Past projects 11
Heroes Come in Small Packages!
Funded Apr 13, 2021I am very excited and grateful for my classroom set of the book A Wrinkle in Time! This novel is unique because it features gifted children as the heroes which is perfect for my gifted students. They will learn about self-worth, perseverance, expressive language, deceptive appearances, balance, and individualism.
My classes read the novel together as a class. We listen to a recording of the author, Madeleine L'Engle, reading the book. We will also read portions orally, taking turns. I want the students to hear the rich language and get lost in the imagery. Students complete a variety of projects of their own choosing. I must say that the imagery from their minds shine through!
I have read the novel for years, using books that were passed down to me. My old set was held together by glue, tape, rubber bands, and love. I am so excited to finish the book this year with brand new books!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Creating Robots, One Cube at a Time!
Funded Jan 29, 2020I can not explain to you how excited and grateful I am to my donors. My students are going to be exposed to a different type of technology that they have never experienced before. These Cubelets will help some of my youngest students with the concepts of robotics.
I loved watching their eyes light up as they discovered the use of each of the cubes. I think my favorite part was watching the exploration phase. Students loved learning about the Cubelets and explaining their thoughts to their friends.
I was able to do one very exciting thing with the Cubelets. I shared them at our district Tech Expo. Two of my students sat at our booth and explained to visitors how the Cubelets worked. Within minutes, I had people ranging in age from 4 to 75 learning and building with the modular robotics! I look forward to many more experiences with the Cubelets.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
Robots, One Cube at a Time!
Funded Oct 8, 2018I can not explain to you how excited and grateful I am to my donors. My students are going to be exposed to a different type of technology that they have never experienced before. These Cubelets will help some of my youngest students with the concepts of robotics. I loved watching their eyes light up as they discovered the use of each of the cubes. I think my favorite part was watching the exploration phase. Students loved learning about the Cubelets and explaining their thoughts to their friends. I look forward to sharing these with more students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
3D Doodle All the Day
Funded Aug 30, 2018My classes represent every socioeconomic group, race, and religion in our community. The common thread that runs through the students is their high ability. I teach gifted students. My challenge each day is to keep one step ahead of my students and keep the learning environment interesting. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics that I need, books and consumable supplies. Your investment in my class enabled me to bring a level of excitement to my classroom that was definitely appreciated.
Students began the unit by exploring architectural terms. They began to see a connection between buildings in our community and their new vocabulary. They continued by using an on-line program to design a building. We will continue the planning and design process when students draw their building design on grid paper. Students will incorporate many of the different architectural features that they had studied. After designing the buildings, students will actually build the structures using foam board.
Creativity will enter with the 3D Doodle Pens. Students will be able to add creative elements that can't be made with foam board and razors. Column designs, railings, cornices, etc., can all be applied with the amazing 3D Doodle Pens. We have just now begun to see the potential uses of this small device, but if we can dream it, we can build it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 2 other donors.Little Bit of Inventing and a Lot of Learning!
Funded Sep 15, 2017My classes represent a wide spectrum of socioeconomic groups. The common thread that runs through the students is their high ability. I teach gifted students. My challenge each day is to keep one step ahead of my students and keep the learning environment interesting. I found that some of my students were interested in electronic circuitry. I found littleBits on line and thought they would be perfect for my classes; however, I could not afford them on my school budget. Your investment in my class enabled me to bring a level of excitement to my classroom that was definitely appreciated.
For exploring our new kits, we moved our class to the cafeteria. Having many long tables and a great deal of floor space was essential for the kids to discover what they could do with the littleBits. What they experienced was true 21st-century learning: collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. By the end of the lesson they were having races with androids and other vehicles.
Your support of education is essential to keep challenging today's youth. Thank you once again for helping young students learn in creative, meaningful ways.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
SIMS - Water, Wind, and Solar Energy, Oh My!
Funded Dec 12, 2016My classes represent every socioeconomic group, race, and religion in our community. The common thread that runs through the students is their high ability. I teach gifted students. My challenge each day is to keep one step ahead of my students and keep the learning environment interesting. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics that I need, books and consumable supplies. Your investment in my class enabled me to bring a level of excitement to my classroom that was definitely appreciated.
Students began the unit by learning about a specific energy source. Using PBL as a basis, the students were asked to write a report to our governor describing the energy source and its possible future use in our state. The addition of the K'NEX kits brought real meaning to wind, water, and solar energy! The students experienced how the research became real right before their eyes. The best moment came with the solar car. Students took the car into a courtyard and ran the car. The car stopped when it came to the shadow of a student and began again when the student moved. It was a real Aha moment to all of them.
