Past projects 9
Fifth Grade Finds Magic in Books
Funded Mar 6, 2020Thank you so much for the donations so we could purchase these books for our classrooms. As a fifth grade team we chose these books to help engage our students as we teach our curriculum in language arts, math, science, and social studies. Using these books we helped introduce topics such as cause and effect, main idea and details, and inferencing in reading. We used them as an example for students students to "show, not tell" in their writing, as well as examples of figurative language and examples of good leads in their writing. These books helped us introduce topics in science and in social studies.
During virtual teaching reading out loud looks a little bit different than when students are in the classroom. We use a document camera and put the book under there and share the screen so students can see the pictures. Sometimes we even recorded us reading the books so students could listen to and read the books over and over again.
We are looking forward to being in person again for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year to share these books with our students and they can continue to enjoy them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 5 other donors.Read Aloud Books for Virtual Learning
Funded Aug 25, 2020These books that have been donated to my class have been a wonderful addition to my class library. I have been using the books to teach reading comprehension skills virtually. Now that we are headed back into the classroom the students will be excited to read the books on their own also. Some of the skills I have taught with these books are cause and effect, story elements, character traits, and compare and contrast. My students really enjoy listening to these stories!
As we return to school students will be able to have these books in their book boxes and read them independently. Thank you so much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
Updated Third Grade Classroom Library
Funded Jun 23, 2020I cannot thank you enough for these wonderful books that have enhanced my virtual classroom so much. Due to being virtual, there are no student pictures, but, believe me, my students have enjoyed these books as a daily read aloud.
I put the book under my document camera while I share my screen so my students can read along and see the pictures of these wonderful books. I have used the books with our fiction unit to teach the elements of fiction such as plot, conflict, resolution, and character traits and feelings.
I am looking forward to the day when my students can hold these books in their hands and read them themselves.
Thank you so much for your support and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
Flexible in Fifth...Part 3!
Funded Aug 15, 2019Thank you so much for donating to this project! My students are loving the flexible seating options in our classroom.
Upon entering the classroom for the first time, my students were amazed! They couldn't believe they didn't have assigned seats, they didn't have desks, and some tables didn't have chairs! Instead there were yoga balls, wobble stools, bar stools, comfortable dining chairs, and floor options! My students love having this choice and the flexibility on a daily basis of where to sit.
I really enjoy watching them make that choice on where to sit. Sometimes they sit in the same place all day, every day, but some students choose a different seat every subject, or even every half hour! It makes them better learners to be able to move around and not be tied to a desk and chair all day.
Thank you so much for your support and making my classroom an amazing place for students to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
Flexible in Fifth
Funded Jun 3, 2019Thank you so much for donating to this project! My students are loving the flexible seating options in our classroom.
Upon entering the classroom for the first time, my students were amazed! They couldn't believe they didn't have assigned seats, they didn't have desks, and some tables didn't have chairs! Instead there were yoga balls, wobble stools, bar stools, comfortable dining chairs, and floor options! My students love having this choice and the flexibility on a daily basis of where to sit.
I really enjoy watching them make that choice on where to sit. Sometimes they sit in the same place all day, every day, but some students choose a different seat every subject, or even every half hour! It makes them better learners to be able to move around and not be tied to a desk and chair all day.
Thank you so much for your support and making my classroom an amazing place for students to learn!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 5 other donors.Classroom Library Makeover
Funded Oct 25, 2018I can't thank you enough for your generosity and supporting my classroom. I switched to a new grade level this year from 4th to 5th and was looking for some new books for my classroom library. While the students are relatively on the same reading levels in those grades, and the interests are pretty much the same, I also wanted non-fiction books to support my science and social studies curriculum as well as some new mentor texts for teaching comprehension strategies. Your donations helped me incorporate new non-fiction books, new mentor texts, and some comfy new chairs in my classroom library.
In my classroom, students have book boxes where they should have at least 3-4 books at all times and 1 must be non-fiction. For 30 minutes each day and during free time, students have independent reading time. They can sit anywhere in the room and I walk around, listen to them read, and ask questions about what they are reading, why they chose that book, and also some questions to check for understanding. I can't believe all the students who choose non-fiction books based on what we are learning-especially in science! I introduce plant and animal cells, students clamor for the new Cells books. When I introduced our oceans unit, so many students went to the "oceans" basket to find books for their book boxes. Of course I read from these books and remind my students those books are there, but most of them already know. It's amazing!
