Past projects 12
Learning in Comfort
Funded Jan 11, 2023The students were so excited when our boxes of flexible seating arrived. They immediately asked how we would make it fair for everyone to have a chance to use the yoga balls and wobble chairs. I created a calendar so that each student had a yoga ball at least once in the month and the wobble chairs were rotated on a weekly basis. The wobble chairs have been such a hit that I will probably purchase more for the future. They are quite durable and the kids like being able to move while they are doing their work.
The yoga balls and wobble chairs fit perfectly under our desks and students have been diligent about returning them to our flexible seating area daily. These yoga balls are more durable than the ones we had in the past, so I don't have to pump them up with air very often and we haven't had any issues with them popping, so far.
Thank you for all your generosity. You have helped to create a fun learning environment for my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
Hear Us Roar!
Funded Oct 11, 2022Your generous donations helped to make our school's annual winter program a huge success! The sound was clear and students enjoyed using the new technology. Your help in funding my project has not only impacted my students, but the entire school community. Everyone enjoyed the quality of the sound, both the music and the student speakers.
Our new technology was used during a dj party to reward students with perfect attendance. We will also use the technology in future performances. Teachers and students are more inspired to perform plays, dances, and even a talent show because of the speakers, microphones, and headphones.
I was surprised by the students who volunteered to perform in our winter program skit. I imagine that there are more students who will surprise me in the coming months and years with their hidden talents. Thank you for allowing their voices to be heard.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 12 other donors.Reading Is Fun!
Funded Oct 21, 2021Thank you for your generous donations. I strive to inspire students to find a love of reading. When I was their age, I didn't love reading, but it was mainly because I was told what to read. As a teacher, I give my students options because I want them to find what genres and authors they enjoy.
I had never heard of the Amulet series before this year, but it was all many of my students would talk about. They grew frustrated when we went to the school library each week and someone had already checked out the next book in the series. When the books arrived in the classroom, they flew off the shelves. The students are sharing them and discussing the different books. It makes me so proud to see them diving into a book.
In addition, we have started reading "Chains" as a class. We are thankful to have a book for every student. They look forward to reading it together every day and when it's time to move onto the next subject, they beg to read one more chapter.
Thank you for supporting me in giving my students an opportunity to read books that excite them!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 3 other donors.Break These Chains!
Funded Jan 6, 2021My students have been loving "Chains." They were so excited to physically hold a book and they enjoy reading along as I read to them during our Zoom meetings. Having a physical book allows them to go back to the text and use text evidence when answering comprehension book.
My heart was so full when a student, who normally doesn't like reading, told me that she has been reading ahead because she really likes the book. This is exactly why I wrote this grant. I want students to realize that it's not reading that they don't like, it's that they need to find books that they connect with.
This novel has brought the Revolutionary War to life and it's told from the perspective of an enslaved girl. She is caught between her master and a country fighting for its independence. This is an important story that I look forward to sharing with students for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
Bringing Lessons to Life!
Funded Aug 9, 2020I am so grateful for your donations and support of my virtual classroom. It took quite a while to receive the materials that I requested, but they have made teaching virtually much more effective.
The document reader has allowed me to support students in learning the 5th grade math standards. I can now show them step by step directions and draw models to help build their understanding. Before the document reader, I had to use the annotation tools in Zoom, and drawing tables and solving math problems was quite a challenge. I've also used the document reader to show videos from my iPad. We can now watch the Monday morning school assembly together.
The ergonomic mouse has been a blessing because, without it, I would have been in a lot of pain. I am on the computer for 7-9 hours a day and it was taking a toll on my body. The back cushion has also helped me out a lot.
Thanks to your generosity, I feel like I have the best set up possible to teach virtually.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
Scholastic News Readers
Funded Oct 5, 2020One of the biggest challenges in teaching remotely is keeping students engaged. I realized after a few weeks of distance learning that I would need more than just a daily reading passage for my students to be able to grow in their reading abilities. I wanted content that was both interesting and challenging enough for their reading level. I had used Scholastic News in the past, but with the pandemic, my school could no longer pay for the subscriptions. I am so thankful for donors like you because my students are very excited about reading the Scholastic News articles.
