Past projects 4
Full STEAM Ahead!
Funded Sep 23, 2021Thanks to your generous donation my students are now 1:1 with laptops. Since receiving the new devices we have gone full steam ahead on integrating technology into our everyday activities. Students have learned how to utilize the computers to do fact-based research, compose scientific reports, and convert their findings into charts, graphs, and PowerPoint Presentations. I truly believe these skills are better preparing them for success in the 21st century.
Several students have been so successful with their projects that they have been entered into a district-wide science investigation competition and we are currently awaiting results from the judges. I have every confidence that they will do well.
We are so grateful for you and your generous gift. Please know that my students will continue to learn and grow because of your kindness.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Tidwell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.VISUALIZE the Future!
Funded Sep 3, 2020Thank you so much for contributing to my classroom project. With your help, we were able to purchase our new classroom ELMO visualizer, which allows our online students to experience the same activities as our face-to-face students.
Ideally, students would be able to participate in hands-on learning activities in math and science class. With our new guidelines in place, hands-on activities are no longer possible. The technology you helped provide is the next best thing. To just explain something to 5th-graders rarely results in a conceptual understanding of the idea. However, when they get to participate, and actually see for themselves how electricity flows or what equivalent fractions look like, it allows them to make connections and cement their understanding.
I am afraid our society will feel the impact of this pandemic on education for years to come. Anything we can do to help the students who are learning at home improve their academic progress will lessen the negative effects. Your donation has done just that. We truly appreciate your gift to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Tidwell
This classroom project was brought to life by Cartier Philanthropy and 4 other donors.Building for the Future!
Funded Aug 23, 2014My students and I were so very excited to receive our Lego Mindstorms Robot. Right away, the students formulated a plan of action to make sure we were building our robot in the most responsible and productive way. The students decided to divide up each task and take turns completing them.
It was a wonderful opportunity for many kiddos to assume leadership roles that they wouldn't normally be comfortable with. The Mindstorms kit requires that students read the instructions for each step carefully and follow the directions implicitly in order for the robot to be functional. It was refreshing to see the willingness (and eagerness) of students to retrace their steps to locate and repair mistakes made throughout the building process.
The computer skills gained from learning how to program our robot will be absolutely invaluable to their futures. They are essentially learning how to write computer code in a fun and exciting way. They are continuing to become more and more comfortable with experimenting. Our next step is to disassemble our robot and build it using a different design. Thank you so much for giving my students this amazing opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Tidwell
Teaching Social Studies Through Great Literature
Funded Jan 26, 2014My students and I were so excited to receive our new books. The kiddos were very surprised that people we didn't know were willing to help us purchase the things we needed for class and that lesson itself was a very valuable one.
We have just finished reading By the Great Horn Spoon and they absolutely loved it! We did many activities that went along with the books including making our own booklets full of similes, metaphors, and hyperboles we found as we were reading. We also used the books' content to delve more into the California Gold Rush and what it must have been like for the brave men and women who were willing to sacrifice everything they had to go on that great adventure.
The culminating event for our gold rush unit was a trip to Sutter's Fort to see some of the actual places that were mentioned in the book. It was wonderful to hear the kids making references to Jack and Praiseworthy and their experiences while we were there. I know that this book and what they learned from it will stay with them because they enjoyed reading it so much! I am truly grateful for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Tidwell