Mrs. Butts' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 5

• Welcome to The (Electronics) Jungle!

  Funded Oct 11, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. Thanks to you, my students and I have a safe and organized place to house, transport, and use our technology equipment.

  I am grateful that I no longer have to ask students to give up their desks and compromise their workspace when I want to set up the projector or document camera. It is so easy to wheel the new electronics cart into place and then back out of the way after we are done using it. Since we received the cart, my students are more eager to use the equipment and participate in technology-integrated lessons.

  We have used it daily to listen to music, watch videos online, explore websites, create examples, and examine work samples during reading, writing, math, social studies, and science lessons.

  Now, with a proper home, our projector, speakers, and document camera can easily stay in good condition and provide educational technology for many years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Butts

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 11 other donors.

• Back to Basics: Students Need Dictionaries and Calculators!

  Funded Dec 6, 2010

  Many thanks for the new calculators and dictionaries. My fifth graders put them to use immediately after receiving them in the mail. They use them daily during almost every lesson. It is such a relief to me that each student now has her/his own dictionary and calculator to use whenever they need. Our days of waiting in long, impatient lines to use a couple outdated dictionaries and broken calculators are over! The students are taking special care of their new materials to make them last for a long time.

  Our class is currently reading a historical fiction novel together about the Revolutionary War. They like to keep the dictionaries close at hand, so they can look up any unfamiliar words. Some of the vocabulary used in colonial times can be confusing to them, so they really appreciate being able to look them up! Some of their latest colonial words include "fifes," "hearth," and "plaited."

  The class also uses the dictionaries for their nightly vocabulary homework, which includes finding definitions and creating original sentences. Again, being able to have their own new dictionaries to use is so priceless!

  The calculators are wonderful. Students are learning how to use calculators as an effective tool to help them check their work. They are also learning how to convert fractions into decimals and percentages using their calculators. When taking standardized math tests, they are also encouraged to use calculators. Before, with the limited calculators available, they did not get adequate practice to use them efficiently on the day of the test. Now, they have daily practice, which gives them important math skills with a basic tool.

  Thank you so much for your generosity and for caring about education.

  ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Butts

  This classroom project was brought to life by LeapFrog and 13 other donors.

• Help 5th Graders Time Travel

  Funded Nov 1, 2010

  Thank you for the fantastic collection of new books. My students are having an exciting historical adventure, as they learn about colonial times and the American Revolution. We have started the history and literature unit by reading the picture books about George versus George (George Washington vs. King George III), the Boston Tea Party, and typical life in Colonial America. My 5th graders were tickled to learn that a "pudding" was a pillow that babies wore to protect them when they fell down. They also had so much fun learning about all the taxes imposed by King George III on the 13 colonies and about the different uniforms worn by the Continental and British armies. Students wrote intriguing essays about whether they would want to live in Colonial America or in King George's Britain.

  Soon, we will start reading the two historical fiction novels together. They will get a better sense of what it was like to live during the Revolution, before America was a country, and during slavery. They will pretend they are characters in the books and write diary entries, draw illustrations, and create skits to show their understanding of the historical content.

  Thanks to your generous donations, my students are having a fascinating time learning about this important time in our nation's past. Thank you so much for helping them have an awesome 5th grade year”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Butts

• Plastic Free Waikiki

  Funded Oct 30, 2009

  Thank you so very much for helping my students learn important environmental education lessons with their new water bottles. Your generous donations have helped replace my students' disposable water bottles with shiny new aluminum bottles. They are so happy to each have their own bottles, and they love to refill them throughout the day.

  While already knowledgable about the importance of recycling, my students now also understand the power of using reusing bottles. We often discuss the importance of reducing waste, cutting costs, and saving money, in context with our current economical and environmental crises. They often talk about it with their peers in other classes, and they talk about it with their families. I am so glad that this project is extending beyond our classroom to the greater community.

  Thanks to you, my students have been empowered to keep spreading the word about this project. Using their aluminum water bottles has become a daily habit for them, which I know will stick with them for the rest of their lives. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Butts

• 3 Cups Of Global Awareness

  Funded Jan 30, 2009

  Thanks again for your generosity and thoughtfulness. My students love the picture book. They read the story over and over, pouring over the illustrations and photographs. Also, they like to compare it to the chapter book, which is based on the same story. Even though some of the vocabulary and ideas are new and challenging, every morning they are eager to grab their copies and join me in the "reading circle." We read aloud, discuss the characters, and look up words in the handy glossary. Then, they reflect, write, and draw about their feelings and thoughts about the story. They find the fact that it is a true story, to be inspiring and fascinating. Soon, we will put our culminating project in motion, a school-wide penny drive for Pennies for Peace. It is an absolute joy for me to see my students so enthusiastic about learning, literacy, and helping others.

  ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Butts