Scholastic News magazines are great for my class because of the differentiated activities. Students can watch a video, have the article read to the them, or read it on their own. The questions help students with main idea, compare and contrast, and inferencing which are all major standards for 5th graders. Plus, SN has created digital versions of their magazine which makes it very easy to assign lessons to my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
Technology Superstars!
Funded Oct 9, 2019Our class is so appreciative of your donation!
My students were in awe of the new iPads and cases. They arrived just in time for students to complete their iMovie stop motion animation projects. Students worked in small groups to take pictures of their backgrounds and characters featured in the re-write of a popular fairytale. The pictures were then uploaded to iMovie and their pictures became movies. They also used GarageBand to record their stories and then mixed the pictures with the vocals to produce an original movie. When the students viewed all the completed projects, they asked to do more of these types of projects throughout the year. This wouldn't have been possible without your generosity.
Students are also excited to have the iPads because there are now enough devices during the day for students to take AR quizzes, read books on EPIC and most recently practice math skills with the website Prodigy.
Before your donation, students had to wait patiently to use the iPads and it was often disruptive to our class. Now, more students are reading, writing, and learning math on the iPads and we don't have the disruptions.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School.Future Animators!
Funded Oct 18, 2018My students were so impressed that someone would donate money so that our classroom could have another iPad. They had to share iPads in order to take pictures of their scenes to make the stop motion animation movies. This was frustrating for the students who were passionate about their project.
Now that we have enough iPads, each group can make movies of their own. This year, students will have the chance to make an additional movie depicting an event from The Revolutionary War.
This wouldn't have been possible without your donations. Working on these projects helps with team building, improving their ability to work with technology and meeting the California State Standards in a variety of content areas. Thank you very much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
Books for Bookworms!
Funded Nov 1, 2017My students were beyond excited when our box of books arrived. They immediately started arranging them by series and book order and took turns with who got to read which book. The excitement spread into the 5th grade classroom next door and many of them have been asking to borrow some of the new books. It is so rewarding to see students find a love of reading and to hear them talking about the books that they read with their peers.
Just yesterday, a student came up to me to share that he had found one of our previous vocabulary words in the book, "Drama." He was so excited that he found the word in another text. Another student has already read 6 of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. He plans to read at least three more during winter break. I have seen students building their comprehension skills, reading fluency, and make meaningful connections with the stories that they are reading.
One of my favorite times of the day is during silent reading. The students find comfortable places to read throughout the classroom and dive into the books that they get to choose. Thanks to your donations and support, you have inspired 22 students to read even more than before. We all thank you very much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan
LEGO City
Funded Sep 25, 2015Wow! This project really evolved and the students have had so much fun. I envisioned building a LEGO city using the concept of perimeter, area, and volume, but the project turned into so much more. My students have enjoyed learning about our country's history and the timing was right to re-construct the Jamestown colony. We began by researching pictures of what it might have looked like. The students then sketched their ideas for the buildings. After that, they used graph paper to determine the dimensions. As soon as their dimensions were approved by me, they were able to build with their LEGOs. I loved watching the students work together. It was neat to hear them talk about area and perimeter outside of a math lesson and many of them commented about how their knowledge of math helped in their plans. As they built the colony, many students argued about the size of the buildings and what needed to be included. I liked that they worked together in a positive way, even when they disagreed. The final products are so creative and a great representation of team work. This wouldn't have been possible without your donations.
When the LEGOs first arrived, the students were so curious. They asked what we would use them for and they were almost a tease as they sat in plain site on top of the cabinet for over a month. Many of the students use LEGOs at home and understand how expensive they are. They were so surprised that complete strangers would donate their own money so that we could have LEGOs.
I am excited to show our creations during Open House in early April. I can't wait to hear feedback from parents. Students from other classes have started to notice our work and think it's so cool that my students got to "play" with LEGOs during class.
This was a great project that I hope to replicate in years to come.
Thank you so very much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cowan