Past projects 5
Connecting to the Outside World from Our Little Classroom
Funded Aug 12, 2021It is hard to put into words sometimes how grateful I am to people who donate to my classroom, your kindness makes my job easier. I didn't have the money to buy Scholastic News for each child in my class this year. Sometimes the things that work the best are out of reach financially for me as a teacher. So thank you for putting the Scholastic News articles in our reach.
I love how Scholastic News teaches the kids about nonfiction texts, with interesting and informative articles. I chose to get digital resources and hard copy resources for my students. This has been perfect as many students have been in and out this year due to health concerns. While they were at home they could still access the same articles we were using in the classroom. The students in my classroom have the benefit of a hard copy of the magazine in their hands and the use of the many resources in the online digital version.
My students have been so excited each time I pull out a Scholastic News because they can learn about real life topics. Scholastic News is my favorite resource for teaching ELA. Thank you so much for your generous gift.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Murphy
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 6 other donors.Culturally Diverse Books for Little Learners!
Funded Aug 21, 2017It is hard to put into words how grateful I am to people who donate to my classroom, your kindness makes my job easier. I love introducing my students to new books all the time, but these books introduce students to characters that look like them! I cannot describe the looks on some of my kid's faces when I read these texts to them.
I love how these books also introduced students to other cultures. Many of my students do not know what others experience so this opened their eyes and minds. We were able to learn and have many impactful conversations. As a result, the kids have become curious and wanting to learn more and more about people from other backgrounds besides their own.
These books were a fun and easy way to peek the interest of my little learners! Thank you for your generosity. It has truly made a difference to many children and many more to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Murphy
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 5 other donors.Strong Stories and Wonderful Watercolors
Funded Dec 30, 2016Thank you so much for donating to our class! My class was thrilled when they opened the box and saw all the books they were receiving. We have used so many of the books to make teaching third grade lessons even better! For instance we read "The Rough Faced Girl" when comparing and contrasting because it is similar to Cinderella. These books have helped us see how real writers write and have inspired us to become even better authors ourselves!
My students have many opportunities to read throughout the day. This wonderful gift has impacted my lower readers because they are feeling more confident in their ability to read. The students are constantly rereading the books that I have already read to them, which in turn helps them become better readers! They love seeing the stories over and over!
In addition to the books, my students have been able to reflect by using the watercolors. In turn we have connected, arts, reading, and writing! We have painted nature scenes, holiday pictures based on the stories, and many more. These paints have touched many children than you may even know! From the bottom of my heart I thank you for believing in these children! Thank you for such generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Murphy
This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 5 other donors.We Like to Move It!
Funded Sep 23, 2016My students were through the roof excited when I told them we were getting some new wiggle seats! Each child was able to try out the seats and use them at our small group table. Having these stools has been the perfect opportunity for my students to monitor what works best for them. They love the new seats and are happy to use them daily. I have had so many students comment about how much they love these stools.
I think at times kids are told to be still and sit in their seats. My group this year is such an active bunch so they loved knowing it was OK to be moving while learning. These stools have helped to keep many of them on task. Many of them have mentioned how the stools help them focus. I love that they asked for something and it truly improved their learning!
I have researched about flexible seating and noticed that moving stools were often an option in rooms that already implemented flexible seating. I love that these stools are safe yet offer students the chance to move or get some wiggles out in a non-distracting manner. They are the perfect way to start implementing flexible seating for my class. This has made a huge difference in my students lives daily!
Without donors like you, they wouldn't have the amazing option to move while learning. Thank you for donating to us, and please know that you made a huge impact on these third graders! They are so thankful to have donors like you believe in them!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Murphy
This classroom project was brought to life by Target and one other donor.Enhancing the Imaginations of Our Future!
Funded Jun 10, 2016Thank you so much for donating to our project! My students are absolutely loving all the new resources that have been made available to us. The drawers have been used as home for many classroom supplies. As a result, these are used daily by the students. For instance, two of the sets of drawers are used to house our new crayons. If a student is working on a project and needs a specific color, they can easily take a visit to our drawers which sort the colors for them. Another set of drawers is used to house pencils and erasers. If a student needs a new pencil, he or she takes a walk to put their dull pencil in the "dull" drawer, then they can grab a new pencil from the "sharp" drawer. This has made life so much easier in the classroom. Giving a home to our supplies keeps us all organized. Having colorful paper has been amazing! The kids LOVE color. Using fun colors makes the lesson come to life and have meaning. They love making flaps in our notebooks with the fun colors. Under each flap, my student can record information or share what they have learned in the lesson. They can respond to questions with words or pictures. Having something visually pleasing to a kid makes them want to learn.
When my students found out that these supplies for them, they were ecstatic to say the least. They could not believe they were receiving smelly markers, crayons, fun colored paper, and other supplies! They were so excited to use them. I wish I had taken pictures of some of their faces when I told them that it was for them to use. They were truly thankful for the many supplies.
The supplies have helped to keep approximately 20 students stay organized. I love to do interactive learning and many not so typical projects in my room. For instance, I take the first 15 minutes of the day to have students create. I provide my students with 1-2 specific supplies and they can create whatever they want. This gets their creative juices flowing first thing rather than completing a worksheet that they don't enjoy. I want my student to enjoy coming to school each day. In the future, I hope to incorporate flexible seating. Flexible seating is a newer idea that gives students a choice on where or what they sit on to do their best learning. I hope to be posting several projects in the upcoming year. One may be to get those flexible seating materials. Another will be for some rich reading materials. I have noticed students respond when they are taught through stories which is why I will be using storybooks to teach.
Thank you for your generous donations to help the future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Murphy