Past projects 11
Growing Gratitude
Funded Apr 9, 2025Wow! I think that is the fastest I've ever had a project funded. I'm so excited to get these journals into my student's hands!! I hope I can wait until the end of the school year. If not, guided practice for the summer is great too!
I have a renewed sense of urgency to continue focusing on the good. I truly feel that you can teach anyone to read and write, but teaching them to enjoy being human is so much more important!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Let's Get Ready to Read (and Write)!
Funded Aug 13, 2024As always, new supplies are a major hit with third graders! Our reading basal is so big, it is often hard to find the correct page. The magnetic bookmarks were a HUGE hit! They were all so adorable that no one was fighting over getting the "best" one. They were all the best. These simple tools save us time DAILY.
Whenever I break out the highlighters engagement increases by about 300%! It's nice that they are in fun colors like pink, purple, blue, and orange. We've been using the highlighters to find important information in our texts and also to highlight tricky sounds as we work on decoding skills. Just this week we were able to highlight a bunch of silent letters like "k" in "knight." Students also enjoy the reader's theater passages that come with our curriculum, but without being able to highlight their part, students would struggle with remembering which part they read.
My favorite tool by far is the headphones and the cases! These earbuds are small, so they don't take up a lot of room and I no longer have to deal with cords everywhere because they slide right into their protective case. Thanks so much for helping!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
A Sense of Belonging
Funded Aug 21, 2023Thank you so much! It's always exciting to get a new project funded, but especially at the beginning of the school year!
My students will love their water bottles, I can't wait to see how they use the stickers to decorate and personalize their own bottle. I'm especially excited about the calm strips and the fact that EACH student will have the same water bottle.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
This classroom project was brought to life by The SONIC Foundation and 4 other donors.Just a Bit of Privacy!
Funded Sep 4, 2022We love our new privacy folders! They came with a rack to keep them organized and tidy while still being close at hand. Which is the most important thing in a classroom.
When I first introduced the dividers, I got some strange looks from my third graders. They weren't sure why they needed privacy in a classroom After the first use, they were in love! Many students still ask in the middle of reading, math or writing if they can get a divider. My answer is always, "You don't have to ask, just go get what you need!"
My high fliers like being able to work quickly and quietly in a private area without distraction. My struggling students like having space so that others are not seeing their struggle. It's also a great way to have a semi-private conference with a student about work without distracting neighbors.
Thank you so much for contributing to this project which has proven to be helpful and a welcome addition for all of my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
Because We Are Readers!
Funded Feb 8, 2022What an impact you have had on my students! As soon as I passed out the books, and they realized that they were able to KEEP their book, engagement skyrocketed. So many of my students have told me that this is their new favorite book and that they plan to read it over and over.
Today, we finished the book and read the Afterword by the author, it mentioned a girl who kept her copy on her nightstand and read it every time she was scared or couldn't sleep. A student came up to me and let me know that he was going to keep his copy near his bed and read a chapter every night! Another student was chatting with me as we neared the end and I explained how the end of a good book always made me sad because I had to say goodbye to the characters, he responded, "Mrs. De Bow, you can just read it again."
We have used this text for everything! We have looked back at words and defined them using context clues. We've answered comprehension questions. We practiced writing answers in complete sentences. We've made Venn diagrams comparing characters. We've predicted and fallen in love with our characters.
Thank you so much! I can't wait to surprise them with their bag of goodies!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
Stop and Jot, I'm Growing an Idea!
Funded Apr 8, 2019It's amazing how something as simple as a sticky piece of paper can reignite a students dedication to their work. Our plain old yellow 3X3 sticky notes were exciting and fun to use at the beginning of the year, but they have lost their luster. Today I passed out smaller green post-it notes and instantly students were engaged. I can't wait to see how students react tomorrow when we talk more about the main character in our books and I offer them a sticky shaped like a T-shirt to use to record their character's strongest trait!
Our box first arrived right before state testing, so we didn't get to dive right in with our reading. We did however pick out a few favorite shapes (Stars, hearts and speech bubbles) to write down some positive affirmations before we jumped into testing.
