Past projects 5
Let Your Voice Be Heard: Debate Club
Funded Dec 4, 2015Thank you so much for funding this portion of the Debate Program. We are learning so many debating skills and strategies, as well as having multiple opportunities to utilize these tools as we debate a variety of topics in our classroom. Our students look forward to Debate, and are eagerly applying these skills as they present and defend their positions.
We are so thankful to have this opportunity to learn life-long skills of effective elocution, gaining confidence to ensure that our voices will be heard.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morgenstern
Biblio Tech: A Tablet for Reading
Funded Oct 1, 2014Our students were so excited to receive the tablet and and headphones! They couldn't wait to try them. With different online programs such as Raz-Kids, Reflex math, Tenmarks, and more, our kids often need headphones to work on these programs.
We are using the tablet for different educational programs, and the headphones come in handy for the tablet as well as to use with different computers. When students go on the different educational programs, having headphones allows them to hear the program while not disturbing others. The splitter helps two students hear the program at the same time, as they work together.
Having these resources helps supplement and enrich our curriculum. We greatly appreciate your contributions to our learning!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morgenstern
Hocus Pocus: Hokki Stools For Improved Focus!
Funded Sep 21, 2014When we received the Hokki Stools, our students were so excited! They said, "Now our class has cool things!" They couldn't wait to take turns sitting on the stools.
Since we have three Hokki Stools, we are able to strategically choose students who really need it in order to focus, as well as have additional stools to give to other students so they can have turns too.
These Hokki Stools have made it possible for students who find it hard to sit still and focus, to learn. It makes it fun for all students to use while working on projects, in a group, or at the rug for a lesson. We greatly appreciate your help in obtaining these stools, as having these stools has made a big difference!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morgenstern
Boost Our Books!
Funded Dec 30, 2013When our students saw the mountains of books that had arrived, they couldn't believe it! There were book series like Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Series of Unfortunate Events... There were books by well-known authors, like Andrew Clements. There were tons and tons of brand new, enticing books on different levels, appealing to different interests, sure to engage even the most reluctant readers. It felt like a holiday! Students began reading, recommending favorites to friends, discussing plots and characters....
We set up the new books on a round table near our class library, so they would be prominently displayed while our students took stock of the new books. The series were able to stay together, each in their own slipcase, while the other books were arranged by topic of interest. Students from other classes come and borrow some books as well (and are sure to return them!), and recommend them to their friends. We now have inter-class, inter-grade book talks going on! Students can "take out" books for independent reading and for book clubs, as well as utilize them for focus on specific genres.
This "Boost Our Books" project certainly boosted a lot in our class! We have been able to make so many popular, well-known books available to our students in an exciting way. Students who are avid readers were grateful for the wide repertoire of reading material, while students who were self-professed "non-readers" got so intrigued by some of the books, especially Series of Unfortunate Events, that they had a hard time closing their books at the end of the reading period! It literally changed them as readers, as students...
Thank you for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morgenstern
We Need Wings!
Funded Nov 5, 2013When I told my students about the special project we would be working on, at first they couldn't believe they would get to do what they love-- folding origami-- while reading and learning at the same time. They were overwhelmed that special donors took an interest in them and made this project possible. We began reading the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, and almost immediately starting folding our own cranes. The origami paper came in all different colors, designs, and textures. The handful of students that knew how to make cranes helped the other students at their tables. Soon, everyone was engaged in this task. They took great pride in completing our very first cranes! It made the story of Sadako come to life; as we followed her journey of folding cranes throughout her illness from the radiation of the atom bomb, we amassed our own flock of cranes as well. A few students volunteered to be the hanging committee, and learned to thread a needle and carefully hang the cranes. Our classroom looks beautiful-- lots of cranes are hanging, and many others are being collected to send to the memorial in Peace Park, Japan.
We used this unit as an opportunity to learn about Japanese culture. We invited parents in our school who are of Japanese descent to present to our class. Each parent who came to share with us covered a unique aspect of Japanese culture in a very hands-on, engaging manner. We learned to tie kimonos, the value of yen, some phrases in Japanese, how to write our names in the different characters, how to roll sushi, and so much more. Most importantly, our learning about another culture taught the students the invaluable message of respecting one another.
Some students have taken turns visiting other classes in our school to teach them how to fold origami cranes, and together, we are aiming to finish our own 1,000 paper cranes. It is said that one who folds 1,000 cranes will have a wish come true. Sadako's wish was to get better; while she ultimately did not, I have seen our own wish come true-- all students uniting to learn from each other and about other cultures, as well as coming to love reading and learning. Thank you so much for enabling us to have this invaluable experience.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morgenstern
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 4 other donors.