Ms. Girvan's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 4

• Create an Inclusive Space That Honors All Skin Tones

  Funded May 27, 2023

  Thanks to you, my students will be reminded each day as they sit in class that they are recognized and appreciated for what make them unique individuals. To provide bandages that reflect ALL skin tones sends a message to students that they are in a space of inclusivity, which fosters a sense of belonging.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Girvan

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 3 other donors.

• Our Classroom Library Needs Shelves!

  Funded Nov 10, 2021

  Over our winter vacation, I built the three bookshelves that were so generously donated. The kids were surprised and excited when they came back to campus in January. Since then, students have been thoroughly enjoying our beautiful new classroom library. The books are all marked to ensure students are reading books within their independent reading levels. They love browsing the shelves and are developing essential literacy skills. These shelves are sturdy and fit perfectly in our classroom. They'll be used for years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Girvan

  This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and 2 other donors.

• Interactive Learning With Pear Deck Premium!

  Funded Sep 19, 2020

  Thank you for funding my project! It will make such a huge difference this year. I will use it for every lesson, every school day.

  After trying to get this membership funded through multiple channels at my school for weeks, I am so thankful to have received funding on DonorsChoose in under 24 hours.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Girvan

• Inspire Struggling Readers with Enrique's Journey

  Funded Dec 15, 2014

  The box of books arrived to my classroom earlier this year and students were immediately intrigued. The huge smile that came across my face got them excited as well. I opened the package and showed them the books, explaining that we would be reading this fantastic text, Enrique's Journey, in a few weeks.

  We started the Enrique's Journey unit with a See/Wonder chart which asked students to examine the book, noting what they see and posing a question about the particular feature that they noticed. For example, "I see a boy on a train" then, "I wonder where the train is going?" This question posing activity got students invested in the text.

  Everyday we read a chapter together, then students would summarize the chapter, analyze specific quotes and highlight character traits. They absolutely loved reading together and always begged me to keep going instead of stopping at the end of the chapter to do their assignment.

  Many students borrowed the text to reread and re-ahead during our silent reading time. I witnessed students that had consistently demonstrated low-levels of engagement suddenly show enthusiasm and excitement about coming to class. One student even commented, "Ms. Girvan, I don't think I'll ever like another book as much as this one." Of course, we found others that he seems to enjoy reading but just sparking the notion in a student's mind that they can actually really like reading a book was a major accomplishment.

  Our Enrique's Journey was one of my most successful of the year and I really appreciate everyone's support in making it a reality.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Girvan