Ms. Carrie's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 15

• Unleashing Creativity in the Makerspace

  Funded Jan 22, 2025

  Thank you so much for helping to make this project a success! I can't wait to share with students the new possibilities for creative projects that they can design in the makerspace. Their creativity is endless, and I am always amazed by the ideas they have and their willingness to keep trying until they make something truly spectacular. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

• Coding in the Library!

  Funded Sep 24, 2021

  Students have been loving coming to the library to work with the Sphero robots! They have enjoyed driving them around to get used to how they move and are now learning how to program them using the Sphero app.

  Students are using the Spheros to practice block coding and learn how sequencing matters in programming. They are also using problem solving techniques and appropriate small group collaboration skills to program their Sphero robots. They are just starting to figure out how to create a program that will run the Sphero through a small maze. The lock box is keeping all of our Spheros safe in the library and keeping our charging cords organized.

  Some students are beginning to brainstorm how they can use the Spheros to show their learning in other content areas.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

  This classroom project was brought to life by 3M.

• LGBTQ+ Books for GSA Book Clubs

  Funded Oct 22, 2020

  Something truly magical happens when students read and discuss a shared text. They are able to come together in community with their peers, sharing their thoughts, connections, and experiences with the text in a way that they do not in other educational settings. In our classrooms, we offer students choice during their reading. This greatly improves student engagement but limits the experience of a shared text.

  One of the many wonderful things about teaching middle school students is that they are beginning to develop a strong sense of themselves and their interests. Books are one of the many ways students are able to explore their own interests and identities, as well as discover interests and identities of others.

  This project allowed our students in our Gender and Sexuality Alliance to read books featuring LGBTQ+ characters, discuss how those characters learned about themselves and interacted with the world around them, and to discuss how they see similar situations in their own lives and the world around them.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 6 other donors.

• Take Home Books for Distance Learning

  Funded Oct 22, 2020

  One of the many wonderful things about teaching middle school is that students have held onto their childhood love of reading. Often, I walk into class and say, "Today, we're starting with reading time!" and several students cheer. Students quickly run to the shelves, select a book, and settle down to read. In their otherwise busy lives, daily silent reading time offers students a chance to unplug and truly focus on one activity. Many of my students find a little nook or a spot on the floor to curl up with a good book, reminding me that they still maintain that childhood sense of wonder that comes from reading, even as they try to rush into adolescence.

  Providing students with choice reading time has been shown time and again to increase students engagement and performance. Students are able to select a book that is not only at their level, but is high interest. By 6th grade, student reading levels and interests vary so much that it is difficult to find a single text that relates to each student in the class. Students need choice in what they are reading to stay engaged and continue their love of reading.

  During distance learning, many of our students lost that easy access to books. This project allowed teachers to work together to increase access to students learning outside our building. We were able to connect with students to discover their interests and match them with one or two of the book options. Some students stopped by the building and picked up their books curbside. Teachers dropped books off to students who weren't able to get to school to pick them up. When they were finished reading, students were able to keep the books and start to grow their own at home libraries.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 6 other donors.

• Diverse Books for Our Classroom Library

  Funded May 6, 2019

  These books flew off the shelf as soon as they were unpacked! Students were so excited to read these books and many of them are simply passing from student to student and rarely sitting on the shelf.

  One of the many wonderful things about teaching in middle school is that many students have held onto their childhood love of reading. Everyday in my classroom, students are given time to read books that they self-select. Students quickly run to the shelves, select a book, and settle down to read. In their otherwise busy lives, daily silent reading time offers students a chance to unplug and truly focus on one activity. Many of my students find a little nook or a spot on the floor to curl up with a good book, reminding me that they still maintain that childhood sense of wonder that comes from reading, even as they try to rush into adolescence.

  Providing students with choice reading time has been shown time and again to increase students engagement and performance. Students are able to select a book that is not only at their level, but is high interest. By 6th grade, student reading levels and interests vary so much that it is difficult to find a single text that relates to each student in the class. Increasing the variety of books available in our classroom is already benefiting students by providing more choice.

  One of my main goals with our classroom library is to develop a collection of books that represents the diversity of my students and the world around them. In looking through our library last spring with students, we noticed that we had very few books written by Asian or Asian American authors and featuring Asian or Asian American characters. These books have given many of my students opportunities to not only recognize themselves in the characters, but they have also provided the invaluable opportunity to find role models in the authors of these books.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 10 other donors.

• Age Appropriate Contemporary Novels for Our Classroom Library!

  Funded Dec 19, 2018

  Students were so excited to receive these books! I barely had the box open before students were lining up to get a look at what books had arrived. Two days later, I already have students who are almost finished reading their first of what I'm sure will be a long list of new books.

  One of the many wonderful things about teaching in middle school is that many students have held onto their childhood love of reading. Everyday in my classroom, students are given time to read books that they self-select. Students quickly run to the shelves, select a book, and settle down to read. In their otherwise busy lives, daily silent reading time offers students a chance to unplug and truly focus on one activity. Many of my students find a little nook or a spot on the floor to curl up with a good book, reminding me that they still maintain that childhood sense of wonder that comes from reading, even as they try to rush into adolescence.

  Providing students with choice reading time has been shown time and again to increase students engagement and performance. Students are able to select a book that is not only at their level, but is high interest. By 6th grade, student reading levels and interests vary so much that it is difficult to find a single text that relates to each student in the class. Increasing the variety of book available in our classroom is already benefiting students by providing more choice.

  Students frequently ask me for a book that will "break my heart in the middle, but heal it by the end." One of the challenges of finding contemporary books for middle school students is that they want to read books with realistic teenage romantic relationships but are not ready for the mature content found in many teen books. The books in this project have greatly increased the number of romantic titles in our classroom library and given students many more options of age-appropriate, engaging reading material.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.

• LGBT Characters for Our Classroom Library!

  Funded Jul 12, 2018

  One of the many wonderful things about teaching in middle school is that many students have held onto their childhood love of reading. Everyday in my classroom, students are given time to read books that they self-select. Students quickly run to the shelves, select a book, and settle down to read. In their otherwise busy lives, daily silent reading time offers students a chance to unplug and truly focus on one activity. Many of my students find a little nook or a spot on the floor to curl up with a good book, reminding me that they still maintain that childhood sense of wonder that comes from reading, even as they try to rush into adolescence.

  Providing students with choice reading time has been shown time and again to increase students engagement and performance. Students are able to select a book that is not only at their level, but is high interest. By 6th grade, student reading levels and interests vary so much that it is difficult to find a single text that relates to each student in the class. Increasing the variety of book available in our classroom is already benefiting students by providing more choice.

  One of my main goals with our classroom library is to develop a collection of books that represents the diversity of my students and the world around them. In looking through our library last spring with students, we noticed that we had very few books with LGBTQ characters. Since the addition of these books to our library, students have engaged in conversations with myself and their peers about the issues and characters they are discovering and are continuing to seek out more books with LGBTQ characters.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie

• Sharp Pencils, Sharp Minds

  Funded Apr 24, 2018

  With the addition of technology in the classroom, it's sometimes easy to overlook the basics. A sharp pencil is an invaluable tool for learning, yet one that is often challenging to provide. Classroom pencil sharpeners take a beating and tend to wear out quickly. With several new and durable pencil sharpeners, my students were able to end the year strong and my classroom is prepared to welcome students in the fall. Once the new pencil sharpeners arrived, students commented constantly about how great it was to have them and often made sure to sharpen their pencils before leaving class so that they were prepared for the rest of the day! Thank you so much for helping my students be prepared and engaged in their learning.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Carrie