Past projects 5
Learning Through Play!
Funded Dec 31, 2020Thank you so much for your incredible donations! Our project materials have arrived, one box after another. The excitement and joy that has come from each box that we open together, as a class, is truly a gift.
The materials have been organized in a way that elicits creativity and imagination. Each student gets a specific activity/toy that we keep in individual baskets, that we call "discovery". Students get the entire week to build and play with their materials, before they are rotated to another students basket.
My students are thrilled at the idea of being able to play and explore with something new each week! They love talking and sharing about their materials with each other, lending a "sneak peek" and preview of what's to come! So far, I have observed and listened to dialogue that describes jet boating in the ocean (Polly Pocket) and a derailed train crash from a fallen boulder. I have seen the construction of towers and castles and the excitement of completing a challenging lacing activity, amongst so much more! My students are excited and engaged!
Thank you again for bringing light to our classroom during such a tough and challenging time! We are grateful and blessed!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Larson
Snacks For Creative Kinders!
Funded Oct 12, 2020We have absolutely been thrilled with the assortment of snacks you have provided for us this school year. There are plenty of snacks to serve every student and they enjoy being able to choose something different, daily. When our snacks arrived in the big brown boxes, they were able to help me unpack them. They cheered when I pulled out the tubs of animal crackers and Cheese-its! As we continue on with the year, I will be selecting students to be a 'Star Student' for the week, and with that, they will get to choose the snack of the day for them and their classmates.
We are truly grateful for all of your kind and generous donations. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Larson
For the Love of Reading!
Funded Oct 1, 2019First of all, I want to tell you how extremely grateful and blessed I am for your wonderful donations! We are heading into our Reading and Writing Nonfiction Units and these new books couldn't have come at a better time! Students are able to get their hands on nonfiction topics that they like, and are interested in! With these types of books, we are able to dive a little deeper into the awesome features that a nonfiction book includes.
In our classroom, we meet at the rug for a short mini lesson and skill to be learned and practiced during our independent reading time. Students are free to choose where they would like to sit with their reading partner around the room. With the accessibility of a variety of texts, my students are now able to share with each other, all that they are learning in each of their books. It is so powerful!
With the addition of our new series books, my higher readers are able to be challenged, while at the same time exploring and finding their love for different, popular authors. So far, we are huge fans of James Dean, 'Pete the Cat' and Barbara Park, 'Junie B. Jones'!
Again, we are truly grateful for all of your generous donations! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Larson
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.Sit and Stay a While!
Funded Jan 27, 2018WOW! We are absolutely thrilled with your donation and have been thoroughly enjoying our beautiful new space, all thanks to a brand-new area rug!
At this point in our school year, we are learning all about reading to learn, how to give a written review about something, measurement and most importantly...personal space. Thinking with our eyes, sitting with, and being part of the group, following the group plan and whole body listening are all social emotional goals that we are better able to follow now that we each have our own space on the rug!
My students are expected to sit on the "carpet" multiple times throughout their day to listen to mini lessons, turn and talk with their partners and share. Share is a very exciting and personable way to get to know each other as learners and as individuals. Students share their work, their thoughts and on Friday's, they share a personal item brought from home. They LOVE this part of their day! Prior to this donation, my students had a very difficult time adhering to our daily social emotional goals and the 'share' part of our day was always a struggle. Since receiving this donation, time at the carpet has greatly improved and our bumpy days have decreased! We love our rug!
This donation of a classroom rug serves ALL of my students! However, it has really been of great value to my students who struggle with personal space and following the group plan. Now, with our new colorful and cozy carpet, they have a special space to call their own that they can come back to time and time again!
My school year would not be running as smoothly as it is without this area rug, and from the bottom of my heart...from the bottom of OUR hearts, we again, THANK YOU!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Larson
Reading is FUN for Everyone!
Funded Sep 23, 2017WOW! We are absolutely thrilled with your donation and have been thoroughly enjoying our book shopping, all thanks to a brand new selection of books!
At this point in our school year, we are learning all about 'Good Reading Habits'. How to introduce ourselves to a book, how to choose a "just right" book, practicing the stamina that it takes to actually READ a book independently and...the strategies we need to use when we get to those tricky words as we are reading.
My students are supplied with leveled readers from our schools book room that I select, but they also get the opportunity each week to fill their book bags with books of their choice as well. We call this 'Book Shopping' and the kids love it! Prior to this donation, my students were not able to shop because I did not have additional (personal) books to supply them with. Since receiving this donation, 'Book Shopping' has become the highlight of our week.
This donation of books serves ALL of my students! However, they have really been of great value to my lower reading students who now have a bigger variety of "choice books" to choose from, as well as for a couple of my students who hadn't found the joy in reading, simply because they hadn't yet been introduced to the series 'Biscuit'!
My school year would not be running as smoothly as it is without these books, and from the bottom of my heart...from the bottom of OUR hearts, we again, THANK YOU!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Larson