Past projects 21
I'm Through, Now What?
Funded Jan 7, 2019There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, I was able several coveted books to our classroom library, as well as many critical thinking games for early finishers.
The items that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that facilitates learning, even through "play." When students complete their work, they have options for how to occupy their free time. The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. Even when the assignments are complete, students are finding fun, engaging activities to occupy their free time and this happy teacher loves that while they are having fun, I know they are still learning.
Thank you so much again for supporting my classroom and for helping to impact my students education and future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
Rethinking the Best Seat in the House!
Funded Aug 13, 2019There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, I was able to add four yoga ball chairs to our flexible seating options, as well as a mount for a third digital screen.
The flexible seating that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 90 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired. In addition to giving my students seating choices, part of helping my students be self-directed learners is giving them the tools to meet their own needs. The TV mount allows us to hang a third display in the room, providing students easy access to the board no matter where they are sitting.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
Thank you so much again for supporting my classroom and for helping to impact my students education and future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.DASHing Toward 21st Century Learning
Funded Mar 27, 2018There aren't enough words to express our gratitude for your generous donations to my students. The DASH robots that you helped purchased have added another level to the learning that is taking place in our classrooms each day. The students have used them to explore coding and programming with iPads. The robots also facilitate collaboration and problem solving as the students work to program the robots through different courses and puzzles.
You may not know that the California education system is undergoing changes. We have officially adopted what are known as the Common Core standards, which tell schools and teachers exactly what needs to be taught to students at each grade level. While we have had state standards in the past, what sets these standards apart is the addition of in-depth technology standards. In keeping with the way the world is moving, students are expected to be exposed to a great deal of technology at school and to use this technology in conjunction with the "traditional" subjects. Unfortunately, as we all know too well, drastic budget cuts make it very difficult to have access to these kinds of technology. Your donations have made it possible for me to give the children both what they need, and what these new standards expect, for years to come. Without your help, we would have never been able to afford these vital resources.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 8 other donors.Creating a Student-Centered Classroom
Funded Aug 2, 2018There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, I was able to add a bean bag, saucer chair, and video rockers to our flexible seating options.
The flexible seating options that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 94 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired. In addition to giving my students seating choices, part of helping my students be self-directed learners is giving them the tools to meet their own needs. The set of headphones help my students who are auditory learners. When we are working on devices, students often need to grab a pair of headphones to listen to text being read aloud or listen to videos that extend their learning.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
Thank you so much again for supporting my classroom and for helping to impact my students education and future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 12 other donors.Rethinking the Best Seat in the House!
Funded Aug 23, 2018There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, my students and I were able to add an LED TV screen to our classroom to mirror the document camera and projector connected to my teacher computer.
This "second" screen (paired with our whiteboard in the front of the classroom) create a second display on the far side of the room where students would otherwise be unable to "see the board." With our flexible seating and large class size, using every inch of the room is crucial. The TV screen allows students to work comfortably in a larger portion of the classroom, giving students more space to spread out and more ability to utilize our flexible seating options.
After the initial "newness" of having a "TV" in our classroom wore off, I asked students if they felt the extra screen made a difference. Many pointed out it was so much easier to see the board in different parts of the room and that the additional display made it easier to take notes depending on which direction their seat was facing. Many students also claimed they loved being on the side of the room with the new screen because it was even easier to see than the front board.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. I am so grateful of your support of my students and our classroom. Every time you donate to a project, even $5, you tell my students that they are cared for and that their education and investment in school is important to everyone around them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.Creating a Student-Centered Classroom
Funded Feb 15, 2018There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, I was able to add three comfortable computer chairs to our flexible seating options, as well as a class set of headphones to support independent learning.
