Past projects 68
Bird Watching and Naturalist Materials for Newcomer Citizen Scientists
Funded Jun 19, 2020Thank you so much for getting quality nature journaling materials, binoculars, and magnifying glasses into the hands of my students. For many of my students, this is the first science class they have ever taken, and I'm so appreciative that during this crazy year of distance learning I can focus on building my students' observation skills and curiosity. I delivered nature journal kits with the binoculars, magnifying glasses, and watercolors to my science students at the beginning of the school year -- it was a great way to be able to see my students in person and also get them excited about this year in science, and they were THRILLED to receive the binoculars. We use our nature journaling materials daily in science class to make observations and ask questions - we started with plants, caterpillars, and butterflies and are beginning our birding unit just in time for optimal birdwatching and to participate in Project Feederwatch. I have students send me pictures of what they've done in their journals each day after science class, and the journals have become a real source of pride for my students -- just before break, one student insisted on flipping through all of his pages and showing off the work that he'd done on each page. Thank you so much for making distance learning fun and engaging for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce and 5 other donors.Book Making Through the Pandemic
Funded Jun 10, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donations that allowed us to welcome our new 6th grade students with backpacks full of art supplies for at home learning. At the beginning of the school year, as I was getting to know my new advisory students, so many of them reported that drawing and art were their favorite things to do in their free time, and I was so happy that we were able to surprise them all with backpacks full of art supplies.
So far during advisory,students have documented their pandemic experience through meditative art journaling, watercolor quotes, drawings of how stress affects their body, to draw squiggles and shapes into monsters that can attack their To-Do lists, and a variety of fun quick draw activities from Lynda Barry's "Making Comics." As we begin a new unit on identity in January, they will also use their accordion books to develop artwork related to different aspects of their identities.
In surveys, our students have reported our advisory classes to be one of their favorite parts of their week during distance learning, and I think that the opportunity to make art is a big part of it -- students are having the opportunity to use their imaginations and express their feelings, and see that in the process of doing that anyone can be an artist.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce and 4 other donors.Social Justice Book Club -- Experiences Around the World
Funded Jun 25, 2020Thank you so much for donating these art materials for our Girls Outdoor Club. We were able to do one field trip between when these materials came and before shelter-in-place began - the first time many of our students saw snow, and I am also including pictures from previous outdoor art activities we did with students in our club. Now that there is an end to this pandemic in sight, I am looking forward to to using these art materials with students as a reflective activity at the end of all of our field trips -- painting and art activities have been a very important outlet and part of distance learning for our students, and I'm excited to do more outdoor art activities with them in the future.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 11 other donors.Newcomer Citizen Scientists Nature Journaling Through the Pandemic
Funded Aug 13, 2020I delivered nature journal kits to my science students at the beginning of the school year -- it was a great way to be able to see my students in person and also get them excited about this year in science. Students were so surprised and happy to receive their materials, and we use them daily in science class to make observations and ask questions. I have students send me pictures of what they've done in their journals each day after science class, and the journals have become a real source of pride for my students -- just before break, one student insisted on flipping through all of his pages and showing off the work that he'd done on each page. Thank you so much for making distance learning fun and engaging for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex Brand and one other donor.Books With Black Protagonists
Funded Jul 15, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donations that made it possible for students to get these books. So far, my students have read Locomotion, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and New Kid together, and we plan to tackle Chains in the spring, as well as start book clubs based on students' interests. Locomotion - the story of a boy grappling with the loss of his parents and healing through poetry -- was especially beloved, and I loved being able to talk about poetry with my students. Students were able to discuss their own racial identities and experiences at school through New Kid, and explore an important time in history through the lens of the Watsons. Thank you so much for your generous donation during a difficult time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce and 2 other donors.Butterfly Farms for Newcomer Citizen Scientists Learning From Home
Funded Oct 7, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donations that made this butterfly project possible just in time, before it got too cold to release them! Students were thrilled when I delivered their butterfly homes. These kits transformed science class -- every day began with excited updates about what the caterpillars/chrysalises/butterflies were doing and questions about what was going to happen next. Students wrote daily see, think, wonder entries into their science journals about their caterpillars as they transformed and worked in groups to engage in inquiry and collect data about what caterpillars and butterflies spend most of their time doing. We were even lucky enough that one student's chrysalises transformed into butterflies during science class! Thank you for your support in getting students excited about distance learning.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 5 other donors.Making Mindful Learners and a Calm Corner
Funded Jan 1, 2020Thank you so much for donating the materials to make a truly calm corner in my classroom. Students were VERY curious when the new supplies arrived, and I had a really wonderful afternoon when a few students who have trouble connecting during class all volunteered to stay and help create the calm corner. They took ownership over the design and final product, and it was so fun to see the problem solve and take pride in their final product. It's fun how much fake ivy can transform a room, and how excited 6th grade students are about stuffed animals -- a lot of will adopt our class sloth and wolf to "take care of" during class. Thank you for helping to create a small corner of respite in a very overcrowded classroom. Before Shelter-In-Place began, mindfulness practice was starting to become a regular part of our advisory meetings, and I hope to continue this once students return to school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 6 other donors.Creating Classroom Community Through Games
Funded Jan 2, 2020These games and conversation cards have transformed advisory, lunchtime, recess, and after school! Even something as simple as the conversation cards became a beloved crew routine -- students were always vying to be the one to pick the conversation card out of the box, and the questions on the cards themselves were a fun way for students to get to know each other better during morning crew check-ins. I think it's so important to give students the time, space, and encouragement to have real conversations with each other. My room also became a very popular space during recess -- especially for students who aren't very comfortable socially in the traditional recess setting. I really appreciated the way that the games gave students the structure to have fun and socialize with students they wouldn't normally socialize with. Thank you so much for your commitment to relationship building in my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 5 other donors.A Book The Whole School Can Share to Tackle Racism
Funded Sep 4, 2020Thank you so much for your generations that made it possible for every student at our school to pick up "This Book is Anti-Racist" at our school just before break. We plan on making this book the centerpiece of our advisory curriculum when we return from break to give both students and teachers the opportunity to engage in deep and thoughtful reflection and discussion to take action in ongoing anti-racism work. The books are beautiful, and students were so excited to receive books of their own right before the holidays.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 2 other donors.Visual Mixed Media Journals for Art Therapy and Creative Exploration
Funded Jul 11, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donations of mixed media art journals for all of our 6th grade students! At the beginning of the school year, as I was getting to know my new advisory students, so many of them reported that drawing and art were their favorite things to do in their free time, and I was so happy that we were able to surprise them all with these journals.
So far during advisory, students have used their journals for a variety of meditative art journaling activities, from transforming squiggles and shapes into monsters that can attack their fears and To-Do lists, to making watercolor inspirational quotes, to drawing how they are affected by stress, to making ghost emojis for Halloween.
I think that giving students art journals with high quality paper is a small gesture that shows students that we are honoring both their feelings and their artistry. They are excited to use their art journals during advisory class, and they take seriously the work they do in them. In surveys, our students have reported our advisory classes to be one of their favorite parts of their week during distance learning, and I think that the opportunity to make art is a big part of it -- students are having the opportunity to use their imaginations and express their feelings, and see that in the process of doing that anyone can be an artist. I look forward at the end of the year to seeing the end result of my students' journals!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce and 4 other donors.