Mrs. Dye's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 26

• Quality Science Trade Books For Fifth Graders

  Funded Apr 19, 2014

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to my project "Quality Science Trade Books for Fifth Graders." As you can see, the students were absolutely thrilled to receive the science books. Because we received them late in the school year, I planned on saving them for the new school year; but the students had other plans. The children took them to their desks and immediately started reading them. I was so pleased.

  One student told me that previously he didn't like to read informational books but now enjoys it because he learns so much. Because of you, my students will enjoy these fabulous books for years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 15 other donors.

• Digital Resources for Math and Science

  Funded Apr 22, 2013

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to "Digital Resources for Math and Science." After receiving the four science teacher guides in June, I was impressed with both the quality of the curriculum and also with the seamless application of math. The STEM units are both outstanding and rigorous with a strong emphasis on technology. I now understand why it won so many awards! I will be starting the first unit "Tectonic Fury" in November. My students will be both challenged and inspired.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by AKJ Books and 8 other donors.

• Home Garden: Having Fun in the Dirt

  Funded Dec 4, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to my project "Home Garden: Having Fun in the Dirt." The last six weeks have been incredible. Students carefully planted each seed and anxiously waited for them to sprout. They enjoyed caring for them and when it came time to plant them, agonized over which sprout would be planted.

  The greenhouses are amazing. The students put them together themselves and used them to protect the seedlings from cold nights. When the seedlings were ready to take home, parents got involved and helped the students start their own little garden. Many members of the community have heard about our home garden project and have been donating plants to the students. I have been able to teach them all about different kinds of strawberry plants as well as the difference between annuals and perennials.

  I am excited that I now have the supplies to do this project every year with my students. It connects students with nature and gets them outside. I would not be surprised if many continued gardening now that they have their own plot for gardening.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 4 other donors.

• KIDS Discover Magazines

  Funded Dec 4, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to "Kids Discover Magazines".

  I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I was to be able to share these magazines with my students. Each magazine was outstanding and students enjoyed lingering over the outstanding illustrations and up-to-date factual information. Other classrooms teachers noticed the magazines and have been borrowing them to use to teach both reading and writing informational text. Because of you , we now have a fabulous resource to teach science for years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

• Using Science Texts to Teach Reading

  Funded Oct 17, 2012

  I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I was to be able to share these books with my students. They are high quality science books with beautiful illustrations that make you want to linger over every page. Students have been eagerly reading them and sharing with me the new world they are discovering.

  This trimester I will be teaching writing informational text and was planning on putting the books in storage until next year. My students, however, wanted to use the books for research. I was pleasantly surprised at how much use they are getting. I am a lucky teacher to be able to provide my students with hardbound, quality science books in my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

• Footprints in the Snow

  Funded Apr 26, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to "Footprints in the Snow." Even though it isn't snowing, students are outside looking for tracks and trying to identify the animals that made them. The field guides are fabulous and a much needed resource for my students. The hand magnifiers provided students with an up close view. It's amazing how much you can discover by stopping and observing nature. I plan to use all the materials for years to come to teach science to my highly capable students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

• Ten Thousand Steps

  Funded Mar 13, 2012

  I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I was to be able to integrate math and health. Students were very excited about checking out their pedometers and learned a great deal about their own personal activity level. They were surprised at how much their step number fluctuated from day to day. I was pleased with their analysis of the data along with the line graphs they created. Several students decided to make comparisons between themselves and other family members which resulted in producing double line graphs.

  The whole project encouraged students to get up and move. One mom told me that one evening her son started to run laps through the house with the family dog. When questioned, he said he didn't like his step count for the day and was trying to increase his number to meet the goal of 10,000 steps.

  The biggest challenge for my students was not losing the pedometers. Next year I will have the students attach the pedometer to their shoelaces. I got this idea from my mother who tracks her daily steps through her health club. Overall, this was a successful math project that I will use again and again with only slight modifications.

  ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

• Butterflies, Crickets And Frogs, Oh My!

  Funded Dec 1, 2011

  Thank you so much for making "Butterflies, Crickets and Frogs, Oh My!" possible in my classroom. We had so much fun getting the habitats ready for the eggs and then nurturing them along as they went through the stages of development. Students loved checking on the critters each day and excitedly reported any changes to the class. I too became fascinated with watching the day-by-day development. It is one thing to read about science in a book and it's a whole other thing to see it up close in real time.

  As part of this unit, we also researched and wrote mini books that included diagrams. The movies were wonderful and added to our understanding of the life cycle of these amazing creatures. We showed our creative side by producing three watercolor paintings, one for each creature. It was a wonderful unit enjoyed by everyone.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney's Planet Challenge and 15 other donors.

• Trash Pollution in Puget Sound

  Funded Nov 29, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to Trash Pollution in Puget Sound. My fifth graders were shocked to study the affects of pollution on marine life. We not only picked up trash at our local beach, but we also taught other students in the school about trash pollution. It was a joy to share the collection of environmental books with the primary classes. The message of recycling and reusing really hit home with the children when they crocheted tote bags from plastic grocery bags and made miniature book boxes out of jewelry boxes. My students have become advocates for preserving our local marine ecosystem.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney's Planet Challenge.

• Temperate Forest Habitat

  Funded Nov 29, 2011

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to Temperate Forest Habitat. My fourth graders were thrilled to be able to construct their own bird nesting boxes and then hang them around the school grounds. Each spot was carefully selected based on research. We will be observing the boxes both this spring and for years to come. The graphite tree embossing was something new for my students. Both parents and other teachers inquired about how we made them—they were stunning. Unfortunately the tabletop stand was back ordered so we were unable to raise the seedlings, but I plan to use it in the future with another unit. This project was an inspiration to both my students and to our community. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Dye

  This classroom project was brought to life by Disney's Planet Challenge.