Past projects 3
Exploring Worlds With Books
Funded Sep 18, 2018Thank you for your generosity. It is greatly appreciated by all of the people who make up Room 17. The books are AMAZING! It's allowed my students to take some of the skills we work on with curriculum and transfer them to books they choose to read on their own.
Typically our reading time consists of using the provided curriculum from the district. We do our best though to make time for students to explore worlds, and situations with books on their own. Sometimes this might come about in the form of a literature group, where students form groups based on a genre, or theme. Then they get to discuss with each other how their book relates to other group members' books.
They were so excited when the books came in, and they're putting them all to great use. Thank you again for your kindness, your thoughts about future generations of our country, and how giving them something like books could very well be the catalyst to a student opening the door to a bright future.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Swake
Kids Capturing Curiosity With Chromebooks
Funded Oct 21, 2016I cannot begin to express my gratitude. Most students may think it is really cool that we have these in our classroom because they get to used them during indoor recess. As this is one aspect in which the students use the Chromebooks you were gracious enough to donate, it is only a VERY small component of what we have been able to accomplish since receiving the product.
The students have worked on quite a few research projects since we received the Chromebooks. This is something the students absolutely love. I have modeled part of our time in the classroom after Google. By this I mean that there is usually a spot of time in our weekly schedule that students are allowed to use the computers to research something they are interested in. These topics have span such a wide range of subjects from sports teams, to natural disasters, to animals. It's truly amazing to see what they come up with and are able to teach others in the class about. A group of students have even started a club to try and help raise funds/awareness for koala bears (absolutely adorable).
I think the greatest impact of your donation however has come in the form of 1 student. This student has not shown an ability to access information the way other students in our classroom are capable of. Since having the Chromebooks in our room this student is able to access information in a way that is most beneficial to them and has been making a lot of progress in their academic skills.
Once again there is no way for me to truly express the full impact your donation has made on our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Swake
Building Brains with Books
Funded Oct 12, 2016Due to your generosity we were able to get 70 new books into our classroom. The students have LOVED it! We were able to get a wide range of books making sure to cover all areas of interest. Many people read for fun, and my students are no different. One of the best things about having these books come in is that it makes diving into the book a little deeper that much easier. If the students are excited about what they are reading they are more willing to tell you about it, more capable of remembering what they read, and it is easier for them to make connections from the books to their lives, the world, and other books they have read.
In our classroom reading takes place in a few different forms outside of the standard curriculum. We do silent reading in the mornings (kids' choice), we have a second silent reading session in the afternoons (this requires them to choose a book they will be engaged in for long periods of time), and finally 20 minute reading sessions at home each night (once again kids' choice). These new additions to our classroom have opened up so many more opportunities for the students to explore new worlds and characters.
Overall there is a great deal of satisfaction with the books. We were able to get a collection of biographies and non-fiction books that explain certain events in history, and there is a group of boys who absolutely love getting the opportunity to soak up this information. When I explained to the students the opportunity we had with this project, this group of boys were perhaps the most eager to voice what they wanted, and then dove right in once those books showed. up. This doesn't even begin to show how much my class, as well as myself, appreciate what you have provided us with.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Swake