Mr. Wilkinson's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 8

• Cubelets for Robotics and Coding

  Funded Dec 18, 2019

  Thank you very much for the generous donations. The materials purchased have been added to the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) room for Hillcrest Elementary. It has been an excellent addition and the students are exploring coding using the Cubelet system.

  I believe the largest benefit of the Cubelets is that the system is accessible to all grade ranges at this school. There are large development growths when the grades are Pre-Kindergarten to 4th grade but these are simple enough that all the students can try them. I am working on getting the students to start small and build from that but they are still in the "click them all together and see what happens" phase. As they have more time to explore I expect greater things at the table.

  Thank you again for supporting the OKCPS school system and the high needs students at our school. You generous donation is allowing students to work with technology they wouldn't otherwise get to explore.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

• Chromebooks for Daily Lessons

  Funded Oct 18, 2017

  Thank you very much for the tremendous support you have given my classroom. With computer literacy becoming a "must-know" skill for today's society, it is extremely beneficial to be able to get computers into the hands of the students. With the new Chromebooks you have so generously supplied, it is easier to give practical lessons on web 2.0 applications available for learning.

  These four Chromebooks are a vital part of creating good digital citizens in today's youth. By having these available for the class when needed, lessons can move much more swiftly to learning rather than gathering resources to allow lessons to be hand's on investigations.

  Thank you again for this support. It is deeply appreciated by my class and I.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

• Alternative Seating for Students

  Funded Sep 28, 2017

  It has been interesting to watch how the students utilize the wobble stools for the classroom. I have set the stools on one of my six tables and even though students may switch tables the stools are always at the same table. This way everybody gets to use them eventually.

  I get to watch the students drag the stools around the room when we are doing centers. They really seem to enjoy having a different type of seating other than the hard plastic chairs they have used previously. If the use is any indication, they are the preferred chairs in the entire classroom.

  I appreciate you the donors giving me a chance to give the students choices in their elementary career. Having options available gives the students a sense of pride and importance in the lives. And the best thing is that it adds a "cool" factor to school and makes them more likely to be in the classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Clorox Company and 2 other donors.

• Growing Plants for Science

  Funded Feb 26, 2017

  Thank you for purchasing the grow light systems for our classroom. We were able to share the lights with another 3rd grade class so approximately 50 students benefited from your generous donation.

  The students are in Oklahoma City, a large urban area and so do not have a solid background in growing plants. We were able to incorporate science, math, and writing in with this project. The students had to track the growth of their plants and journal about the changes they saw. They had to measure the plants weekly and find out how much they had grown from week to week. Without the grow lights this would not have been possible.

  We sent the plants home yesterday with the children and some of them had their parents plant them in a garden. Other parents were just thrilled to get a plant from the student. Overall, the experiment was a success and I believe the students gained some knowledge on plants and their care. Thank you again for your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

• Game Club Starter

  Funded Sep 26, 2016

  The games have been a great addition to my classroom. I will be starting a school wide Board/Card Game club beginning next week to give students something productive to do after school. In the meantime, I have students in my classroom trying the different games and working on good sportsmanship.

  The students have really enjoyed playing Sorry. They had never played the game until a few weeks ago and have really taken to playing the game. The students have been doing a great job taking turns and playing fairly.

  Another game they are loving is Connect Four. Although the pictures don't show it, they are dedicated to beating me at this game. Every time I can find the time to sit down with them and play a bit they line up for a chance to play against me. It's been so much fun to give the students a challenge and some time with an adult just playing games.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools and one other donor.

• The Boxcar Children

  Funded Aug 11, 2016

  The Boxcar Children is the 3rd novel we have read in our classroom this year and has to be the student's favorite so far. This is the first book we've read where the students have asked me to read another chapter after we read the chapter for the day. The children are actually getting others in the Boxcar Children Mystery series to keep reading about these characters.

  Any time that I can get even one student interested in a particular series or genre I consider it a win. For this book, I have multiple students wanting to read more about the four children. Definitely worth every dollar for these books and I'm sure I'll get many years worth out of the set.

  Thanks so much for the generous donation for purchasing these books. They were a hit in my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

• Little House on the Prairie Student Books

  Funded Jul 3, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  The students seem to be loving the book "Little House on the Prairie". When I'm reading it to the class, you can hear the pages being turned all at the same time (believe it or not, this doesn't happen all the time.). They are hanging on to the words and really following the story.

  We're not finished yet because we had a later start than I expected but should be done by the first week of November. I'm having to find time to read the story because the students are reading ahead and I'm trying to keep up with them. I know this because I made the mistake of asking them what was the second building Pa made (the stables) and they could answer the question. It wasn't until after the question and answer session that I realized I hadn't read that chapter yet. It's nice that they are so excited about a book.

  To add a kinesthetic portion to the book the class built their own "Little House". They didn't have to use axes and go chop trees down by the river, but glue and Popsicle sticks. Needless to say, the room smells like glue and there's a layer of dried glue on the desks. But they really let their imaginations run wild.

  Thanks again for your generous donation. The students are really benefiting greatly from the class set of books.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools and 2 other donors.

• How to Eat Fried Worms

  Funded Aug 8, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  "How to Eat Fried Worms" was a big hit! My class was able to follow along with the story for the first time in three years. I was able to have them go back in the text and find specific passages for find key thoughts and meaning. Through it all, the students tracked the worms that were being eaten to get a more kinesthetic approach to the story rather than just following along.

  At the end of the book, I made up a batch of "worms in puddle water" and the kids had to eat it. It was green jello with gummy worms and they are still talking about. Now they have something in common with some of the 4th and 5th graders and a memory of "How to Eat Fried Worms".

  Thanks again for the generous donation, it will be used for many years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Wilkinson

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools and one other donor.