Mrs. Lee's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 10

• Infinite Opportunities for All!

  Funded Oct 11, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generosity in donating to our project for laptop computers! We appreciate your investment in our classroom and the success of our students. Thanks to you our students can use technology in many ways in our classroom.

  Students with various learning disabilities can read books online in which they are interested, that may be challenging for them to read on their own in paper copy versions. They can listen or follow along with texts online. Students can also use computers to type their writing, and use the accessibility features to read articles on web pages, to type elaborate writing pieces with words they use verbally, but they may have difficulty spelling. Students can now use their computers to do research, in combination with print books in our classroom library.

  We are able to do all of this things to be successful in our classroom, and more, thanks to all of you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

  This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon on CBS and 2 other donors.

• Making Challenges Possible With Technology!

  Funded Jan 17, 2023

  Thank you so much for all your kindness and generosity in donating towards our class's technology needs! You have no idea how much we appreciate you! These computers will benefit our students in so many ways! The students are so excited!

  In our classroom, we have 8 students with many different learning needs. Some students are struggling with learning letter sounds, to help them read and write new words, and others are reading independently or writing at least 2-3 grade levels below their grade level. These computers help these students to read digital texts that are on their independent reading levels for their actual grade level, and so it encourages them to read more about stories and topics that are of interest to them. This also give the students more exposure to unknown words and text, which helps them with their writing.

  Students are also able to brainstorm ideas and create writing pieces using voice-typing features in Immersive Reader and Google Docs. They are able to say their ideas into a microphone, and have them typed out on the screen. This is very empowering to my students. Writing and spelling are often a challenge, and by enabling them to express all their ideas with voice-typing features, shows the students all the ideas and language that they really have.

  Thank you so much for recognizing the importance of these materials! And more importantly believing in and supporting the children in our classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Walt Disney Company and 9 other donors.

• Adaptive Tools for Everyday Success!

  Funded Sep 7, 2022

  Thank you so much for donating to our project for headphones and slant boards! The students are very excited about our new materials for the classroom.

  Our classroom is a classroom comprised entirely of students with various speech and language difficulties, as well as learning disabilities. There can be no more than 12 students in our classroom, to ensure extra support for each child to meet their individual needs. Many of our students receive speech services, and occupational services. Learning letter sounds and being able to spell words fluidly can be challenging. Also, learning to read books and learn to read more complex sounds and multi-syllabic words, can also be challenging. Some students in our classroom have difficulty physically writing words and sentences, which is why they receive occupational therapy.

  Your gifts of headphones and slant boards to our classroom has ignited a fire in all of our children, and they have been lit up with excitement! Our children with occupational therapy needs, can use the slant boards to write on paper and in their notebooks with more ease, since it reduces stress on their forearms and wrists. It is easier for them to form letters in words when writing.

  The headphones have everyone all abuzz! Students in our classroom who are getting frustrated with reading simpler books on reading levels that are lower than their grade level, can alternate with digital texts on their current grade levels. This helps to keep them more engaged in reading throughout the week. It also gives them exposure to more print words, that are highlighted while being read, that they might find challenging to read on their own. They are able to access plots, characters, and storylines, that are appropriate to their social-emotional age level. Students are also able to use the microphone on the headphones to record stories and other pieces of writing that they have in their minds, but they may be challenging to write down on paper. The students are all very excited to see all the personal narrative stories they have recorded so far in their Google Docs, using the headphones. (In fact, our "thank you notes" that you will see in our photos, were created using our new headphones, so that the students could say what they really wanted to say in their notes.)

  Thank you again, for bringing so much joy already to our students this early in the year! Your generous gifts have already empowered them to see, despite some academic challenges that they experience on a regular basis, that they are intelligent students, and that they can continue being successful in their academic journey.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

  This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 9 other donors.

• From Pixels to Printing: Printed Resources Needed for Our Classroom

  Funded Dec 19, 2021

  Thank you so much for all your kindness and generosity in donating for our new classroom printer. You have no idea how much we really appreciate this, since having a classroom printer has really become a necessity. If the larger copier in the office is broken, or if we are waiting for ink to come in, our back-up has been our new printer. This has allowed us to continue instruction as usual.

  So far, we have been able to print many intervention materials for students in need, as well as enrichment materials. We have also been able to print out materials for small group projects, as well as games for extra practice.

  Thank you again so much for enabling us to get more tools into the hands of our students, to support them in their continued academic success! We appreciate all of you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.

• Salty Air, Cool Breezes, Adventure in Our Souls!

  Funded Apr 27, 2019

  Thank you for all of your amazing support! Because of you, our students had many amazing life-changing experiences today!

  I think the biggest highlight of our trip was the students having the opportunity to touch different types of ocean animals. They got the opportunity to touch sharks, rays, moon jellies, and various crabs and mollusks. (They kept asking if there was more that they could touch! See our photos for some snapshots of us touching all the cool creatures!)

  The water pollution class that we took, made the human impact on pollution more concrete for them. During the class, various students had the opportunity to add different solids and liquids that represented pollution to a 3-dimensional model. Then they saw how when it rains (they sprayed the model with a spray bottle full of water), how all the pollution ends up in different places, including clean water sources. (You could hear an "oohhhh..." of realization and concern among the students.)

