Past projects 10
An Organic Farm Experience
Funded Feb 11, 2018As our students departed the bus we saw their facial expressions which were PRICELESS!. It was as if they had been transported into a farm in the Midwest. But they were not....it was beautiful Vermont where our school was very fortunate to be part of an exceptional learning program. Farm For City Kids has afforded our students and teachers the opportunity to explore and learn trough diverse activities, all of which cultivate and support putting our core classroom wisdom into real world use. Perhaps, even more importantly, we discovered new ways to apply our classroom knowledge to the world of farming using our auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile skills so all of us fully engaged in a meaningful series of educational exercises.
This journey of self-awareness allowed us to grow together as we applied our school learning to overcome challenges and to understand the importance of caring for everyone around us whether it be a fellow student, an animal or even an insect..... discovering the best in all of us.
As a teacher . it amazes me how our students transformed from inner city kids to farmers in matter of days. By day three, they were following routines, working effortlessly during chores, and fully engaged in all farm activities. Not only did our children show a great deal of growth, they also displayed a large amount of empathy for their peers. For example, some children became home sick so they formed a small 'cheer up group'. They shared family stories as well as encouraged their peers. And that empathy extended to every calf the students cared for on the farm.
Sometimes we underestimate our students, but they have so much potential in them! I have been amazed by the way they have interacted with each other. There are many times at school when some yelling goes on between them. For example... who wants to be first , or who wants to be the leader. Once we returned to school we immediately noticed that the students were transformed, they started working together. And almost instantly, they have shown courage, heart and wisdom. They have become more respectful of each other. They are taking turns. They are listening to each other they are bonding.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
News That Makes You Go Hmmm?
Funded Sep 16, 2016Thank you again for your generosity in supporting the academic success of our 5th Graders. They are so engaged in reading the variety of magazines that have been funded. These magazines have supported their opinion/argument reading and writing unit. They have been gathering supporting evidence for their debatable claims from the magazines. Since each student has their own magazine, they are able to annotate it in ways that prepare them for college and career readiness. Students are reading more often now because they are interested in the child-friendly topics discussed in these magazines. They can't wait to show you their opinion/argument published essays as well.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
Lend Me Your Ears
Funded Feb 19, 2014Thank you for your generous donation to my classroom. The listening center that you donated has helped my students every single day. We've used them to learn new vocabulary, to assist in comprehension of literature, to review lyrics to songs for our big graduation day, and for boosting the student engagement in literacy in my classroom. It even encourages my English Language Learners to practice vocabulary on a daily basis.
Each year, the budget seems as though there is less and less, so without your help, my students would never have had these extraordinary resources. With donors like yourself, our classrooms will flourish into great learning sites for our future scholars.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
The Chronicles of a Writer
Funded Oct 22, 2013Thank you once again for donating toward our project! My class has been very excited to use the materials purchased through your generous donation. The students love looking at the colorful chart paper as they search for information to improve their writing.
Currently, the students are using their notebooks as their writing journals. They feel organized and well prepared with the notebooks and pencils they have been provided. They use their colorful chart paper as anchor charts and points of reference for guidance through their writing tasks. They find it much easier to recall the color of the chart paper where they need to find information, especially the English language learners.
This project has enhanced my teaching and the engagement of my students. The colors of the chart paper make the approach to writing seem brighter and livelier. The students have a sense of ownership over their materials, just as an author should. We hope to continue to use these wonderful writing tools and bring our writing alive.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
Funded Sep 5, 2013What an awesome start to this school year! Upon receiving some of the student friendly magazine issues, my students have been so engaged in current events. They love reading about current challenges that kids in school face, since they too can relate to some of these challenges. Whenever a new magazine issue arrives by mail, they are anxiously awaiting to scan through photos and titles of articles within each issue.
As a way to get students to articulate themselves better through conversation, our class focused on one specific debate topic about dodge-ball in schools. Students practiced stating a claim, and then used their articles to support their claims with text evidence. The activity was an absolute success!
This project has fostered an environment of conversation and communication. It has supported my English Language Learners as well, who use the photos and illustrations to assist them in comprehension.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and 2 other donors.It's What's Inside That Counts
Funded Sep 23, 2012Thank you very much for donating your well-earned money to a worthy cause. Because of you donations, my class is learning more about current events in a more "child-friendly" structure. The scholastic magazines that have been purchased with your donations have encouraged my students to read more expository texts. This will support them when they take their state exams.
So far, the students have been practicing finding the main idea, inferring, locating supporting details, and identifying author's intent. We hope to use them for even more reading strategies.
Again, we sincerely thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
This classroom project was brought to life by NEA Foundation and 4 other donors.Give Me News!
Funded Feb 14, 2012This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my project. The bookcases that you have donated have organized the children's library. We are now able to clearly distinguish between fiction and nonfiction, and students can now locate books easily on their independent reading levels.
During these difficult times, when budget cuts are on the rise, it is comforting to know that my students have your support. Without your generosity, our class library would be very unorganized and discouraging for reading. Thanks to you, students are more interested in books in our library.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
The League of Extraordinary Readers & Writers
Funded Dec 24, 2011This is just a small token of gratitude that I hope inspires you as it has inspired me. Thanks to your generous donation of nonfiction readers, my students are working diligently on argumentative essays. They are actively engaged in incorporating factual information to support their positions on different topics. These nonfiction readers are beautiful, and so easy to locate by level, since it came with an organized system of letter levels and bins. These resources truly are a breathe fresh air, especially when our school budgets have been cut greatly. With these resources, my students will definitely increase their nonfiction reading stamina.
We are so very grateful for your generosity, and we hope to make you proud to be our donor!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
Social Studies Frenzy
Funded Dec 31, 2010First, let me begin by thanking each one of you again for your generous donations. As a result, we received our materials and immediately began exploring them. Most of the time, these students are well acquainted with hand-me-downs, or materials that have been used and reused over the years. I cannot begin to explain the joy and excitement written all over their faces upon seeing a shiny new globe in the Social Sudies center. Their immediate response to ask if they could touch it. This item intrigued and interested them enough to assist in my lessons of latitude and longitude in both math and social studies. There is just something about having something new that makes you want to keep it fresh and safe. The laminating machine has allowed me to keep their centers looking crispy clean, along with some of their written responses. My students were full of joy to see some of their writing pieces laminated after publishing them. This has truly been an impacting and rewarding experience for both my students and myself. I hope you continue to be a light for those children who need it most.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
This classroom project was brought to life by American Express Members Project and 2 other donors.Mathematicians & