Mr. Sixta's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 14

• Student Hydroponic Kits

  Funded Oct 29, 2020

  Thank you so much for your generous support of our home hydroponic kits. This has been a very inconsistent year and we have not had as much success with these kits as I had hoped. Unfortunately, the kits arrived as schools were going fully remote (again) for an extended period of time. Less than 10% of students were able to take a kit home and not enough to make it a full classroom activity.

  When we returned to school a few months later I was able to give one class a set of these home hydroponic kits before being quarantined again for a few weeks. The students were really excited to receive these kits and very eager to start growing their plants. Over Google Meets our class cut plastic bottles and planted seeds, which immediately started to grow. Less than a month after planting our seeds the class schedules were changed to accommodate in person and remote learning and while some students continued to grow their plants on their own many students plants died. Fortunately, we have had much more luck with growing plants in our hydroponic systems at school. Although specific grades and classes have been forced to quarantine, when I have been unable to attend school another teacher has made sure that these plants are being watered and continue to grow.

  Currently, a large number of these home hydroponic kits are at school and are ready to be used next school year. The science teacher and I have discussed ways to coordinate this activity next year so that students are able to use these kits to grow plants at home and learn more about hydroponic systems for growing food in the urban environments.

  Over the course of this year I have started and been forced to abandon multiple different types of activities as I try to make learning in Covid more engaging and fun. These home hydroponic kits were one such project that I tried had some success over a few weeks, but ultimately was unable to see through to a successful completion. There have been other successes, such as virtual field trips and guest speakers, and I really appreciate all of support with trying this home hydroponic kit. We will use these resources next year and are looking forward to a more consistent school schedule in the Fall.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Classroom Library

  Funded Dec 23, 2019

  Thank you so much for your support in helping my class receive these new books and resources. It is also great timing for this because we will be starting a "Drop Everything And Read" time after break. These books will allow us to create some reading groups for this weekly activity and students may borrow them to read outside of school as well.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

  This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 8 other donors.

• World History Games!

  Funded Sep 26, 2018

  Thank you all so much for your generous donations to my classroom. Your contributions allowed us to purchase multiple board games such as Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne which we have begun playing in class this Fall. Our Social Studies classes have been made more exciting because of these games which provide students the opportunity to think creatively, work together while competing individually, and learn about geography and use of natural resources. Most classes in school are focused on reading, writing, and frequent assessment; by incorporating games into our units students are able to play with some of the larger themes and questions which we are studying. Students are encouraged to discuss and problem solve with one another which helps to make a stronger community of learners in our room.

  These games were such a hit with students that 4 students went home immediately after school and ordered Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan.

  Playing these games in class has helped students to think deeper about the five themes of geography and the types of resources needed to support primitive and more advanced civilizations. It has also helped some students think more about issues of global trade (a topic which appears almost daily in the news) and types of economic systems. I look forward to continuing to use these games with students over the coming months as they continue to support our learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Learning Through Games II

  Funded Jul 25, 2018

  Thank you all so much for your generous donations to my classroom. Your contributions allowed us to purchase multiple board games such as Settlers of Catan and Carcassonne which we have begun playing in class this Fall. Our Social Studies classes have been made more exciting because of these games which provide students the opportunity to think creatively, work together while competing individually, and learn about geography and use of natural resources. Most classes in school are focused on reading, writing, and frequent assessment; by incorporating games into our units students are able to play with some of the larger themes and questions which we are studying. Students are encouraged to discuss and problem solve with one another which helps to make a stronger community of learners in our room.

  These games were such a hit with students that 4 students went home immediately after school and ordered Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan.

  Playing these games in class has helped students to think deeper about the five themes of geography and the types of resources needed to support primitive and more advanced civilizations. It has also helped some students think more about issues of global trade (a topic which appears almost daily in the news) and types of economic systems. I look forward to continuing to use these games with students over the coming months as they continue to support our learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Chromebooks Are Ships To The World Beyond Our Classroom Walls

  Funded Dec 20, 2016

  School is sometimes the only place where my students are able to access computers, the Internet, email, video editing software, and projectors. Access to technology is very limited for my students, which makes completing papers, presentations, and other assignments very challenging for them. Over the past two years I have increased the amount of assignments that teach my students computer skills and have needed to make sure that I have the appropriate hardware to be able to access the Internet and other online software.

  This year my students created websites in two classes. We worked on these websites during our Focus (homeroom) class and some students chose to create a website for their National History Day Projects. We also used smart phones and Chromebooks to create stop animation lego movies. Finally, students regularly used a laptop to conduct research for school projects, write papers, and many borrowed Chromebooks over night so that they could work on college applications, scholarship essays, papers, and more.

  When I set up my online classroom at the beginning of the year, I knew that I was going to be in trouble because I did not have enough Chromebooks for all of the students enrolled in my classes. I also knew that my school district did not have the funds available to purchase the necessary computers that I needed. Funding this project has allowed me to have enough computers that the entire Junior class could create a digital portfolio of their schoolwork from this year which they showed and shared with community members. We have used these Chromebooks in everyone of my classes, including my cooking class, and these Chromebooks are regularly used by students in other classes who come in during passing time to borrow them for their other class.

  Thank you so much for helping our rural classroom connect to the outside world.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Getting Back To The Books

  Funded Oct 17, 2016

  Every Tuesday morning we start school by sharing breakfast together, going over announcements, reading a poem for the day, and then we read our class book together. Over the course of this year we have been reading different books about growing up such as "Make Lemonade", "The Little Prince", and "The Giving Tree". Although we have not been able to read all of the books that this grant provided this school year we have taken time each week to read a discuss some of them. Often our class discussions relate to other events in students' lives and it has been a tremendous opportunity to build relationships with each other.

