Ms. Crawford's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 8

• Food, Fun, and Classroom Supplies

  Funded Oct 24, 2024

  Imagine walking into a classroom where every student feels seen, supported, and ready to learn. That's the transformative environment we're creating through this project. In our diverse high school classroom, we're addressing fundamental needs while building cultural bridges and fostering a love for learning.

  Many of our students come to class hungry, which significantly impacts their ability to focus and learn. By providing international snacks, we're not only meeting their immediate nutritional needs but also opening windows to different cultures. Students light up when they can try foods from around the world, sparking curiosity about different countries and traditions while ensuring they have the energy to engage fully in their studies.

  The addition of French and English games support our language learning experience. These interactive resources transform vocabulary practice from a solitary task into an engaging, community-building activity. When students learn through play, they retain information better and develop stronger connections with their peers. This approach particularly helps our shy students gain confidence in speaking French while feeling part of our classroom community.

  Our classroom environment makeover, featuring gentle LED lighting and prominently displayed student work, create a space where students feel proud and inspired. When students see their work displayed, it boosts their confidence and motivates them to put forth their best effort. The simple act of replacing harsh fluorescent lights with softer LED lighting can significantly reduce eye strain and create a more calming atmosphere conducive to learning.

  Basic supplies like tissues, binders, and a shared computer charger might seem small, but they remove barriers to learning that many of our students face. When students don't have to worry about forgetting supplies or a dead laptop, they can focus on what really matters: their education.

  Your support will helped create more than just a classroom - it helped build a welcoming, inclusive community where students feel cared for, motivated, and ready to embrace learning. Together, we can ensure that every student has the tools, resources, and environment they need to thrive.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Dept. of Ed and Marc & Lynne Benioff.

• Books and Art Supplies for French Class

  Funded Feb 16, 2024

  Thank you for your generous support to our classroom through the Donors Choose project. The books and art supplies you provided are already making a profound impact on our students' learning and well-being

  Reading in our classroom is an interactive and engaging experience. We use a variety of instructional techniques, such as whole-class read-alouds, small group discussions, partner reading, and independent reading time. The new books have allowed us to introduce various skills and lessons beyond just language acquisition.

  For instance, the French storybooks we received have helped reinforce vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension skills while also exposing students to different cultures and perspectives. The non-fiction texts have been invaluable in teaching research skills, note-taking, and critical thinking. We've also incorporated the new books into our writing activities, where students practice summarizing, analyzing, and responding to the texts.

  Regarding your question about particular students enjoying the new books, I've noticed a few standout cases. One student, who previously struggled with engagement, has become deeply invested in the adventure series we received. He eagerly participates in discussions and has even started writing his own adventure stories during free writing time.

  Another student, an English language learner, has found solace and motivation in the bilingual picture books. She often rereads them during independent reading time, building her confidence in both languages.

  The art supplies have also been instrumental in creating a supportive and expressive learning environment. Our social-emotional drawing projects have provided students with a creative outlet to process their emotions, build focus, and connect with one another through shared experiences.

  Overall, the resources you've provided have enriched our classroom in countless ways. From fostering a love of reading and language acquisition to nurturing social-emotional skills and creativity, your support has made a tangible difference in our students' growth and well-being.

  Thank you, once again, for your generosity and for enabling us to create a vibrant and engaging learning space for our students.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

• Reading and Cooking in French Class

  Funded Nov 19, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generous donation. My students really enjoyed reading the French book À quoi je pense? The book is at a reading level where students can feel successful in their comprehension of French and it is fun. The book is written in riddles and after about 15 statements, in French, the students are able to guess if it was a famous or important person, a character from a movie, cartoon or book or if it was a creature or a profession. First, I read 4 or 5 riddles to the class as they followed along in the book so that they would become familiar and comfortable with the descriptive sentences and then they guessed. Each riddle was written in a similar pattern . After the read aloud, I had the students read a few on their own. I then had them read a riddle of their choosing for a partner to guess and one for me and the class to guess. I then had the students write their own riddles, modeled after the riddles in the book. Next class I read the student created riddles for the class to guess. The students were very creative and came up with good ideas of who or what to guess. The students liked having their writings shared and were proud of their work.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.

• Crêpes, Art Supplies and Room Decorations

  Funded Oct 23, 2023

  Thank you again for the generous donation. My students were overjoyed to be able to cook again, especially since we had not done any cooking in class since the pandemic. The students learned all about the French custom of eating crêpes, how to make the batter and then they cooked and ate their own crêpes. Sharing food together was a happy experience for me and all my students.

  We used the art supplies to do a Social Emotional Project: paint what brings you peace. The students were extremely engaged in the project. After the the paintings were done the students explained their work in small groups. It project evoked meaningful discussions about self- awareness and self-management.

  I am already planning more cooking and art lessons, using the materials I got from this project, that relate to French class and/or Social Emotional Learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

• Boosting French Reading Skills While Learning About Fascinating French Speakers

  Funded Mar 3, 2023

  Thank you so much for your donation to my project Boosting French Reading Skills While Learning about Fascinating French Speakers. Students have been able to enjoy this series in a variety of ways. Students read individually or in small groups for pleasure. We also read sections of the books as a class, and look to make connections across continents and generations.

  Not only are students reading French written specifically for novice high learners and encountering high frequency structures, they are also learning about countries where French is spoken. The readings tie in geography, history, culture, race, language, arts, literature, sports, science, business, fashion and politics. This series offers positive role models from different cultures, genders, ages and abilities. The students have found the images that accompany the readings helpful and appealing. These books are a very nice addition to my classroom library.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.

• French Graphic Novels

  Funded Oct 29, 2022

  Students were able to read in French, on their own, during Free Voluntary

  Reading. Not only was the graphic novel engaging, the students also get the the following:

  120 headwords, lots of cognates

  20 pages

  written in present tense

  discussion questions

  setting: a desert planet

  diverse characters

  a full glossary French-English

  Having engaging reading materials that the students can read on their own in French was/is very empowering and made the students feel proud and accomplished that they can read "a whole book " in French. Merci beaucoup!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.

• French Food and Fun

  Funded Mar 7, 2022

  Merci milles fois!

  My French students were able to play games outside and try Petit Écolier, yummy traditional French cookies. The students were excited to learn about French customs, culture, and food. Pétanque and Croquet are fun French outdoor games.

  The students couldn't believe that I would be giving them food and that we would get to leave the confines of the classroom and go outside to play. They were overjoyed. I really feel that this project helped improve the social emotional mood of the students.

  One of the bests parts of this project is that we went outside to play and the students were able to take their masks off and see one another's faces and smiles, in some cases for the first time all year. There was a lot of joy and laughter as we played and shared food together. I will be able to continue using the Pétanque and Croquet sets year after year as a fun way to learn about French culture and as a way to build relational capacity among the students.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Hawai'i State Department of Education.

• Reading Compelling and Comprehensible Language Learner Literature

  Funded Aug 6, 2021

  Thank you for the French readers.

  I have been using the books with my French 2 and 3 students My students have enjoyed reading a loud; it has given them much need practice reading in French. I can sense their confidence rising.

  At times I read to the students in French and they listen. At times, I have the students read silently on their own or in small groups. At other times, the students each take a turn reading aloud to the class.

  Many students expressed that they enjoyed reading these readers because it gave them a lot of practice with first person dialog in French. There is a lot of dialog in the books. They also like learning about the French city of Marseille where the books take place.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Crawford

  This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective and one other donor.