Past projects 6
A Cool Classroom, Efficient Technology and Connection to Literature.
Funded Aug 25, 2023Thank you so much for your support! You donations have been so great for our learning communities!
Our classroom gets way to hot in September, May and June. It has reached over 90 degrees! The fan is powerful and combining with the other two, we can actually get some decent air flow on those hot days.
The tablet has been super helpful and provided for a more efficient classroom. I don't allow phones in the class, but an online dictionary is helpful, and now the students can use the tablet to look things up without the temptation of all their things on their own phones. Plus I can take attendance on it and stay in the learning circle with my students. It's been amazing.
Finally, Harry Potter is a beloved series and my more advanced students always pick it during SSR.
Thank you much. I'm so grateful!”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.
Let's Cool The Classroom to Focus Better!
Funded Aug 2, 2023Thank you so much for your support of our learning communities. Unfortunately the school district would not let us use the air conditioning unit which was very disappointing for me and my students, but we found an alternate. We got proper speakers for the classroom! Our class is in an old building and the technology access is not the same as the main building, particularly the sound. In Spanish class we listen to a lot of music, listen to podcast, and watch videos and music. We didn't have sufficient sound and now it's amazing!
The students were so pumped when they saw them and we celebrated their next test completion by watching a Mexican film that sounded better than ever before!
We have set up the microphone but not used it yet, as I have a booming voice, and my students are too nervous. However, in the last two months students of the school year students will start leading the class and the microphone will be incredible to have!”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Spanish Literacy Options and Comfortable Learning Space for Our Communities!
Funded Nov 29, 2022Thanks so much for your generous donations. They are helping my classroom continue it's transformation to an even more comfortable and engaging community learning space. We stand in a circle for most of class but always sit to write and read. The students had complained of a lack of physical comfort while sitting, which is why I thought of the cushions. We have chairs against the wall, but so much instructional time is lost in those transitions that I wanted a more efficient alternative, and now we have one!
The students were so pumped to see the cushions, and they come in every day and grab them first thing before picking their books for SSR. They love having more books to choose from as well. You can see the scattered disorganized pile on the shelves in the photo. Each month they start fully organized, but organization on their part isn't a high priority haha. Regardless, the new options are there and it's been fun for me to help them understand the new reading material.
Our next steps are always to find ways to increase student Spanish language proficiency levels, comfort with the Spanish language in general, and and a more connected community learning space. Brain research shows that more the comfortable and safe we feel, the more receptive our brains are to new information and learning. I will continue to pour love into my communities, and enjoy seeing my students grow!”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 15 other donors.Spanish Language Books and Custodial Support!
Funded Mar 27, 2022Thank you so much for your contributions in completing this project. We're are so grateful to have the books, and the ability to keep our classroom clean without needing our wonderful over-extended janitors. Research shows that comprehensible reading is the most efficient way to improve language proficiency, and now my students, of 7 different proficiency levels!, all have something that they can self select that works for them. I remove any pressure to do work with the books, as I want them to be fun, so we just start every class with 5 mins of silent sustained reading. It is a wonderful way for the students transition from their English words into our Spanish language immersion classrooms. We are so blessed, thank you!
Sr O”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.
Spanish Language Books For All Proficiency Levels In Our Community!
Funded Oct 21, 2021Thank you so very much for your generous donations. I've always wanted my students to have a class library, and y'all made it possible. It's amazing how many different Spanish levels and topics there are amongst our collection. Every day now to start class, students get to choose a book to read silently for 5 mins. Some students continue reading the same thing each day, while others pick something new every time. It makes me supremely happy to see my students at various proficiency levels all being able to read something that is right for their level, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 11 other donors.Color and Comfort for a Warmer Learning Environment
Funded Sep 30, 2021Thank you so much for your valuable contributions. There has been an immediate positive impact since the floor tiles arrived. Students were excited enough that I had 8 of them show up on a non-school day to help me put them in the classroom. I was shocked so many were willing!
The following Monday students immediately smiled on entering our vibrant learning environment. We have since gotten rid of chairs in the classroom, as students sit on the floor when we read and write. This saves countless transition time every class allowing us to use more time for learning and instruction. Not to mention the extra support the padded tiles provide for our bodies.
We are continuing to build our Spanish language learning communities, and I'm very happy to say that all students have improved their language proficiency since we started. A warm and safe learning environment is essential for optimizing our brains capabilities. Thank you so much for supporting us!”
With gratitude,
Mr. O.