  "The Alchemist" and "Make Lemonade" have been two particularly powerful books for students this year. We read the books during class and formed a class book discussion group to talk about themes and ideas in the books. Often books in school are viewed as assignments to be carefully studied and written about. Breaking from that model this year our morning homeroom class has instead read books for enjoyment, personal growth, and discussion. These books will remain in the classroom for years to be read and enjoyed by homeroom students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Learning History Through Art

  Funded Feb 5, 2016

  Thank you so much for all of the donations of construction/art supplies, white boards, and markers. As the school year goes on many of our markers and paints dry out, white boards get damaged, foam boards are used to make projects, pencils break and get lost, and these items need to be replaced.

  This year foam boards were used to make models, our paint drying rack was used to consolidate wet canvasses, and students in each class have their own white board that they can use to sketch out their ideas or answers to questions before drafting final plans.

  After cleaning my room at the end of school I have stored all of these new items in our art shelf and look forward to using the again next year. It's important that students are able to incorporate art into their classroom learning and have opportunities to draft their ideas before sharing them out; this requires that we have supplies such as drying racks, foam board, markers, and more; little items that ensure the success of these types of activities.

  Thanks for all of your support and help in making our classroom more creative and exciting.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

  This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 10 other donors.

• Learning History Through Food

  Funded Mar 13, 2016

  Wow, these resources have been incredible and have really allowed us to start cooking a lot more in class. Too often, school is a place where students are told to sit, be quiet, and learn but when we cook students are in charge of their learning and get to create amazing creations. Every time we cook the school smells great, my classroom fills with "visitors", and school becomes fun again. Since receiving this donation of supplies students, staff, and community members have begun donating crock pots and baking supplies allowing us to make even more types of foods.

  During project week over 50 students cooked omelettes, crepes, roasted chickens, handmade tortillas, salads, and much more using these supplies. While making crepes two students wrapped up their creations to take them home to share with their parents. I mentioned that the food would be cold by the time it got home but they didn't care because they were so proud of what they'd made.

  Students are often corrected by their teachers and told not to do things in the classroom but cooking is different. Students ask me if they can add ingredients to salsas or eggs and I say, "Sure go ahead and try it." They ask me what will happen if they change a recipe and I inform them that I don't know then suggest they try it. The result is that roasted red peppers are added to salsa, lemons are pan fried before making lemonade, extra vanilla is added to cookies, foods become inedible because too much salt has been added, extra milk is whipped into butter, and new dishes are created. My students are shocked to all of a sudden have so much control when making food, handling knifes, and working with heat and they rise to the occasion demonstrating leadership, impulse control, tidiness, and supporting each other in ways that aren't always seen in a typical school day.

  We cooked nearly three dozen times this year and having good supplies has been an incredible resource to make better quality food in a safer environment. Looking ahead for next year, I am modifying my curriculum so that we can cook at least once a week in each social studies class and in the Spring I will be offering a History Through Food elective. I am also working with the manufacturing teacher to build raised garden beds in front of the school so that we can grow and pick fresh ingredients and herbs that can be eaten in our classroom.

  Thank you so much for supporting this project and helping to make school more creative and fun.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 17 other donors.

• Struggle, War, and the Importance of Literacy

  Funded Oct 31, 2014

  Thank you all so much for your generous donation toward my classroom. I am really excited to begin using these resources with my students. I have some great ideas to work with local civil rights groups and the local Veterans Administration to make the units more relevant and dynamic. I think books are a great medium for students to be exposed to a diversity of histories. I am also really excited that this package has a number of graphic novels that will capture students attention in new ways and enhance their learning through visuals as well as text.

  Thank you again for your support of my students and their learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta

• Making School More Awesome: Part 2

  Funded Aug 29, 2014

  Thank you so much for your support of my classroom this school year. As my students came back to school this fall they were shocked by all of the classroom supplies and resources. Through your generous support I was able to purchase classroom sets of the graphic novels Persepolis volumes I & II and Maus volumes I & II. I also purchased a classroom set of 'Eats, Shoots, and Leaves' and a number of books about local history. I purchased over twenty DVDs that I have already started showing in class such as 'Street Fight' and 'A Perfect Candidate.' We now have a reading corner in my classroom that is one of the few spaces in school where students are able to hang out before school, during lunch, and after school. The red chairs are extremely comfortable and students are able to sit and read in comfort during my class period and at other times during the day. An extremely popular item has been the Buddha Board, which is used by students at all times of the days as the express themselves on this self-erasing board.

  The purchasing of art supplies is having a huge impact on my students' learning. I am working hard to better design my lessons to take advantage of the sketch bags, paint, easels, and cartooning supplies. We have taken the sketch bags with us on our field trips to the local Natural Resource Center and students are excited about expressing themselves and improving their drawing outdoors.

  I have also started using individual student whiteboards in my classroom. Students have been using these boards as they doodle responses to classroom questions, videos, or portray information visually. Students have often struggled in my classroom with drawing their ideas on paper and although some kids love to use the sketching pencils and pens to create art, others have been reluctant. With whiteboards at every seat, students are drawing and writing constantly to prompts and it is really exciting to see.

  This school improvement project was one of two which I used to purchase back to school supplies to make my room more awesome. We are now about a quarter of the way through the year and I can say with confidence that this major investment in classroom materials has made my classroom a better place for students to learn.

  Thank you so much for your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Sixta