Past projects 8
Engaging Students Through Learning Games
Funded Sep 29, 2022I cannot express how thankful I am for your support. These materials will ensure that my students will have a successful school year. I am so excited to share this news in my classroom and I am looking forward to seeing smiles on my students’ faces.
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and one other donor.Gamifying Student Assessment Using Jenga!
Funded Sep 13, 2021Thank you so much for supporting my classroom and providing me with resources to impact my students. You make learning fun for my students who have been out of the classroom for many months. Thanks again for all of your support for not just my classroom, but educators everywhere! Much love!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
Few Resources, Extreme Need- Back to School in an Epicenter
Funded Sep 7, 2020This last school year was a year like no other. Due to the intensity of the pandemic impacting my exact school community, I was asked by my administration to teach entirely remotely. It was an experience that I will never forget. My students and I learned from one another, explored a variety of new technology resources, and had an unusual connection, one made only possible by the fact that we entered each others' homes digitally each day. As the pandemic eased, graduation events were made possible. Seeing my students and their families for the first time in person was an unbelievable experience, one which highlighted the remarkable power of technology.
That being said, the materials from this project were not able to be used last year, as I did not spend time in the building with students. These resources have been tucked away safely in school closets that I simply can't wait to open in a few weeks. All of the materials from this project will be used with my students this school year. I am so thankful for your support during this challenging time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 6 other donors.A Fresh Start Just Around the Corner
Funded Jul 20, 2021It feels like a large weight has been lifted off of my shoulders with the funding of this project. It looks like our district will not be able to provide us with any funding for materials again this year, so this is an absolutely huge help.
I am excited to share pictures with you later this Fall of students utilizing their resources and putting them to work. Than you again for all of the support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 5 other donors.It Really Stinks When You Don't Have Ink!
Funded Nov 3, 2019The ink that this project funded sustained my classroom for the entire school year. Students were able to get differentiated materials and supplemental hint-sheets to help them complete classwork.
When the pandemic hit, I was able to use the ink to print "superlative" certificates for each student to mail at the conclusion of the school year. In the midst of a challenging year, I am confident that this made a difference in my students' lives. Many of them lost family members during the last year, as our school is located in the epicenter of the first wave of the coronavirus.
Thank you so much for your generosity and your commitment to education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 5 other donors.Please Help My Students ROCK Their Earth Science Practical
Funded Sep 28, 2017Thank you so much for helping out my classroom this year. A 2D learning experience is simply incomparable with a 3D learning experience. Our school has tight resources and even colored copies are nonexistent. Having my students feel the rock samples and become detectives with the mineral identification kits was a blast to witness.
I loved seeing my kids go "WOAH!" when they entered the classroom as usual and saw stations set up around the room with the different rock and mineral samples (some of the samples were ones that I bought in previous years, but the new rocks and kits were a perfect addition).
My students' favorite part was using the scratch test and seeing if they can figure out the mineral's hardness by applying the MOHs scale to their observations. My curriculum unexpectedly changed this year and I am actually teaching 7th grade science in addition to Earth Science Regents and the kits have been so useful with my 7th graders as well. Some of these students have special needs and the hands-on factor is absolutely essential. Thank you again for supporting public education and my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
Electromagnetism Kits Go Beyond A Worksheet
Funded Jun 9, 2017Each year when I do my planning over the summer I run into a topic that I struggle finding an inspiring way to teach to my students. This past summer, the topic that made me feel this way was electromagnetism. While not a major component of my curriculum, I have noticed a pattern of students doing poorly on exam questions focusing on electromagnets, charges, and circuits. I was beyond thrilled to have this project funded by generous donors.
Instead of pre-teaching any material, I allowed for students to explore the electromagnetism kits with their scientist groups (5-6 students). I even took away the directions from the kits just to allow for pure experimentation and discovery. Students were so excited to even open the kits, because they acknowledged how special this opportunity was. One student exclaimed that it "felt like Christmas morning" being able to open all the packaging as well as the battery packs that I purchased. Students worked for 20 minutes simple observing as well as figuring out how to put together the circuit. So much trial and error was wonderful to see in this process! It was a teacher's dream come true!
After about 20 minutes, I allowed each group to present their observations to the class. They were all so proud about what they were able to achieve. Some students pointed out that the kits would be great to perform magic tricks with if the observers were not informed about the properties of electromagnets. We ended our class with a discussion question that tied the lesson together: How can electromagnets be used in the construction industry? What are the advantages of an electromagnet over a regular magnet? On the exit card for the day, 26/29 students answered correctly which provided me with data that the hands-on experience was truly superior to my old lesson. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz
Please Be My Students' Biggest FAN!
Funded Sep 25, 2017My students and I are extremely grateful fr your contribution to our science classroom. As soon as the project got funded I told my students, who then actually created a countdown for the fans to arrive. Each year, I promised myself to invest in fans, but being a STEM teacher all of my allocated funding is used for project supplies.
I always think about how student learning cannot occur if students don't feel comfortable in their setting. Whether they feel uncomfortable sharing their thoughts due to fear of criticism, or feel uncomfortable walking to the next station because they are so lethargic from the heat, it is the same problem; a problem that impacts education. Thank you for helping my students learn by helping me provide a comfortable setting for them. I cannot appreciate it enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gancarz