Past projects 10
Feed the Need to Read!
Funded Feb 13, 2025Thank you so much for thinking of my class and helping to get my students excited about reading! Many books on this list are books that they specifically asked for, so I know they will be surprised to get them! Your kindness truly makes a difference and I am so appreciative of your generous donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.Graphic Novels for All Readers!
Funded Oct 3, 2024Thank you so much for all of the new graphic novels for my second grade classroom! These books have already been in the hands of so many children. I take pride in my classroom library and I even have kids from other classrooms come in during the morning looking for specific books.
We start our days with a soft start where children have time to silent read. My class loves coming in and getting 10-15 minutes to read before school even starts. So many of my students enjoy reading the graphic novels. I have wait lists for certain books, because kids can't wait to read them. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness towards education and your donation will reach children for many years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 5 other donors.Social, Emotional Learning Through Picture Books!
Funded Nov 21, 2023Thank you immensely for your generous donation towards my second graders! They were ecstatic to receive the wonderful picture books you provided. The books have become cherished possessions, eagerly passed from one child to another once they've finished reading. Each student has their own book bin, allowing them to select titles that pique their interest for independent reading. It's heartwarming to witness several of these books consistently present in the bins each day.
Furthermore, these books have been instrumental in our whole-group lessons, particularly in guiding and practicing social and emotional skills. This year, we have put an emphasis on nurturing social skills and coping with strong emotions. The Little Spot series, with its poignant messages, has resonated deeply with the children. They thoroughly enjoyed discussing their feelings and creating their own "Little Scribble Spots" in our classroom.
The books you've helped provide have served as catalysts for meaningful discussions and have empowered my students to grow as problem solvers. Your thoughtfulness has made a significant impact, reaching not only the current students but also those to come in the years ahead. Thank you once again for your invaluable contribution!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
Stories for All Interests!
Funded May 10, 2023I am so grateful for your generous donation towards the fantastic collection of books for my classroom. This order has provided my students with a diverse selection of high-interest books to choose from, greatly enhancing their reading experiences. It's been heartening to witness these books being eagerly devoured by many children, enriching numerous teachable moments along the way.
One remarkable aspect of this donation is the wordless picture books that have captured my students' hearts. These books have proven to be a captivating tool for teaching comprehension skills. The children are consistently engrossed, eagerly anticipating what unfolds on each page. They actively engage with the material, naturally deciphering the content with just a bit of guidance. Using these picture-rich books has become my preferred method of teaching, and it's undoubtedly the students' favorite approach to acquiring various comprehension skills.
Furthermore, your contribution has bolstered our collection of sports books and filled gaps in a few ongoing series. As always, my primary objective in fostering a love for reading among my students remains unwavering. I firmly believe that offering them daily opportunities to read books of their choice is the most effective way to achieve this goal. Your donation has played a crucial role in providing easy access to a wide range of engaging books at various reading levels, further solidifying our commitment to nurturing a passion for reading in my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 3 other donors.Learning to Read through Printable Passages!
Funded Feb 24, 2022Thank you so much for your donation towards my classroom! I have already used the money towards several decodable readers and passages. We teach different phonics lessons each week, and this provides an opportunity for kids to continue practicing reading words with our learned pattern in short stories. These passages are being used grade-wide to help all students who need a little extra practice with the pattern. I have been able to utilize them in whole-group and small-group instruction.
During whole-group, we spend time talking about the pattern, highlighting the pattern, then reading the highlighted words, and finally reading the story. I am able to differentiate the levels of the passages based on the group of students that I am working with. This allows to support and extend as needed.
In the past two years, our school has really focused on the research behind how students learn how to read. I took a two year training through LETRs and am following the recommendations for what and how to have kids read. With these decodable passages, I have seen great gains in fluency with my readers! This extra practice is just what they need to make growth in their reading. Thank you again for supporting all of our second graders!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
Learning to Read Through Decodable Materials!