  The students kept reading the information cards at all the exhibits, and asking teachers/aquarium staff questions about all the animals. I know this experience has ignited further curiosity for learning about the ocean and its inhabitants.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

• 3rd Grade Aquarium Scientists: The Ocean Must Be Explored!

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  Thank you so much for contributing to our 3rd grade project so that our students could go visit the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. This was such a valuable trip to all of our students. Many of them had never been out of their neighborhood, nevermind New York City.

  The students were able to participate in many interactive exhibits on their tour around the aquarium. They were able to have their first experiences touching real-life sharks, rays, and jellyfish. They learned that if you touch the moon jellies on the bell (top of the jellyfish) that they will not get stung, as well as the fact that moon jellies have stinging cells that are so small, that they are not harmful to humans. They also got to see flounder and pufferfish. And have you ever seen a blue lobster, or a rescued baby sea turtle? We did!

  On our 2-hour marine-life study cruise, the students got to bring up different animals out of Long Island Sound that we got to look at and touch. For quite a few of our students, this was their first time on a boat! We got to see snail larvae, worms, and various other types of phytoplankton (plant plankton), and zooplankton (animal plankton), projected from a microscope onto a large flat screen monitor. We also touched different types of crabs, snails, fish, and sponges.

  Thank you again for giving our students this amazing life-changing opportunity!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.

• Enriching Our Reading Lives!

  Funded Dec 30, 2017

  Thank you so much for all your kindness and generosity in donating the new books to our classroom. The students were so excited when we got the boxes with the new books! Everyone couldn't wait to see what was inside! Our girls that are approaching grade level are really enjoying the Super Fairies books, and the Ellie Ultra books. they are fascinated by Ellie Ultra, and how she appears to be an ordinary girl, but she's really a superhero! Another series that is being enjoyed is Sofia Martinez. The students enjoy reading about Sofia and the mischief she's always getting into. She's a very realistic character, that the students relate to, and they enjoy the words in Spanish that pop up in dialogue in the book. The characters in all of the books come from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The students have enjoyed reading books they can identify with or learn about other people's culture and traditions.

  Again, thank you so much for donating to enriching our students' reading lives! We are all forever greatful!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

• Starting the Year Prepared for Success!

  Funded Sep 1, 2017

  Thank you so much for everyone's kindness and generosity in donating classroom supplies to our students. They were so grateful! Many of the students seemed frustrated when they came in and they did not have school supplies on the first day. When we showed them all of the new supplies with their names on them, they couldn't stop smiling. We had some children that are new to our school this year, and having new supplies waiting for them on the first day, was a very exciting and welcoming experience for them! Even students whose parents could buy them a few supplies were excited, since the rest of the supplies they needed were already there in the classroom for them. They spent a lot of time the first few days just admiring and checking out their new supplies.

  Again, thanks to you, this school year is an amazing one for our students, that started from day one!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

• 3rd Grade STEM Aquarium Partnership: All Aboard Marine Scientists!

  Funded Dec 21, 2016

  Thank you so much for all of your kind donations to our project. Due to the kindness and generosity of your donations for our charter bus, our students had a memorable experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives! Right from the moment when we stepped out of the school and they saw the bus and said in awe, "We're going to the aquarium on THAT kind of bus!", until we were exhausted on the ride home, the students were on a non-stop adventure.

  Once we got to the aquarium, one activity that students were involved in was they went on a 2-hr marine life study cruise. Students were able to help drop drag nets to pull up real-live creatures out of Long Island Sound. They viewed plankton under a microscope on a live television screen. They held spider crabs, whelks, and slipper snails. For many students, this was their first time riding on a boat!

  When we returned, inside the aquarium, students went on an interactive tour. They touched the tops of real-live jellyfish and sting rays. We also got the chance to touch real-live sharks!

  I know that this will be a day that will forever live on in our students minds, and it has changed the way they view the world around them. In the words of one of my students in his thank-you letter, "You are the best person! We hope that your dreams now come true, now that you made ours come true..."”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee

• Inspiring Reading Success!

  Funded Mar 29, 2016

  My students asked me every day, "When are the new books coming?" When the boxes arrived, they helped me carry them up from the office to the classroom, and wanted to start tearing into them. They helped me cut open the boxes. They all couldn't stop looking at all the new books in wonderment, as they smoothed their hands over the shiny front covers, and began flipping through the crisp new colorful pages.

  Since that day, every day I get updated about new events that are happening with characters in their book. "Mrs. Lee, I found out that Rozz is really the cat that helps Catwoman rob places!" "Mrs. Lee, Eek and Ack have a new pet in this book! Isn't that cool? The aliens have a pet!"

  They have discovered new characters and series that they enjoy, and never knew existed! Every day, reading workshop has become a more exciting time and place for them. They tell me when they are almost finished a book, and ask if there are any more like them.

  Thank you for helping to inspire my students' love of reading. Now sometimes at the end of reading workshop I have to tell them to STOP reading!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lee