Past projects 7
Exciting Books for a New Year
Funded Aug 26, 2018The new books have been such an exciting addition to our classroom! About two weeks into the school year, I held a "book tasting" in our room, where students had the opportunity to sample a wide variety of books from our classroom library. Each student created a list of books they were interested in reading this year, and many of the books they listed were titles from this project!
I've been using the picture books as models for our writing units such as memoir and literary essay, and we read Water Protectors in honor of Indigenous People's Day. The chapter books have been integrated into our classroom library, and they are popular choices during independent reading time. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
Supports for Students!
Funded Aug 28, 2018Thank you thank you thank you! These materials will be so important to my students’ learning and independence. As I go in to set up my classroom this week, I’m excitedly brainstorming all the ways that the headphones, chair, visual timer and fidgit will help my students have an amazing year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
Hands-On Fun And Learning!
Funded Aug 18, 2017Since receiving this materials, they have positively impacted our classroom in a number of ways! The students have greatly enjoyed using the clay during Choice Time, and have been creating fun colorful creatures with it. We'll also be using the clay to create inventions and devices in our upcoming social studies work.
The watercolors have also been a big hit during Choice Time and last week, students used them to create beautiful cards for the people affected by the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
The globe has a place of honor in our Non-Fiction library, and will be immensely useful during our upcoming study of the Western Hemisphere.
And finally, the mats have been invaluable in protecting our desks and tables from clay and paint!
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 5 other donors.Reading Group Magic
Funded Jan 10, 2017I have to begin by apologizing for the very long overdue thank you note--things are always crazy in a fifth grade classroom, and expressing my gratitude for these books somehow slipped through the cracks. But I have been grateful and thrilled about these wonderful books ever since we received them--and the students have been too!
With these exciting new books, some of my more reluctant readers, as well as readers who always come back to the same type of book over and over again, have been willing to try out some different texts. These high-quality books provide endless opportunities for building reading strategies such as asking questions and making predictions as you read.
In one of my small reading groups, we have been joyfully reading Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, and the students have been so excited to practice these strategies as they laugh their way through this silly and engaging text. You can see their thinking on the post-its in the photos! Thank you thank you thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
Materials for A Classroom of Individuals
Funded Jan 3, 2017The materials that you've donated have already begun making a huge difference in our classroom! The wobble chairs, as expected, are a huge hit. Two of my students sit on them regularly during our classroom meetings on the rug, and they allow them to move and wiggle while still remaining engaged during our class discussions. During independent work time, different students sit on them each day, and they're widely enjoyed as a fun seating alternative.
The noise-canceling headphones have become a popular option during independent work time, reading time, and while taking assessments. Students rush to use them, and they're so desired that I may have to request more pretty soon!
Finally, the magnetic and stamp letters have been excitedly received by my spelling club members. The infusion of brand new, interactive materials have made a potentially tedious task (practicing spelling) lots of fun instead.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
Keep Us Organized!
Funded Dec 21, 2016We received the new bins and organizers this week, and they're already changing our classroom experience!
The book bins will be super helpful in making sure that I can put out as many books as possible in our classroom library. Right now we have over 50 books in our closet which I haven't been able to make available to students because we have nowhere to put them! The bins will also be used to create new genre bins for the books we already have in the classroom.
The paper organizer has become my new favorite item in the classroom. Here's what used to happen: students would turn in an assignment to our one paper bin. When it was time to collect a new task, I had to take out that first assignment, find a new place to store it, probably misplace it, spend time tracking it down, finally grade it, and repeat. I can now collect multiplication assessments, spelling tests, writing pieces *and* homework at once!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb
Fascinating, Diverse Books for Ravenous Readers
Funded Dec 19, 2016My students were sitting on the edge of their seats as I pulled out book after book from the box that arrived this morning. As showed them the cover of each set, I read the description from the back of the book. By the time I finished presenting each of the book sets to the class, I already had multiple students raising their hands to ask if they could be the first to read specific books. Our class is so excited about these new books!
These books will primarily be used in my highest reading group. The books will allow me to support and develop their thinking around character development, the role of setting, author's craft, comparing and contrasting different texts, and making inferences. Because they are so engaging and exciting, they will hold students' interest while helping them practice these higher-order thinking skills!
Before the addition of these 6 sets, our grade level only had a couple of options for books that would be both interesting and challenging for our highest reading group. I'm really looking forward to the first time we read one of these new books together. Thank you for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Frank-Holcomb