Past projects 5
Creating a High-Interest Library
Funded Nov 29, 2023Thank you so much for supporting our DonorsChoose project. Students picked out a variety of texts that were of high interest to them. We had just completed our genre study of biographies, which inspired them to pick out numerous biographies of people who they wanted to learn more about. They also identified specific series for which they wanted more books to add to our classroom library. In my classroom, I am big on teaching diversity, acceptance, and kindness through picture books. With your help, we were able to get numerous titles that support that. We read the text aloud as a whole group, and then it remains on display for students to choose to read during their independent reading time. Students have thoroughly enjoyed being able to look through and check out our new books.
Also, thanks to your help, we were able to refill our beanbags. The beanbags serve as a comfortable, safe place for students to read and complete other learning activities throughout the day. Students are able to often move around the room and choose spaces to either work collaboratively or independently. These beanbags have served many students well for a lot of years. It is extremely exciting when we get to refill them and make them feel brand new again. We had also requested a new bookshelf to add to our classroom library. Unfortunately, that bookshelf was out of stock, so students helped me pick a new one, and they chose one shaped like a cactus. We were even able to get brand new plants for which the students are responsible for watering and caring for weekly. We had been studying plant needs in science, and they enjoyed finding the perfect spot to put our new plant shelf in our classroom. I am a big believer in creating a safe, warm and inviting space in my classroom for students to learn. The shelf and plants add a perfect touch.
Without the support of donors like you, our classroom would be nowhere near as amazing as it is! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marr
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 11 other donors.Inspiring Creativity With Cricut Machines!
Funded Aug 30, 2022Thank you for your generosity and supporting our project. The students were so excited to explore all of the many projects that we could create using our new Cricut machines and materials. They are learning how to use the software, the machines and the tools to create their own projects. Our first project involved creating designs and adding personalization to ornaments the students hand-painted and gave as gifts to someone of their choice. The worked collaboratively and enjoyed being able to make their own creative decisions. Their next project includes creating 3-D images of a specific animal/person to accompany their research projects and making personalized bookmarks to celebrate their love of reading next month. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful community of supporters! We can not wait to see what we create in the future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marr
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 8 other donors.Help Give Us the Library of our Dreams
Funded Aug 26, 2022Your support has allowed us to create the most wonderful library space in our classrooms. Students are enjoying the new beanbag chairs and helped me to refill and revive our old ones! The new books were picked out by the students themselves and their engagement during independent reading time has increased greatly! Giving students books that are high-interest to motivate them to actively engage in independent reading time is so important to me as an educator. Inspiring students to develop a genuine love of reading only help them grow and succeed.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marr
Inspiring Lifelong Learners Through Reading
Funded Mar 11, 2022By donating so many high-interest books to our classroom library, students have really been able to take a more invested interest in their independent reading. Students are more willing to pick out books that are of personal interest, which already increases their ability to comprehend what they are reading. Students complete a variety of projects or written responses to the books that they are reading. They also get to complete book recommendations and share the new books that they love with their classrooms.
Students were also able to organize our library with the new baskets and sort books by specific authors, genres or series. They used different colored dot stickers to label each basket in attempt to help other classmates keep the library organized.
One of the coolest projects completed with these books is the historical fiction book report. Students read books based on a specific event or person from history. They the did a mini-research project on the actual event or person and compared the information that they found to their books. Students then shared what they found and we discussed events and/or people we may have never discussed and learned about if it weren't for this project!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marr
This classroom project was brought to life by Arizona Department of Education.Creating a Comfy Place to Help Us Achieve Our Dreams!
Funded Jul 30, 2017The students have been using all of their wonderful new seating options such as the ball chairs, wobble stools, floor cushions and such. The implementation of flexible seating in my classroom has really seemed to improve student focus. When students have the opportunity to wiggle while they work or sit in a comfortable place, their focus is increased. Because students all have different needs, they have discovered exactly which seating options work best for them. It did not take very long for students to figure out what worked best for their needs which was very cool to observe. This opportunity has really given them a chance to be accountable in the decision-making process of choosing where to sit. They have to make responsible decisions about who and where to sit to ensure that they will be able to focus and stay on task. It has also been really interesting to watch them self-monitor themselves and decide on their own when they could have made a better choice about who and/or where they are sitting and correct it to maximize their learning.
It was so fun to watch my students' excitement every time a new box arrived in the classroom. I had explained to them that some very special people had made it possible for us to purchase all of these wonderful new seating options for a classroom. The packages came over the course of weeks and each time, it was a mystery to all of us to see what was in the box. We made a really big deal out of getting to open the boxes together and decided where we could put our new items. Allowing students to help in the decision-making process really helped them to feel as though they were a part of this transition and that they were making it their own.
We discovered as a team that it was difficult to keep track of our supplies. Students are busy devising plans to help us better keep track of our work and things throughout the week since our flexible seating is constantly changing. Students are working on this project and we will be voting on which we think would keep our transition times done and our belongings most organized.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Marr