Past projects 3
Time Travel With Fascinating Literature
Funded Aug 13, 2019Thank you for your generous donations to my 6th grade classroom! Through your contributions, I was able to purchase a class set of the book, "Shane."
Purchasing this book was important to me because I feel like our male population of students are often overlooked when choosing books of interest. Many of the books chosen by teachers have a female as the main character. In addition, I wanted my students to read a book that had a setting focused on the beginning settlements from people who migrated throughout the United States.
Not only do the boys love reading about a "gun slinger," Shane from the 1800s, the girls do as well! Students are able to read about two strong men who develop a friendship while working towards a common goal. Furthermore, the young boy idolizes Shane and sees him for the kind, generous man that he truly is.
My students participate in Socratic Seminars where they discuss their thoughts and ideas to questions such as: "Should Shane be forgiven for his past?" "What do we learn about the Starrett family as they accept Shane into their home?" "Do you think the Starretts would have reacted differently if they had known Shane was a "gun slinger" in the beginning?" "How would things be handled differently today regarding the control of land?"
We also look at comparisons between characters to a previously read book, "Schooled." We are able to compare the acceptance of characters past and present, as well as how support from others contributes to the growth of a character.
Shane is about forgiveness, dedication, generosity and starting over......themes that everyone can learn from.
Your selfless giving has allowed my students to grow in their knowledge with wonderful literature.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Baity
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 13 other donors.Discovery of Healing Through Native Cultures
Funded Aug 14, 2019First and most importantly, thank you so much for your donation to my 6th grade classroom. My students were thrilled to know that we received a classroom set of books due to so many individuals giving money because you love novels as well.
"Touching Spirit Bear" is one of the best pieces of literature that I have read in a long time. Seeing the transformation of Cole Matthews from an angry teenager to the teenager who realizes how he has hurt someone and must seek forgiveness from not only the victim, but himself is captivating.
The themes unveiled throughout the book are life changing. My classroom focused on the revelation of themes as we read. We debated which themes appeared to be the most important. The text citations provided from my students were spot-on and helped us realize that the themes in "Touching Spirit Bear" were equally important to the entire story.
Purchasing this book was important to me because I feel like our male population of students are often overlooked when choosing books of interest. Many of the books chosen by teachers have a female as the main character. In addition, I wanted my students to read a book that centered around the importance of forgiveness in order to move forward in life. In addition, Cole comes from a difficult family situation and I wanted students to see that someone can overcome the "demons" in their life.
Through this book we focused on foreshadowing and suspense. We also traced the significant events that lead to the transformation of Cole.
We looked at our current legal system and discussed how it compared to the "Circle Justice" presented in the book. We discussed court cases that would benefit from "Circle Justice" and when "Circle Justice" would not be beneficial to a court case.
We made predictions and wrote sequels to "Touching Spirit Bear" regarding Cole's life and several other characters in the book. We also created highlights from a book written from Peter Driscal's perspective. Finally, we are working on creating movie posters for the book being developed into a movie.
Your selfless giving has allowed my students to experience an exceptional piece of literature that they will remember for years to come. In addition, they are so excited there is a sequel and can't wait to read it!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Baity
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 19 other donors.Hakuna Matata with Aromatherapy
Funded Feb 9, 2016The Hakuna Matata with Aromatherapy has been a welcome addition to the 4th and 5th grade hall at our school. The wonderful scents permeate throughout our entire hall and have inspired additional teachers in our school to purchase the diffusers and essential oils for their classrooms.
Our students enjoy picking their favorite scents to be used for the instructional day. We have had numerous parents and friends share essential oil combinations and their benefits. The favorite scents seem to be lavender/lemongrass, peppermint/lemongrass and peppermint/eucalyptus. The teachers have noticed that students seem more focused and relaxed when using aromatherapy during the instructional day.
When we first received the materials all of our students were so excited that people cared enough to donate to our school. They were in awe that we didn't have to pay for the items and people were so kind to help us. It was truly an inspirational moment to share the gift with all 120 students.
Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated by our teachers and students. Allowing our children to witness people caring about their progress in school and the desire to help them be successful is a beautiful gift in itself.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Baity
This classroom project was brought to life by Duke Energy and 9 other donors.