Past projects 51
Books Are a Blast!
Funded Mar 7, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation for my students! When the students are able to see brand new books being unpacked from a box, they get so excited! "When can we start reading it?" is something that is always heard. Students from a large urban area are not always able to secure brand new books on their own, so it is my great privilege to expose them to literature at their level, that they find interesting and humorous.
The students will work in groups to decipher author's tone, mood, voice, as well as deciphering figurative language, expanding their vocabulary, determining theme, characterization, and many other facets of literature.
You have enriched their lives greatly, and I am so thankful for your donation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and one other donor.Now I Can Hear!
Funded Mar 9, 2020To say I'm thankful is an understatement! There are so many ways that these headphones will help the students. Imagine the first graders coming in to listen to ABCya, which helps the students learn about everything from their ABC's to Math, and on through Science and Social Science. It's so cute, they sing out loud without realizing that they are doing so, because they have their headset on. The junior high students work on Applied Digital Skills with Google where they use the Education Suite to learn about how to make documents, spreadsheets, presentations and pixel art, just to name a few.
Without enough headsets, some students have to share, and the sound has to be turned up manually, and the kids all want to have headphones, which is understandable. Now they can all listen to their favorite part of the program without having to share!!
When State Testing comes up each student needs headphones to hear the videos that are on the test.
The students are so excited to have their very own headphones when they come in the computer lab.
Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
Science & Math Are Awesome!
Funded Nov 12, 2019I simply can't thank you enough for your generous donation to my classroom. As I was unpacking the tablets, I heard comments like, "Oh man, can I use it?" and "That's so cool!" They were very excited to say the least. I had them come in groups to work on their science project. They were researching birds. It was fun to see them figure out how to use the keyboard because it is not like the computer we have in the classroom. "Look, this is how you do it." was something I heard a student say. What a great learning experience as well as a great learning tool. Thank you for your contribution to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 5 other donors.Birds are the Best!
Funded Sep 23, 2019I simply can't thank you enough for your generous donation to the class! The students were so excited when they saw the clay! They absolutely loved working with the clay and figuring out how to mix the colors to make their bird the actual color. They shared clay with each other so it was a great team building moment in the class too! As they began to form their birds, they researched with great detail things like the shape of the bird's beak and feet and created those details to the best of their ability. They were so intent to get the details just right. When they found out they could take their birds home they began cheering! Thanks again for making this such a memorable lesson for my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by Yellow Chair Foundation and 2 other donors.The World Around Us!
Funded Jul 30, 2019Thank yo so much for your very generous donations! It is so exciting for the students to learn about many different places on Earth, and how things are the same/different than what they experience. It is imperative that students are exposed to many different cultures and norms because this will make them more well rounded people. In each issue there is something that interests all students. It ranges from animals to sports, to editorials to theater. It's so interesting and the students love it! Many times I'll hear, "Wow, I didn't know that!", or "Holy cow, really?". I can't thank you enough for giving my students this opportunity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
Google Is Awesome!
Funded Feb 9, 2019I attended the Level 1 Certification for Google Educators in San Diego. It was a fascinating 3 days. Our district uses the Google Suite for Education because it's fabulous and FREE! I learned so much at this workshop! It was very inspiring and informative to learn about how other teachers all over the country utilize Google in their classrooms daily. The instructor was fabulous. She is also a teacher and it really helps when an actual teacher leads a group of educators because we realize what can and can't be done in a real life classroom situation.
There is a great feature of the Google Suite that I learned about that I had never used until I attended the conference. Google Tasks is going to be a fabulous tool to use to keep myself and my students organized.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by Morgridge Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Cash Is King!
Funded Jan 14, 2019Thanks to your generosity! I attended the Next Generation Personal Finance workshop in Chicago, Illinois. This was a fabulous one day workshop where I gathered some great curriculum that's FREE for teachers! The story behind their corporation is fabulous. It is completely funded by one man who did very well for himself financially, and he felt that it is very important for students to understand what it is like to be financially literate before they leave high school. He has devoted his life to this passion, and it was such a great workshop!
The highlight of the event for me was the interactive hands-on activities. The thing about the activities were that they were something I could incorporate immediately for little or no cost. One example was about investing in the stock market. There was a jar filled with pennies. Each table was able to view the jar for 10 seconds and estimate how many pennies were in the jar, the person that guessed the closest, their number of pennies doubled. If you weren't close, you lost have of your investment.
Thank you again for your generosity! I feel that teaching the kids how to be financially responsible at a young age is one of the greatest lessons they can learn!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
Tonight, Mom, I'm the Teacher!
Funded Dec 17, 2018It is with great joy that I compose this thank you letter, because the Power My Learning program incorporates parent involvement to the fullest. The lessons appear on the parents cell phone. The student and caregiver watch the video together. Next, they complete comprehension questions, complete an at home project, and then the parent gives feedback about the lesson. It's wonderful to get the feedback from the parents saying how much they enjoyed learning with their child. Actually, the child takes the lead role here, and it's so empowering for them! It's most definitely a win-win as everyone learns together!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by Morgridge Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Future Googlers!
Funded Sep 6, 2018I can't thank you enough for your generous donation! The student's had the time of their lives! The bus took us to Google Headquarters in Chicago. A fabulous woman, Mrs. Piccolini, took us on a complete tour. Can you believe that they actually have a real train car on the roof that has been renovated so that Googlers (that's what they call people who work there) can have meetings there on nice days? The students were also fed lunch and participated in an actual Virtual Reality lab. They loved it! Many of them aspire to work there when they are older. That was exactly my purpose for the trip, to expose the students to opportunities available to them in their own city. You're the best!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
Now I Can Hear What They're Saying!
Funded Sep 21, 2018Thank you so very much for the headphones! The students love them, but more importantly, they are able to hear the programs that we use in class. In just a month they will be participating in mandated assessments, and they absolutely needed these headphones to help them be as successful as they can! The students were so excited opening the packages! When they were testing them, they were saying, "I feel like an airline pilot!" "These are so cool!" I feel like I'm working at McDonald's in the drive up!" These headphones are going to make everyone be able to hear, and that will make for a seamless testing session!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Finn
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.