The learning continues when my students will build models and present them to their peers in the regular classroom. They are now the experts on energy sources!
Thank you again for your generous contributions to tomorrow's engineers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and 5 other donors.SIMS - Big Learning with Mini iPads
Funded Oct 21, 2016Dear Donors,
My classes represent a wide spectrum of socioeconomic groups. While some students have similar technology at their homes, many of the students had their first experience with this type of device right here in my classroom. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics of consumable materials. Your financial support enabled me to take learning to a new level that is 21st century learning based. The mini iPad also combined elements in learning that I find essential for gifted children: investigative learning, creativity, cooperative learning, independent learning, self-awareness, and questioning.
I have the wonderful opportunity to teach gifted children daily. They are almost always enthusiastic to learn each day, but nothing compares to the use of technology! I had plans for the Mini iPad, but I have found its versatility to be endless. One day students are researching careers, the next day a student can video other students for a school-wide project involving Make-a-Wish, and the next day a different student is controlling a remote control device. The possibilities are endless! The students themselves are developing uses for the mini iPad. My older students are using it to help younger students blog with a classroom over a thousand miles away!
Your support of education is essential to keep challenging today's youth. Thank you once again for helping young students learn in creative, meaningful ways.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
SIMS - Energy Makes the World Go Round
Funded Sep 26, 2016My classes represent every socioeconomic group, race, and religion in our community. The common thread that runs through the students is their high ability. I teach gifted students. My challenge each day is to keep one step ahead of my students and keep the learning environment interesting. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics that I need, books and consumable supplies. Your investment in my class enabled me to bring a level of excitement to my classroom that was definitely appreciated.
Students began the unit by learning about a specific energy source. Using PBL as a basis, the students were asked to write a report to our governor describing the energy source and its possible future use in our state. The addition of the K'NEX kits brought real meaning to wind, water, and solar energy! The students experienced how the research became real right before their eyes. The best moment came with the solar car. Students took the car into a courtyard and ran the car. The car stopped when it came to the shadow of a student and began again when the student moved. It was a real Aha moment to all of them.
The learning continues when my students will build models and present them to their peers in the regular classroom. They are now the experts on energy sources!
Thank you again for your generous contributions to tomorrow's engineers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and one other donor.SIMS - Mini iPads = Maxi Learning
Funded Aug 2, 2016Dear Donors,
My classes represent a wide spectrum of socioeconomic groups. While some students have similar technology at their homes, many of the students had their first experience with this type of device right here in my classroom. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics of consumable materials. Your financial support enabled me to take learning to a new level that is 21st century learning based. The mini iPad also combined elements in learning that I find essential for gifted children: investigative learning, creativity, cooperative learning, independent learning, self-awareness, and questioning.
I have the wonderful opportunity to teach gifted children daily. They are almost always enthusiastic to learn each day, but nothing compares to the use of technology! I had plans for the Mini iPad, but I have found its versatility to be endless. One day students are researching careers, the next day a student can video other students for a school-wide project involving Make-a-Wish, and the next day a different student is controlling a remote control device. The possibilities are endless! The students themselves are developing uses for the mini iPad. My older students are using it to help younger students blog with a classroom over a thousand miles away!
Your support of education is essential to keep challenging today's youth. Thank you once again for helping young students learn in creative, meaningful ways.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton
This classroom project was brought to life by Infosys Foundation USA and 2 other donors.SIMS - Engineering at the Amusement Park
Funded Oct 17, 2013My classes represent every socioeconomic group, race, and religion in our community. The common thread that runs through the students is their high ability. I teach gifted students. My challenge each day is to keep one step ahead of my students and keep the learning environment interesting. My budget is just large enough to cover the basics that I need, books and consumable supplies. Your investment in my class enabled me to bring a level of excitement to my classroom that was definitely appreciated.
Students began their unit by making guesses about the speed of balls on inclined planes. I saw engaged students, independent thinking, logical thinking, and student-centered discussion. Next my students worked in groups to build inclined planes. The learning continued out in the hallway where students experimented with different balls and different heights of inclined planes. The students were totally in charge of their learning and were instrumental in teaching each other.
Our learning lessons with this K'NEX building kit will continue in the spring when the students will use what they've learned in class to build their own amusement park rides. I can't think of a better way to bring learning to life than by having my students build roller coasters that they've designed on their own.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to tomorrow's engineers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Clayton