When we finally get to a book group meeting, later this week, I hope to have students tag their favorite parts with some post-it flags so that they can easily flip to the section they want to share with their team.
Thank you all again so much for your assistance. It is often difficult to hold the attention of fifth grade students at this point in the school year, but my kids are definitely excited about this new round of reading and their ability to respond in new and exciting ways.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
We Need To Control Our Clutter!
Funded Jul 10, 2016My students love our new classroom. Parents love our new classroom. I've even received compliments from other teachers and substitutes. The crates that were provided have allowed our classroom to be a flexible environment that still has a place for everyone.
The six white crates have been transformed into crate seats. The students have found these very comfortable and also enjoy stashing personal items in the crate below the seat.
The thirty black crates worked out better than I could have ever imagined. I was able to zip tie them all together and now each student has their own "locker" to store their belongings. These crates also double as a counter height table which the students unanimously declare as the best place to sit in our classroom.
The flexibility of our new room has strengthened our learning processes.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
Make our Fantasy a Reality
Funded Feb 2, 2016When I told my class that our next reading unit would be focused on the genre of Fantasy, they actually cheered! When I showed them the books that they would be able to choose for their book clubs I had students trying to bribe me out at recess so that they could get their first choice. We are a few weeks into the unit and the excitement still has not died down. We've been able to look at the setting of the story and dissect how it impacts the plot. We've charted characters' problems and how those problems develop throughout the story. We are looking to see who holds power in the story and are learning that power comes in many forms. Theme has been our most recent endeavor, looking to see what lessons the author may be providing for us.
Generally, it is difficult for my readers to discuss their reading for more than 15 minutes when in a group without a teacher. During this unit I've had groups discussing chapters for 45 minutes or more. I've actually had to referee a few meetings because of their passionate discourse.
My lowest level readers are the ones who are enjoying this unit the most and I'm enjoying watching them grow a love of reading. I have one student in particular whose day is fragmented by numerous pull outs, she reads at a late first grade level and finally she has found a series she loves. She read the first four books in a series (The Kingdom of Wrenly) and asked for more! My group of 5 kids who read at a late 2nd/early 3rd grade level are fighting over another series. My students at and above grade level continue to show excitement for their books.
I love seeing that my students are "hoarding" piles of books on their desks (I tried to include a picture of this).
Thank you again for your gracious gift. I'm excited to use these books for years to come and know that your generosity will leave a lasting impact on the students I have this year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
It's Got to Add Up!
Funded Mar 14, 2011Thank you so much for the calculators that you have provided for my students! After 13 years of teaching, it is so exciting to finally have a class set of calculators that I can use for instruction. The calculator caddy helps keep our new calculators safe and organized. It is easy for me to see if a calculator is missing or put away incorrectly.
All of my students are excited about using these new math tools. Most students believe that they are not doing math if they are using a calculator, but they are actually getting practice with all different kinds of math concepts. The next state test is just around the corner, I'm sure my students will have a better testing experience now that they have the supplies they need!
Thank you again, for my current students and all the students who will get to use them in the future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow
We Need Some Technology
Funded Nov 23, 2010Our ipods arrived in the mail yesterday! I'm not sure who was more excited, the kids or myself. We have already downloaded many apps and my class has never been so well behaved as they are all hoping to be the next student picked to "play games."
So far we have had students practicing making change, adding and subtracting decimals on a dollars and coins application. My ESL students are working on language development programs as well as visual math problems that allow them to complete their work without relying so much on language.
I am spending every spare moment collaborating with teachers and searching for FREE applications to download for my students. I've heard of teachers using the recording device to record their oral reading to improve expression and fluency.
Two days ago, my students started writing scripts to make mini-movies for the other kids in our school, I thought I would be filming the videos on my personal flip video, but now the students will be able to film their own videos using the ipods!!!
Thank you so much for enriching the education of my students. They are excited and motivated to do all sorts of activities. THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. De Bow