Past projects 6
STEM Gems: Creating the Next Generation of Innovators
Funded Dec 3, 2024Thank you so much for this STEM-tastic gift! With all the materials provided, my students can have real world experiences solving problems and collaborating as a team. Experiences they probably wouldn't be able to do once they leave the classroom. Thank you so much for supporting future scientists!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.Peanut Butter, Pugs and Perfect Picture Books
Funded Sep 12, 2018Thank you so much for funding this project! My class has enjoyed reading all the different books from series that we have not read before. We have been doing several activities with the book such as summarizing on a plot map, identifying cause and effect relationships, and characterization. More importantly, we have been developing a love of reading. The students in my classroom are struggling more with reading than in previous years. The lower leveled books have been very beneficial to them.
Students have also been exposed to a variety of genres. We have recently finished a unit on fiction and the students loved making connections to the skills we learn in class to the books they read at their desks. Our school district has made a stronger emphasis on word study this year. We have been tying in spelling patterns more frequently in books that they read. For example, one of the weekly tasks that students have to complete is a word hunt. They look for words with similar patterns in the books they read. This activity has significantly helped students not only become better spellers and writers, but readers as well.
As mentioned before, the students who struggle in reading have benefited greatly. In 3rd grade, students begin to transition into texts with greater text complexity such as chapter books and highly detailed nonfiction. This can become very frustrating for students who are not reading proficiency. The picture books help bridge instructional gaps in their reading. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this project. You have made a amazing difference in my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.What If You Had Some Fantastic Nonfiction Books?
Funded Jan 1, 2018Thank you so much for your support in our classroom! My students love the new books that you donated. As soon as they began to read them, they had so many questions that led to additional research. We also use them in whole and small group instruction. We use different graphic organizers to understand the content of the books. We also do different word analysis skills such as context clues. There has been a considerable improvement in vocabulary since then. My students this year and next year will greatly enjoy and appreciate these books. Thank you again for creating an amazing classroom library for 3rd grade students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
Face The Facts: Developing Nonfiction In Classroom Library
Funded Oct 4, 2016You've done it again! The nonfiction books added to our classroom library has been a successful hit! The students love the nonfiction alphabet book, as they are inspired to create their own. This has been especially engaging since we are about to start expository writing in the classroom. The students also love the nonfiction Magic Tree House books because they are paired with their fiction counterparts. I will often have students read a fiction book and nonfiction book together, and then discuss and cross-reference the facts. Biography books from the "I Am" series have also allowed my students to learn more about famous people on levels that they can read.
In short, your donation has caused our classroom library to become an active place again and students are highly interested in reading nonfiction. Thank you so much for your generosity; it has truly made a difference!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Donor and 2 other donors.Series Books for Serious Readers: Magic Edition
Funded Apr 29, 2016We've have gone through the first marking period of our school year, and it has been absolute magic thanks to you! My classroom library has become a favorite spot in the classroom, the Magic Tree House and Magic School Bus are always popular with my 3rd grade students. I was fortunate to move up with several of my students and I love seeing how much they have grown as readers since 2nd grade. During our fiction unit, we were able to use the book series to have a great discussion about genres. 3rd grade students learn about characteristics of different genres at the beginning of the school year. We had a fantastic lesson about how both series were fiction, but had elements of nonfiction as well.
Our school district has also made some changes in our reading curriculum and overall reading block. The books have been beneficial in this as well. Instead of having a routines, structured reading block, my class now participates in 45-60 min of independent reading and writing time. While I still conduct small reading groups, students use the time to focus solely on reading and writing. We also have a "reader's diet", where students are required to have a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts in their book bins. If you were ever to step inside my classroom, you will see that many, if not all, the books donated are in students' book bins. We also plan to begin book clubs based on series, authors, and genres. My students are already requesting that they be a part of the "Magic Tree House" book club!
Girls in my classroom seem to gravitate more toward The Magic Tree House series, while the boys tend to prefer the Magic School Bus. However, both book series are popular with everyone and greatly appreciated. It give students the opportunity to learn about more social studies and science content than they would be able to in our current curriculum. I also believe that my students' overall experiences and background knowledge increases as well. The school I teach at is surrounded by a military community and a community with somewhat limited resources. Many of my students do not have the opportunity to go to a museum and learn about knights, or go to a local science lab and learn about outer space. These books at least provide a door to those valuable, learning experiences.
Thank you so much for your contribution to this project. So many of my students have become better readers and learners because of it. What you did what not a short-term project, but a lifetime achievement. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
And They Read Happily Ever After...
Funded Mar 20, 2016Thank you so much for giving us a happily ever after! My class were so excited to receive so many different versions of fairy tales. From the moment I unpacked them from the box, they could tell that this would be an amazing addition to our traditional literature section of our classroom library.
I have already read 2 books to my class and the discussions are fantastic and engaging. Students talk about how the versions we read compare and contrast to the original or other versions. We analyze how the characters respond to the plot and other characters. We also discuss about the moral of the story and how we can apply to ourselves daily.
Some of the fairy tales donated come with Common Core activities that they complete during centers. They may write the story from another character's point of view, or improve their oral skills by comparing and contrast different fairy tales to each other. My class is also becoming inspired to rewrite or create their own fairy tales using the books as a mentor text. We have just begun really using the books, and I already see literacy improvement within my students. Thank you so much for taking the time to donate to our project. My class love the "book fairies" more than ever!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dart
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 2 other donors.