Past projects 14
Indoor Recess Pretend Play in K.
Funded Feb 10, 2022Our classroom has been a busy place in the last few weeks. After receiving the materials (and there were a ton of boxes) my students waited patiently for 2 days as the centers were put together. They excitedly went to their centers and began playing immediately. I showed them many of the neat features that the centers have hiding. My students were excited to use the wallets filled with credit cards, savings cards, coins and cash to spend at the various centers. I help preserve the cash by laminating it. This will hopefully help it hold up better during its use.
The students are quickly becoming experts at imagination as they work together to play. This has lead to multiple learning opportunities about how to take turns while playing and sharing. As students continue to play, I am hoping to build more problem solving into the centers and allow them to build their capacity to solve the problems that will inevitably arise with less adult support. The conflicts that come are good because of the valuable real world problem solving that they will gain. We have spent a lot of time talking about the value of influential African Americans in our past using their words to resolve issues. By connecting their play to inspirational people, I am hoping to create the ideas that they also can rise to that level by using their words.
What next? Big Plans! We will be using the centers to create more guided play. This means using writing purposely in the centers. Making lists or notes while they play will allow them to practice writing sounds they hear and give me a chance to reinforce their growth by interacting with them and reading what they write. This could be as simple as writing down the food on a list while playing, showing me their list and me reading the list back to them to show that their writing has meaning. They also will be practicing with the money. Adding up costs of products, counting money to pay for them and subtracting to give change will be happening in the near future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 3 other donors.Pretend Play in K!
Funded Feb 9, 2022Our classroom has been a busy place in the last few weeks. After receiving the materials (and there were a ton of boxes) my students waited patiently for 2 days as the centers were put together. They excitedly went to their centers and began playing immediately. I showed them many of the neat features that the centers have hiding. My students were excited to use the wallets filled with credit cards, savings cards, coins and cash to spend at the various centers. I help preserve the cash by laminating it. This will hopefully help it hold up better during its use.
The students are quickly becoming experts at imagination as they work together to play. This has lead to multiple learning opportunities about how to take turns while playing and sharing. As students continue to play, I am hoping to build more problem solving into the centers and allow them to build their capacity to solve the problems that will inevitably arise with less adult support. The conflicts that come are good because of the valuable real world problem solving that they will gain. We have spent a lot of time talking about the value of influential African Americans in our past using their words to resolve issues. By connecting their play to inspirational people, I am hoping to create the ideas that they also can rise to that level by using their words.
What next? Big Plans! We will be using the centers to create more guided play. This means using writing purposely in the centers. Making lists or notes while they play will allow them to practice writing sounds they hear and give me a chance to reinforce their growth by interacting with them and reading what they write. This could be as simple as writing down the food on a list while playing, showing me their list and me reading the list back to them to show that their writing has meaning. They also will be practicing with the money. Adding up costs of products, counting money to pay for them and subtracting to give change will be happening in the near future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 7 other donors.Seats for Kindergarten Kids
Funded May 5, 2020My students are loving the chairs we received. Students are able to use these chairs to help them stay in a safe area during small group instruction in the classroom. Because they are also able to change the position of the back, they are able to find a best fit for them.
Students use the chairs in the library while they are reading stories to each other. They play teacher by allowing the teacher to sit in the chair while the other students listen to the "teacher" share the story.
Our next steps will be to introduce clipboards for students to use while they are sitting in the chair to give students the opportunity to use the chairs to complete independent class work instead of sitting at a table.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.Learning and Moving in Kindergarten
Funded Dec 16, 2016My class is loving their new fidgets and seats. My class eagerly chooses to sit on the wobble stools during table work time in the classroom. They are often safely wobbling while writing, and reading books, which really is helping them stay focused with their tasks.
Because the handheld fidgets are soo popular, I had to make a schedule of when during the day the students can use and hold the fidgets. They have learned how to safely use the tools and are eager to use them, and pass them off to the next person when their time is over.
My students who need the most support with their movements were given the wobble wedge cushions to use on the carpet. The rest of the class respects their need to use these, and the students who use them are often wobbling (safely and without distracting others) during whole group rug activities. I often will find other students using these as well during center times in the classroom.
All of these tools are really contributing to my students' ability to focus and concentrate, and they are also fun for everyone. My students and I thank you for supporting us as we embark in the last quarter of our school year, focused, with the right amount of wobbles to succeed.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Teaching with Technology
Funded Apr 29, 2015My students were memorized as they looked at the contents of the boxes that arrived in our classroom. They are eager to have the opportunity to use the tablets during our work station time. I loaded different games onto the tablets, some for letters and their sounds, some for reading stories and sight words, some for writing, and some for math. My students are able to choose the activity that interests them the most during their time, and play the game free of distractions thanks to the headphones. The tablets not only keep my students engaged in learning, and very motivated, but they also allow me an opportunity to work with other students in small groups without as much of a distraction from their peers.
Teaching with technology has given my students motivation to learn through engaging games on the tablets. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams
Teaching the Love of Reading Through Leveled Reading Books.
Funded Mar 12, 2015My students were very excited to see the two big boxes come into the classroom. They watched as I set up the bins with the leveled books in them, and added the coded stickers to level the books. Now that they are reading the books, their excitement continues to grow. Not only are my kindergarten students reading in their small groups, but they are actually reading their books to the class as well. They love having stories read to them by their peers.
From a teacher's perspective, my students are motivated to keep trying because they truly are interested in trying their best, using strategies I teach in their small reading groups to attack difficult words with optimism. My students are truly blossoming into confident and strong readers. This could not have been done without the right books to practice with.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Williams