Having books at my fingertips in my classroom ready to read aloud and teach from helps me tremendously. It saves me time knowing I have these mentor texts available in my classroom. After I read them aloud, students love to read them by themselves. It really helps my struggling readers hear them read aloud first, then when they take them back to their seats, they can enjoy them by reading the books to themselves.
Thank you again for all of your support this school year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 8 other donors.Jamestown or Bust!
Funded Feb 4, 2016Our trip to Jamestown and Yorktown was a success! The 4th graders learned so much and had a great time! It was so wonderful that they were able to actually see the things that we have been learning in our history books all year.
Our trip started very early in the morning! The kids were so excited to ride a bus with upholstered seats and a bathroom in the back! I think someone was in the bathroom the entire way to and from Jamestown! When we arrived there was cheering and clapping to be heard! We exited the bus and started our journey. My students were able to see a Powhatan Village, touch animal fur, and go into a Powhatan longhouse. And that was just the beginning! They used rocks and shells to dig out a canoe and to scrape the fur off an animal hide. We were able to go onto replicas of the ships that sailed across the Atlantic from England to Virginia. They saw how small the ships were and how uncomfortable those men must have been. When we walked through James Fort the students were excited to see live chickens! They watched a demonstration of a man shooting a musket and couldn't believe how long it took to actually shoot the weapon. The impact of this trip on my students' learning was remarkable, and I can't thank you enough for your contributions. Today is the last day of school and when I asked my class what their favorite memory of fourth grade was, their response, an overwhelming..."Our trip to Jamestown!"”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
Creating Lifelong Readers through Author Studies
Funded Aug 21, 2015I cannot thank you enough for the donations you made to help bring more books into my classroom. The excitement started when the boxes arrived and my students were able to help sort the books. I have a Hollywood theme in my classroom and reserved 12 plastic popcorn boxes just for these books for the classroom library. My students were excited to read the new titles of books, discuss with each other what new books they were going to read this year, and some were excited to see new titles of favorite authors. This year we have started a new project in 4th grade called the Reading Bucket List. The 4th graders are required to read 10 books each quarter. On this bucket list, the students can choose to read books from authors such as Sharon Creech, Andrew Clements, and Jack Prelutsky. These books from you have definitely helped my students to achieve their reading goals! One of my students has already read the entire Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan!
I have done an author study with one of my reading groups. Each student in the group read a different book by Andrew Clements. During reading and after reading the students would discuss how the books were similar and different. They found that Mr. Clements mostly writes realistic fiction that takes place in school. After reading these books, the students wanted to learn more about Andrew Clements. They did some research and found that many teachers thought he was a good writer in school, but it was hard work. They also learned that he liked to read a lot, which played a part in why he was a good writer.
I am going to continue with the author studies in my classroom by having a reading lunch group. The next author we will study is Kate DiCamillo. I am excited for my students to read her books!
Thank you again for your generosity and support! Your donation has helped increase the excitement for reading in my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida
Jamestown Settlement: A Trip of a Lifetime
Funded Nov 4, 2014We had a blast on our field trip to Jamestown and Yorktown! We can't thank you enough for your generosity!
The day started very early. Riding the coach bus was very exciting for the students. They were impressed with the TVs and the bathrooms on the bus!
We had about a two and a half hour drive to get to Jamestown. Many of my students have never even been out of their neighborhood, so seeing the many different geographical features of Virginia was a wonderful learning experience. We learned in class about the Fall Line, which is the natural border between the Piedmont and the Tidewater regions. At this point, the land drops and rapids and waterfalls form. The students actually saw what they learned in class! They loved it!
As we were driving some of the students asked about the cows they saw in the pastures. Shouts of , "Look!" "Cows!" and one student asked, "Are those cows real?" So even the bus trip to Jamestown was exciting for my students.
When we arrived at Jamestown, our tour started in the museum. The students saw replicas of the Powhatans and Africans. We even walked down a London street from the 17th century!
When we went outside, the students took a tour of a Powhatan Village, saw people dressed as Powhatans and living as the Powhatans did. They saw the Powhatans cooking over a fire outside and making baskets from the underside of bark from a tree. What was amazing was that what we read about, what we learned in class was brought to life for these kids! This was an opportunity that they might not have otherwise had.
My students were able to tour a replica of the Susan Constant, the largest of the 3 ships that brought the colonists to Jamestown in 1607. They were able to go into the houses that colonists would have lived in, wear the armor that colonists would have worn, and their favorite was watching the firing of musket! They were able to see it twice!
This trip had an amazing impact on my students, and they are still talking about it today, almost 2 months later! I cannot thank each of you enough!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaida