Past projects 26
Mrs. North Bought Books in 1992
Funded Sep 27, 2019As soon as these books came in I made sure to open the packages one at a time right in front of my students, especially those struggling readers who need these books the most. I labeled them as quickly as I could and made sure they made their way into the right bins.
Today I looked out from my guided reading table and saw my neediest students making their way through books right on their level, entering them in their reading log, and then turning on to the next. Now, of course, the hope is that they move on from these levels soon but in the meantime I can't thank you enough. God bless!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and one other donor.Print It Like a Polaroid Picture!
Funded Nov 24, 2018I know, I know, it's just printer ink, right? Well, when every minute counts in a day, being able to print off our latest graphic organizer or writing prompt or math lesson adds up pretty quickly. This means fewer trips across the school to get to the one copier all adults share that might be jammed, out of toner, have a line of three teachers, etc. Sometimes the copier just looks at you angrily and begins rolling away!
Seriously, though, the stress of copying is...should be...an unnecessary one in schools. While I do still have to make copies on that machine, of course, at least I can print in my classroom and make copies at 7 when I get in.
Thank you all and have a blessed holiday!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 3 other donors.No Just Wait For It To Load
Funded Nov 4, 2018How do I describe the impact of a functioning computer at the front of the classroom? It has honestly been one of the most important shifts for my instruction in years. I know I can come to school, quickly pull up needed videos and documents and Powerpoints, and then move on to all the rest of the work of teaching without waiting to restart a computer.
I've also positioned it in such a way that my small groups can see it behind me as we are working so I utilize the technology to show them crystal clear pictures of the topic of the day. In the past few weeks I've shown pictures of a steam powered car, the surface of Mars, and the grasslands of Africa, just to name a few.
This would not possible without your contributions so from the bottom of my heart I say thank you and wish you a blessed holiday season.”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 5 other donors.Headphones for the Win!
Funded Oct 14, 2018These headphones have been a tremendous addition to our classroom. For one thing, we made a big deal out of opening the box, taking pairs out of the plastic wrapping and such. It's exciting to have a new anything in a classroom but especially exciting when it's something we use everyday, at least twice a day!
Before these pairs, I had students tell me that their headphones were pinching hair, too tight, etc. Those issues have disappeared. Not only that, but in the event that someone believes their headphones aren't working (which is sometimes true and sometimes user error) they can go and get a pair from our bin of extras and plug them in independently!
Thank you so much for your generosity. Our DC students appreciate it! Happy holidays!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 4 other donors.ET Chrome Home
Funded Aug 3, 2018Thank you so much for funding our project! Our students have enjoyed the access to technology in our classroom and we use the Chromebook every single day.
Our schedule is similar to a lot of schools - math in the morning, reading in the afternoon. We have been using the Chromebook to allow our students to access the programs and they love how easy this computer is to log in to! Both our math and reading programs actually tailor their instruction to the student who logs in. This means that a more advanced student remains challenged while a student who is behind does not get frustrated. Without technology, that ability to instantaneously differentiate would be much more difficult in any classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by Lockheed Martin.No More Taped Pages!
Funded Jan 21, 2018So that definitely worked! The idea behind this purchase was to engage some of my room's middle level readers in not just staring at a book but thinking, talking, and writing about it. Sure enough, I can't keep the graphic novels in stock in our classroom library. I've had to put a limit of two per student to make sure that other students are getting a chance to look at these books and, even better, my students are now begging our school librarian for graphic novels each time we go in there.
The students are reading the book, sharing a laugh here and there, and one or two have even asked if I can give them paper like a cartoon to help them write a graphic novel-type piece (I'm working on that!) Thank you so much and God bless!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
The Screen Went Black And The Q Is Missing!
Funded Sep 19, 2017Thank you all, again, so much for donating to our school and classroom. Technology is a part of our everyday work in our classroom because it is something today's students will be using for the rest of their lives. That said, there's only so many times I can remind my students that 'technology is great when it works...you just need to be patient when it doesn't'.
We have had no problems with the new Chromebook whatsoever and it's pretty clearly a favorite with the students who use it in our rotations. It is a simplified computer to use and I've added tags on the bottom to make access to our websites even easier. Students use it it everyday for our reading program and math program!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and 5 other donors.Wait, They Use Abacuses Again?
Funded Sep 24, 2017We have had a teacher's abacus in our room from the beginning of the year. This is the first year I've ever used one because, well, it's an abacus. It was clear right away that showing them the numbers was okay but that counting from a distance was challenging for many. Several students asked to use it during independent work as well so I knew I it was time to get some abacuses for the room.
I talked up the delivery for a couple days and when they arrived I made sure to give the abacuses out with the plastic still on because I know students love opening something brand new. Who doesn't? Right away I saw more engagement with our math fluency exercises and noted some misconceptions that I couldn't have seen with just me using one in front of the room!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
Take a Break From That Screen!
Funded Jun 26, 2017Oh my goodness, this Donorschoose could not have worked out any better. The games are wonderful, the stretch bands are a life saver, and the markers have really helped our classroom glow this year.
I put the stretch bands on and three out of the four students loved them right from the get-go (one asked me to take it off, didn't like the restriction of stretching his legs I think). The markers have also helped us create around the classroom, including a 'class-made' bulletin board border around our home visit board.
Far and away, though, the biggest impact has been those games. They love them! I have introduced a few of them, mostly in after school, and they go for them everyday. That Skip Bo Junior has been the biggest hit and I love watching them play because it involves strategy and counting to ten over and over! I can't wait to get the rest of the card games into the rotation for indoor recesses and game club and all. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mr. North
This classroom project was brought to life by The Clorox Company and 6 other donors.If You Build It, They Will Come
Funded Aug 14, 2016Thank you so much for the Magnatiles. They have been a wonderful addition to our indoor recess/Fun Friday mix of games and puzzles. We have some computers in here as well and I'm happy to report that the first picks are always the Magnatiles followed by the Legos! They get a chance to be hands-on, creative, and talk to one another in a sharing and caring way (mostly:)
Even right now I'm doing childcare for a Parent Meeting the first grade is holding and the first thing the first graders asked for was if they could come in and play with the Magnatiles and Legos. They're a hit!
Looking ahead, our December and January indoor recess days are coming and I know that the kids will continue to enjoy having a creative resource that's fun (and I enjoy that they're virtually unbreakable!) Thank you again with all my heart.”
With gratitude,
Mr. North