The flexible seating options that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 94 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired. In addition to giving my students seating choices, part of helping my students be self-directed learners is giving them the tools to meet their own needs. The set of headphones help my students who are auditory learners. When we are working on devices, students often need to grab a pair of headphones to listen to text being read aloud or listen to videos that extend their learning.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
Thank you so much again for supporting my classroom and for helping to impact my students education and future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
Creating a Student-Centered Classroom
Funded Sep 8, 2017There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, I was able to add four comfortable computer chairs to our flexible seating options.
The flexible seating options that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 92 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
As I mentioned in my last letter, when I told my class that our project got funded, I asked if there was anything else that they thought was missing, and one student replied, "It's feeling very homey, I think we need some plants!" I have added small plants around the room, and it turned out to be the perfect touch to compliment the transformation you made possible in our "home away from home!"”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
Creating a Student-Centered Classroom
Funded Mar 7, 2017There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, plus other items contributed outside of Donors Choose, the room now has over 40 seating options, including choices such as video rockers, wobble stools, standing tables, floor seating, bean bag chairs and more.
The flexible seating options that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 92 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
As I mentioned in my last letter, when I told my class that our project got funded, I asked if there was anything else that they thought was missing, and one student replied, "It's feeling very homey, I think we need some plants!" I have added small plants around the room, and it turned out to be the perfect touch to compliment the transformation you made possible in our "home away from home!"”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
Snug as a Bug in a Rug!
Funded Mar 17, 2017There aren't enough words to express my gratitude for your generous donations to my classroom and students. With your donations, plus other items contributed outside of Donors Choose, the room now has over 40 seating options, including choices such as video rockers, wobble stools, standing tables, floor seating, bean bag chairs and more.
The flexible seating options that you have purchased for us have helped make our classroom a place that is more student-centered - allowing all 92 students this year (plus many more in years to come!) to take responsibility for their learning by identifying how they feel most comfortable and productive. I am in awe of how the students have become so self-aware. They can express to me that they need to move "so their brain pays attention" or stand to keep themselves from feeling tired.
The biggest and most amazing thing happening is that when you walk into my room, every student is engaged in what he or she is working on. The initial "newness" has worn off, so there is no longer competition over seats (for the most part!), but the impact has not waned. The students are noticeably more engaged and focused during whole-class instruction, and they feel empowered to move about the room and find "their" spot when it comes to independent or group work.
As I mentioned in my last letter, when I told my class that our project got funded, I asked if there was anything else that they thought was missing, and one student replied, "It's feeling very homey, I think we need some plants!" I have added small plants around the room, and it turned out to be the perfect touch to compliment the transformation you made possible in our "home away from home!"”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
Groovy Gadgets for Google
Funded Jan 19, 2017There aren't enough words to express our gratitude for your generous donations to our classrooms and students. The Chromebooks that you helped purchased have given more students access to the digital learning that is taking place in our pod each day. At this time of the year, these additional Chromebooks have allowed all of the Yellow Pod teachers to do assignments such as Book Club, the Road to the Revolution project, and Amazing Race. It is incredible to see what the students are able to do with this technology. They are all learning to navigate the web, manage their Google account with a portfolio of the year's work, and increase their proficiency with keyboarding. Additionally, this has added a layer of citizenship education as we teach students about digital citizenship and the power that their digital presence can have. These technology tools help make our classrooms relevant to the way students should be learning in the 21st century and help to prepare students for future careers that will involve technology that hasn't even been invented yet.
It is widely known that our California education system is undergoing changes. We have officially adopted what are known as the Common Core standards, which tell schools and teachers exactly what needs to be taught to students at each grade level. While we have had state standards in the past, what sets these standards apart is the addition of in-depth technology standards. In keeping with the way the world is moving, students are expected to be exposed to a great deal of technology at school and to use this technology in conjunction with the "traditional" subjects. Unfortunately, as we all know too well, drastic budget cuts make it very difficult to have access to these kinds of technology. Your donation has made it possible for me to give the children both what they need, and what these new standards expect, for years to come. Without your help, we would have never been able to afford these vital resources.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hutchison
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 2 other donors.