Past projects 7
Classroom Essentials
Funded Sep 18, 2024We are incredibly grateful for your support in providing these amazing resources for our classroom! When the materials arrived, it felt like a celebration. The students' excitement and curiosity were palpable as they explored everything you helped make possible.
The Brother color printer has already become an invaluable tool, allowing us to create vibrant visual aids and personalized materials. The dry-erase whiteboard film and mobile whiteboard easel have transformed our learning space, giving us dynamic, flexible areas for brainstorming and collaboration.
The calm stickers, and quiet fidgets, have made a difference for our students who benefit from tactile and calming activities. They feel more relaxed and ready to learn. The pencils, markers, and Crayola dry-erase markers have sparked creativity during lessons, while the cleaning supplies, like the Swiffer mop and Clorox wipes, ensure our classroom remains a safe and clean environment for everyone.
Every item has brought joy, focus, and functionality to our classroom. Your generosity has not only enhanced the learning experience but also shown my students how much their education matters to others. Thank you for being such an important part of our journey.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 14 other donors.Creativity and Critical Thinking Through Art Setting up the Classroom
Funded Oct 11, 2023I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for your generous contribution to our classroom project. Your support has made a remarkable impact on both me and my students, and I am excited to share the positive outcomes that have resulted from your generosity.
The new resources you provided have transformed our learning environment in profound ways. The introduction of more flexible seating options has created a more dynamic and collaborative atmosphere in the classroom. Students now have the freedom to choose the seating arrangement that best suits their learning style, fostering a sense of autonomy and comfort that directly contributes to their engagement and focus.
Additionally, the noise-canceling ear muffs have proven to be invaluable in creating a conducive learning space. Students who previously struggled with distractions now have a tool that empowers them to concentrate better and participate more actively in class discussions. The newfound ability to control their auditory environment has had a positive impact on their overall learning experience.
Our art corner, stocked with the materials you provided, has become a hub of creativity and self-expression. Students eagerly explore their artistic talents, and the colorful displays around the classroom showcase the beautiful results of their imagination and effort. Your contribution has not only enhanced our arts curriculum but has also sparked a renewed appreciation for the joy of creative expression.
The surge protectors for computers have safeguarded our technological resources, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted learning experience. This has been particularly crucial during computer-based assignments and research projects, allowing students to fully harness the power of technology as a tool for learning.
Lastly, the editing and revising pens have become an essential part of our writing process. Students now approach editing with greater enthusiasm, utilizing these pens to revise and refine their work with a sense of pride and ownership.
Again our class is grateful for your support and generosity. We truly appreciate your support and your desire to help us teachers create a better learning environment for our students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 15 other donors.3rd Graders Today, Leaders Tomorrow
Funded Nov 21, 2022This donor project has been most helpful during the current budget cuts schools have received at the beginning of this school year. Having an assortment of papers for students to complete their projects is important to my students and me. Having the materials has given me the oportunity to print work, assignments, and project-based learning activities.
Through this project, students have developed the most amazing informational books. Their creativity shone through their books with chapters full of text features, sentence structures, captions, and images.
Another great project we are working on is pamphlets. Students have been using papers of assorted colors to create pamphlets. These pamphlets reflect the research students gathered about National American symbols.
Once again, your support and donations have made a difference in my life and the life of my students. Thank you.
Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
This classroom project was brought to life by The Walt Disney Company and 5 other donors.STEAM Supplies
Funded Sep 11, 2022I am happy to share the impact this project has had on my students. One of the first projects my students created was celestial pumpkins during Halloween. Students learned about the different constellations and myths associated with them. After designing their own constellations and writing myths about them, students used paint and brushes to help them create amazing pumpkins with beautiful designs.
When we received the materials, students were very interested to know what was within the boxes. Although we have not had a chance to use every single material, they continue to look forward to the activities we will engage in with them. Especially the robot kits.
Starting the new year, we will continue to use the varied materials donated to the classroom to spark students' creativity. We have many more projects in mind, for example, center sessions. These center sessions will help students practice reading comprehension skills in games.
Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
Model Time
Funded Sep 28, 2020As many of you know. Online learning is not for everyone. Students were confronted with this new way of learning. Remote learning appeared in the lives of our students suddenly and amid a pandemic. This was not easy. Remote learning came as a blessing. It filled an educational need for most of our students and gave students a way of socializing and connecting with friends and the school community. Although we were trying so hard there were still tools missing.
Mathematics is difficult to teach remotely. Many things had to change for students and teachers. The way that we shared the lesson, the way that students needed to practice, and how they needed to submit their work. Modeling and repeated practice is a very important tool in math. However, trying to do this digitally when you are used to doing all math with your pencil and paper is difficult. Students take longer, fewer problems need to be assigned and less modeling happens.
Students needed to see models and examples of the work they were expected to complete. In the classroom, it was easier. I was able to model the strategies and clarify student thinking when any confusion would arise. Students were able to display their thinking also. Whether it was in their notebooks or on a dry erase board. It is sad to see that some of these skills aren't transferring as easily as we teachers and parents would like. Online learning has a variety of resources that children can benefit from that is very true. The complication arises when they need to show their work on a problem or practice a math strategy they have just learned.
Some students can understand what to do from one lesson but others need more modeling. Your contribution to my donors choose has made that possible. Now that we have received the Document Camera. I can model the strategies students must use. As many times, as I needed and with ease. The Document Camera has been the perfect addition to my remote learning lessons.
Through this donors choose project I was able to incorporate a lot more modeling into the lessons. This document camera was crucial to my class and I am very grateful for the support of Donors choose and the donors. Now students can see modeling in their remote classes and connect the modeling to their learning. Students are more engaged and receptive to the lesson now that it resembles what they use to see in class. Along with the camera, we were also able to buy extra cleaning supplies. Paper for in-person class printing and a pointer. Both in-person and remote students benefited from this donors choose project.
Again, we thank you tremendously for your support and wish you and your family the best.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 11 other donors.Mas Libros
Funded May 13, 2019I must tell you that it has always been a joy for me to teach Spanish to my dual language classes. I enjoy when they speak to me in my native language. I enjoy teaching them new vocabulary and increasing their knowledge of other cultures. When I decided to start my career my first choice was a program that would allow me to teach another language.
Speaking another language and enjoying Spanish literature has always been a joy for me. This is why when I noticed the disinterest that my students had for the Spanish books, I made it my task to find out the types of genres and topics they liked before creating this Donor's Choose Project. Before reading time was loud and very few students were reading for long periods of time. They were gathering up at the library looking in vain for interesting books on their level. They would pick books below their level because those were more interesting and had visuals.
After we received the grant the classroom was silent during reading time. The girls were able to read books they were familiar with like Drama and The Babi-sitters club. The boys were also entertained reading nonfiction books and fiction books like Diary of Wimpy Kid and Futbolisimos; a Spanish book series of soccer players who go on different adventures. These books made a drastic change in my classes independent reading time. My English language learners particularly liked the books that were based on Latin TV shows. They loved to see characters that they have enjoyed on television being represented in books.
As always, I am very honored that you chose our project and I cannot thank you enough for helping me instill love for Spanish books in my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 4 other donors.Popular Books
Funded Sep 25, 2018Learning a new language is exciting and hard work. Sometimes It becomes a bigger challenge if texts are not interesting. Students enjoy texts for their age range that they can relate to. Even if they know language is a challenge for them, a good book makes it worthwhile. The books and topics I selected were suggested by my students last year. At the beginning of every school year students would say the books in the library were not interesting or that they had read the same ones the year before. Through this Donors Choose donation I was able to show to them that there are many interesting and engaging books in Spanish.
Now reading has changed. Students are more motivated to read in class. They have graphic novels that aid them visually during the reading process. Occasionally, I ask them what they think of the books and what more I can do to help support their reading. They often respond that creating the project for more books was a great idea. They have read some of these books before in English and they were very interested when they saw them translated to Spanish. This for me was a victory. I enjoy engaging and motivating my students to read.
I asked students if they would like to do this again and if they had any suggestions. They were more than happy with the idea and have already created a new list of books and topics they want to learn about in Spanish. We truly thank all the donors that selected our project. It is amazing to know that we have your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Pena