Funded Jan 19, 2022Thank you so much for contributing to my goal of getting decodable books in the hands of my students! I was able to order several books that have five stories in each book. These look and feel like chapter books. Kids at this age can get very discouraged if they see other kids reading chapter books and they are only reading beginning books. I have many kids that are excited to pick these books up and read them and feel successful with their reading! I was also able to order several larger colored books with a variety of stories for children to read. I am excited that we now have materials at a variety of levels that will truly help children learn how to read. Thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
Finding Our Focus!
Funded Mar 23, 2021Thank you so very much for your thoughtfulness in donating towards our classroom! We had a diverse group of kids, as we do every year. Each child has different needs and challenges that we do our best to meet, and with your generous donation, we were able to make that happen!
I have never had a calm corner for my students, but was noticing that it could be beneficial in our classroom this year. I was surprised at how much this area was used for the rest of the year. This curtain gave students an area for privacy if they needed a few minutes to themselves, needed to calm down, or wanted a break. This assisted in keeping students in the classroom and having a safe space available at all times for any student in need.
We are also extremely grateful for the floor cushions! These also were used every single day! With COVID, we were not able to use our carpets this year, so sitting on the floor was very hard and uncomfortable. We used these for morning meeting, independent reading, and whole group lessons.
The kids also appreciated having a variety of fidgets to choose from to help them focus. Different fidgets worked well for different kids to give them the best learning opportunities. All of these items made a HUGE difference in our classroom and we sincerely appreciate your kindness!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 4 other donors.Inquiring Minds Want to Read!
Funded Mar 16, 2021Thank you so much for the generous gift of books for our classroom! It was like Christmas when all of the boxes came. There were enough that each child could open a box. Before I chose books, I asked each child to think of at least one kind of book that they wanted to read. I took that into consideration when I was selecting the books, so there was something that excited each and every one of my students when the books arrived!
The books were immediately distributed to the kids to put in the book bins for their reading enjoyment. The kids get 20 minutes each day to read books of their choice, so they were all excited to have something new to read! They were great about sharing the books and passing them on when they were finished. A few kids even begged to take them home, so they could keep reading them!
These books also added to genres and categories in my classroom library that were lacking. Thanks to your donations, my classroom had a huge boost in biographies and sports books! These were constantly rotated throughout the classroom this year and I anticipate them being well-loved next year as well!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 6 other donors.Get Comfortable to Enjoy a Great Book!
Funded Aug 14, 2019Thank you so much for the donation towards our new beautiful carpet and our comfortable, flexible seating! We use them on a daily basis. It is definitely our favorite spot to hang out, read, and learn in, in our classroom! I have had to set a limit on how many students can be in our library, because everyone always wants to be in there!
My students were so excited to see our brand new carpet and seating. We had to make sure we were taking turns sitting in the chair so everyone could try it out. I have also had my students visit from last year and they noticed our updated area right away and said they wished our library looked like that when they were in second grade!
I really appreciate you donating to our classroom. We have really enjoyed using this space and it has been a huge update to our classroom! We have really been focusing on building our reading stamina and this is one of our favorite places to practice. It has helped to create a warm and inviting space for my second graders to enjoy spending time in!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.One iPad for Loads of Learning!
Funded Aug 19, 2017Thank you so much for generously donating money towards an iPad for my 2nd grade classroom! Getting more technology in the classroom has been a challenge with our limited budget, so this just amazes my me that we were actually able to get an iPad for the kids!
We have already used the iPad for so many things! It is used every single day. Having an extra iPad allows for more turns and now I have enough to use in small groups. In the morning, the kids have been reading books, listening to stories, and writing books on the iPads. My students also love practicing math with the new technology. Having another iPad allows for the kids to have more opportunities to practice math facts and complete math assignments. The iPad is a great tool for me to challenge my students in math as well as giving some students extra practice as needed. Osmo is also another favorite game to practice spelling, math, and problem-solving.
We will be getting our Project Lead the Way materials in January and this is where the iPads are required to complete the units. The children will be learning how to code a game early in third quarter. Having an extra iPad is essential to making sure everyone will be able to participate.
Thank you again so much for your generosity! With so many trying things going on in the world, it warms my heart to see that there are so many people willing to help out kids! Please know that this has made a difference in our classroom. Not only this year but many years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Schaefer
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 8 other donors.