Past projects 29
Young Authors and Illustrators: Creative Writing in the Classroom
Funded Aug 26, 2016Thank you again for donating to our classroom! We used the resources to create our own books. First, each student decided if they wanted to research for an informational book or to write their own fictional story. Then, the students drafted their book. Next, the drafts were reviewed by other classmates and teachers before students were able to write their actual book!
Using the blank books, students were given the opportunity to write and illustrate their books. The flair pens were used to go over the pencil marks so the books were easier to read. The students really appreciated that the colored pencils were erasable! They were able to color and decorate with the ability to erase or fix anything they needed to.
The books were placed in our classroom library and then were sent home. Thank you again for your generous donation and supporting our classroom of writers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Super Science With Surf Seats
Funded Nov 29, 2023WOW! We appreciate you so much! These resources will be awesome additions to our classroom. We really are excited about the surf seats so we can sit and safely use our Chromebooks for research. Also, we can't wait to read the science books. We borrowed some from the library and loved them so much that we asked for them to be added to our classroom. Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and one other donor.Get Comfy with Reading!
Funded Nov 17, 2023Thank you so much for taking the time to support our classroom this year! We are super excited to get a bunch of new social studies books and comfy cushions to read on. They will be a great addition to our classroom! We appreciate you and are thankful for you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Bringing Reading to Life With Reader's Theater
Funded Nov 13, 2022Wow! Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom! We love reading aloud with each other and now we have new things to read with the partner plays. We're even getting into acting! We appreciate you and everything will be put to good use! Have an awesome day!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 2 other donors.Colorful Paragraph Writing Made Easy
Funded Jul 14, 2022Thank you so very much for these writing materials! I am beyond excited to be able to start the year with the writing notebooks and colored pencils. Strong writing routines are essential, especially in a transition year like third grade. My students and I greatly appreciate your support and kindness!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Hands-On Math at a Distance
Funded Dec 18, 2020Wow! Thank you so much! With so much uncertainty in the world right now I appreciate that you took the time to generously make this project happen! My students will have the math tools they need to be successful while being safe. I can't thank you enough for these materials!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Working Magic with Storyworks Magazines
Funded Dec 18, 2020Thank you ! Thank you! Thank you! Storyworks magazines have been an amazing resource in my classroom in the past and I can't wait to use them this year. I am excited to get great literature across multiple genres into the hands of my students. The looks on their faces when I give them these magazines will be priceless as they constantly ask me for more and more books and articles to read. Thank you for helping my students to fall in love with reading!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Storyworks: Using Literary Magazines to Engage Students
Funded Aug 18, 2018Thank you so much for your generosity! I know my students will love these magazines just as much as I love teaching with them! The magazines are a well-rounded resource to help my students read from a variety of genres and have access to rich texts. I can't wait to use them!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
Professional Development: The Key to Success
Funded Mar 10, 2015Thank you so much for helping to send me to the ILA Conference this past summer! This is an annual reading conference that takes place in a different city in the United States every year. I had previously attended the conference in Chicago and learned so much that I couldn't wait for it to be close enough to go to. I drove to St. Louis (a six hour drive for me) to be a part of this conference.
Nothing can compare to the professional development you receive from talking to other teachers. I love this annual conference because teachers from all over the country come to one place to learn how to become better teachers. Most of the sessions I attended regarded reading comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. Writing was a huge focus for me at this conference. At the beginning of this school year, I shared with my colleagues the strategies and techniques I learned during the conference, as well as, the resource that were shared with me. We have made a big push to display student writing and to have students work on peer editing. This has been a huge success this year and our hallways are peppered with student writing samples.
Another topic I focused on was parent communication. When I originally wrote this proposal, this was not something I planned to learn about. However, I attended a session that was so helpful that I then decided to attend more on the same topic. My school now has a monthly newsletter that goes home highlighting what the students are accomplishing at school. We also now have parent bulletin boards by our office that showcase student work and includes hand-outs about how they can help their child learn at home. In addition, our parent nights are now more focused and productive based on the changes we made because of what I learned.
Thank you again for your generous donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Hokki Stools: Wiggly Chairs for Wiggly Students
Funded Dec 2, 2015Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My students are going to LOVE these stools! They are such hard workers, but can at times become easily distracted. I have seen how these stools can help students focus more in the classroom. More importantly, my most wiggly students will be able to move around without distracting their peers. My classroom is very tiny and were kind of crammed together. These stools will help students to stay within their own space. In addition, my students are receiving reading interventions to improve their comprehension and fluency. My goal is to make my room the room where learning is fun and is a place where students want to go. Thank you for helping me to make my room an engaging learning environment.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Pociecha-Sparkman
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.