Thank you so much for making this project possible for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.Get "Lit" About Math
Funded Apr 22, 2020Many of our students have now returned to school as part of our Hybrid Plan . The students were so excited to see the large box of math materials and find they would be able to use all of them throughout the school year. Everything provided will prompt students to be more engaged in learning and help develop skills in math.
Fact fluency is an area students need to practice especially in addition and subtraction. Now that we have new math materials, students have been playing BINGO games with classmates to help them learn their facts. Everyone has their own personal chips and use the boards in protective sleeves to keep them safe. They are solving facts a lot more quickly since we have been using the games on a regular basis. Students love them!
During our Guided Reading period, students read the Stuart Murphy Series of math books. The books are of high interest to students and on different levels to allow me to differentiate with students on math topics. They share what they are reading with the class and give ideas for how math was used throughout the story. One student loved Divide and Ride because he is looking forward to our next unit on Multiplication and Division. The books will prepare us for many math topics to be covered all year. Thank you so much for providing our third graders with resources to help them succeed this school year. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Diversity-Just Like Me
Funded Feb 10, 2020It has been a challenge having resources available to use with my students for our daily virtual sessions on Google Hangout Meets. I was so excited to finally be able to get in my classroom and grab all the reading materials provided through your support of my project. Normally, reading in my classroom gives students opportunities to read with peers and discuss stories with each other. It is a sharing of ideas and helping them become stronger readers through exposure to a variety of books. You made this happen!
The first book we read together was The Adventures of Beekle-The Unimaginary Friend. My students have really missed being with their friends due to the COVID-19 pandemic so this was the perfect book. It allowed them to be able to talk about their feelings and also use their imagination to create an imaginary friend. They used whatever materials they had at home to create it and we then shared with each other. The lesson was successful and started our week off great!
Next, I began a read aloud of Donovan's Word Jar and talked about things kids could collect. The students could relate with the character and eagerly shared different collections they have at home. I used this book to introduce ways to expand vocabulary and reinforced how to use an online dictionary. We brainstormed how we would collect new words and share them with each other. Some students used a real jar to put new words they found and another plans to use the words we collect to create a coding project through Scratch and add all the words we gather for the week to share with others.
We read The Three Little Tamales and one of my Spanish students was thrilled to find out I could read in Spanish. I surprised them with a Reader's Theater version of the book and posted it online for students. We were able to practice reading aloud and improve our fluency with the sharing of the play version of the book.
I am so thankful for your support and providing my class with such a great variety of books. Your generosity and kindness is greatly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by Livia & Biz Stone and 2 other donors.Poetry Slams- Finding Your Voice
Funded Nov 2, 2018My students and I are loving all the new materials received for the Poetry Slams-Finding Your Voice project. These resources have allowed the students to engage in a variety of fun-filled learning experiences.
The students love the Reader Scripts. They get to select a partner and practice reading along with checking each other for comprehension. The scripts are engaging and allow each student a part to read back and forth and helps increase their fluency. It is so great to listen to students as they become stronger readers. We also use the graphic organizers in class mini lessons to understand story structure and analyze characters, settings, and events. This has been very helpful to have for instruction.
Currently, we are preparing for an Exhibition Night at our school in which my class will be featured in a Poetry Slam. Students are reading the poetry books as part of this grant to learn about different styles of poetry. Once they deepen their understanding, they will be writing a Poetry Anthology with their peers. My students who normally don't like to speak in front of others love using the microphones to share their voice with classmates.
Thank you so much for your generosity and support of this project. I am so appreciative and thankful that you chose to help my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Fostering Empathy
Funded Jul 29, 2018Thank you so much for supporting my Fostering Empathy project! Your generous donations allowed our third graders to have chapter books to read. The teachers read aloud Ruby Holler to their classes daily and modeled fluent reading. Students had many opportunities to meet with their peers to read and participate in discussions about the books. They practiced skills such as Characterization, Author's Purpose and Drawing Conclusions. These areas often present a challenge for our students. It was very beneficial to have resources to support learning.
The theme of the novel related to foster care which supports Project Based Learning planned for our grade level. By reading the books, teachers were able to teach students about empathy of others. Students were able to empathize with the characters in the book and made them want to learn more about Foster Care. This interest led them to conduct research on the topic to deepen their learning. In our morning meetings, we read Growth Mindset picture books and discussed empathy of others. The students did some role playing to help them understand topics covered in the books. They looked forward to getting together for our group sessions.
We also used the Writing Graphic Organizers to compare and contrast characters in the book along with learning about different styles of writing. Students learned about persuasive writing. They wrote letters to organizations to support our project by requesting a donation so they could send gifts to children who live in their community who are in Foster Care. Currently, we are working on developing a Foster Care Persuasive Public Service Announcement through a Green Screen video which will be shared with children at our school.
I am so thankful you allowed us this opportunity to explore such an important societal problem and develop student understanding of the world around them. This new information has impacted our students and they want to help other children. Thank you again for your generous support. You have made a positive impact on the lives of our students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Save the Penguins!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you so much for funding my Save the Penguins Project! My class and I loved learning about penguins! Students in our class love animals so they were delighted to have books that allowed them many opportunities to read in the classroom, examine pictures of penguins, and talk about what they liked in the books with peers. We had many discussions and students expanded their knowledge. This gave children an opportunity to learn about nonfiction and text features which is often a challenge for third grade students.
