Past projects 5
Engagement in Mathematics
Funded Sep 3, 2024I wanted to share how helpful your donation will be to my students. One part of the donation was extra math supplies so students can have spinners, laminated games, and dice to play games at home. When students learn a game in school, they want to share this game with their family at home. Parents often share their excitement and students return to school to share how much fun they had.
The second half of the math materials will be used to practice their skills in school in an engaging way. The new materials help students become more engaged in a hands-on environment.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Enck
Moving in Third
Funded Aug 12, 2021My students are in love with their wobble stools, floor chairs, and bouncing seats. So much so, they fight over it! The seats allow them to move and fidget while still participating in the lessons. It allows them to maintain safe COVID-19 distances, but still participate in group work.
Upon seeing the seats, my class screamed with joy. My colleagues were in awe and now want their own set. Past students enter the room and wish they were back, just so they too can enjoy the seating options. You wouldn't think something so simple as a movement chair could improve academics and joy of being in school, but it truly has. I can't wait to see how they flourish the rest of the year, thanks to you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Enck
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 7 other donors.Making Learning Fun
Funded Aug 14, 2020Words can't express how helpful and engaging my lessons have been thanks to your donations. More times than I can imagine my students asked for more lessons because they were fun. They often said "I like this!" or "Can we have more of this?" This is not something you often hear with online learning, but because of your support, I have been able to find lessons that let them play and learn at the same time. These lessons let them exercise and move, create pictures, think deeper, and smile while they work. Topics that are difficult to teach online, like subtraction were made easier due to finding lessons that support learning through movement.
I am still using the money wisely, finding lessons that not only allow for engagment, but also provide entertainment. Some of your money has gone towards fitness math. Students are given problems and have to solve it, then complete an exercise activity. They love being able to move and jump! For reading, we are using pixar movies and pictures to help teach concreate skills like main idea, theme, drawing conclusion and more. In this manner, students are more engaged in the lesson, can relate it to their personal life, but also participate more often. In division, we bought a lesson that allows for students to move items into bags, bowls, etc. In doing so, they were able to grasp the concept of division faster and relate it to multiplication with ease. We have also spent funds on escape rooms for fun Fridays, virtual field trips to help students learn about the world, holidays, and events around them. We have bought justify me lessons, where kids are given a problem and must agree or disagree using an online video recording program. They LOVE sharing their thinking and are doing it in an engaging and thought-provoking way, while also responding to their classmates. You have also helped my colleagues and me by buying lessons for reading that are premade and can be used for testing or review. These are stories that keep them engaged but focus on key concepts we need to review.
None of this would have been possible without your help. My job has become significantly easier, just by having options. I was able to think about what I really wanted students to learn, how I wanted them to learn, and also not worry about the price tag. This made all the difference! Remote learning hasn't been as hard thanks to your generous actions. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Enck
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Headphones and Headsets for Success
Funded Oct 14, 2019Thank you for all your wonderful donations. Thanks to you we have been able to have fun Fridays where the students use the microphones to help them in Math recognize if problem is correct or not and justify their answers through an online recording device. This supports their language skills as a majority of the students will be taking the WIDA test next week; a speaking test where they offer their opinion based on a reading. Students now feel more confident using the microphone system and are able to understand the expectations required when answering a question orally.
Students have also enjoyed learning about weather hazards and pretending they are broadcasters. They have been able to create mock audio broadcasts, sharing out information on a natural hazards, information on real-life hazards, and strategies to stay safe. Their learning became real-life and engaged their thinking in meaningful ways.
Finally, we have been using the headphones to help us concentrate during testing and in class. Often times students have sensory, learning, social and emotional, and/or attention issues. By providing them with opportunities to shut this noise out and focus on their learning we are noticing a deeper love in education and improvements in self-confidence.
None of this would have been possible without your help. I can't wait to see what new and engaging lessons we create. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Enck
"How to" Improve Writing
Funded Oct 22, 2017Your kind donation has allowed our class to read fun and engaging books that are also helping us improve our writing! One lesson we used these books on was to teach other kids how to decompose large numbers into 6 simple steps. We can't wait to use them again to teach kids how to build a pig pen that Wilbur can live in happily.
Reading in our classroom usually revolves around reading a story, answering questions, and completing a writing assignment, but now, we have the opportunity to make our writing fun in a new way. We can now look at different texts and expand our understanding of how to write. If it wasn't for your donation, we wouldn't be able to see so many different types of writing and how they are created.
Your donation not only helped my class but the entire third grade who will be able to use these resources in a variety of writing activities. Thank you for helping improve our writing experience!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Enck