Our class was able to participate in a Project Based Learning experience and conducted investigations to find out why African Penguins were endangered. They researched organizations with a mission to help these creatures and conducted a "Penny for Penguins" drive. As a result of the exposure to the materials within this project and increased awareness, students decided to raise money and made a donation to save penguins. This was remarkable to see their interest level and being empathetic to something in nature.
We engaged in a school exhibition and invited in family and community members to share our deeper learning experience. Students wrote book trailers connected with the nonfiction books through Adobe Sparks and shared presentations to guests who came to our classroom. They also researched things that caused African Penguins to be endangered. From here they built a classroom "Crime Scene" that informed visitors of the severity of the danger to these penguins. Guests who came were impressed at the level of understanding and passion by these students. My class received compliments for their hard work and effort.
None of this would have been possible without your support of this project! I thank you for contributing and bringing learning to life for our students. Thank you again for your generosity and kindness!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 2 other donors.Kindle Readers
Funded Mar 10, 2016Thank you for providing Kindle Readers for our class. The students love using them to read books with their classmates. Since we received your generous gift, reading fluency has improved for our third graders. They are more comfortable with reading and are developing stamina to read chapter books.
Teachers are able to download leveled books so students have an opportunity to choose from different selections. Now students are able to practice reading books of interest that keep them engaged. They like the compact size of the Kindle Readers and the ease at which it takes them to navigate through a book and read it. One helpful component is the dictionary that helps them understand unknown words found in the books. Reading leads students to conversations with their peers about what they read which leads them to deeper learning opportunities.
Thank you for funding this project. You made an impact on my class and helped students learn to love reading!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and one other donor.Gobble Wobble for Literacy
Funded Nov 28, 2013I would like to thank you for your generous donation to my Goggle Wobble for Literacy project. My class was thrilled to receive the package of books. The students were so excited and could not believe that people would care enough about them to provide books for our classroom. Thank you for making my students smile and want to read books.
This thematic book collection allowed us numerous opportunities to read books in small groups. We had enough books to share with each other. The students engaged in discussions with their peers and worked on expanding their vocabulary. These conversations helped them comprehend what they read and become stronger readers.
It helped my teaching because it gave me new resources to keep students engaged in reading and improved their overall fluency. Allowing students to read these books helped build their stamina. As we move to the end of the year, students now enjoy reading for longer periods of time.
Thank you again for your support of this project. Your support of literacy is appreciated and will have a lasting impact on myself and the students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 3 other donors.Weekly Reader is a Hit with Students!
Funded Dec 1, 2011I would to thank you for your generosity and support of my Weekly Reader is a Hit with Students project. Your donation made it possible for third grade students to receive a subscription to Weekly Reader magazine. This magazine was very beneficial to students because it allowed them to have engaging reading materials that stimulated their interest. They learned about a variety of topics that were age appropriate for children. Students got to practice reading which helped increase their fluency and comprehension. Our students looked forward to receiving the magazines and got excited about the projects teachers were able to plan for them because of this wonderful resource.
One of our favorite activities connected with the Weekly Reader subscription was our Earth Day project. We learned about the three R's-Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Students wrote about how they could help make Earth a better place to live. In small groups, they were able to participate in a planting project. As a culminating activity, the students will take a field trip to participate in Earth Day activities planned for students in our surrounding cities.
Having Weekly Reader as a resource gave teachers an opportunity to integrate reading with areas such as science, math, and social studies. It made lesson planning easier and could be shared with many students. The teachers and I are also able to use these magazines to review third grade skills that will be on our upcoming statewide tests.
Thank you so much for your kindness and donation to this project. I appreciate your support and effort to make a positive learning experience for children who have limited resources. Your support to the long-term education of students is to be applauded. Thank you!! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Chocoliscious Novel Treats
Funded Dec 8, 2010On behalf of the third grade students and teachers, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your generous support of my Chocoliscious Novel Treats project. Everyone was thrilled to get new books and delicious chocolate.
As a result of your donation, my teaching team was able to create a thematic unit which centered on chocolate. Students were assigned to small groups where they read with other children. They engaged in meaningful discussions and strengthened their comprehension skills. Since you provided these materials, we had enough books to meet the needs of our students. Teachers were able to collaborate on lessons and share ideas which benefited all students. We had many small groups of students reading different novels all related to our theme. The children looked forward to reading each day.
One of our favorite activities connected with the Cam Jansen Fudge Mystery books you provided was being able to make chocolate fudge. Once the students read this novel, they were able to understand the characteristics of a mystery. Students did an outstanding job on their comprehension test of this novel. Our culminating event involved making homemade fudge. We were able to integrate math and science through a cooking lesson. They loved being able to make an edible treat.
Our teachers facilitated book discussions with the students. They were able to compare and contrast the characters, settings, and main idea of all the novels. As students read more books, their reading fluency increased and teachers could see their confidence grow as they became better readers.
Thank you for supporting education and making it possible for children to have books to read. I am very happy you made this possible. Thank you again for your generosity and support towards education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams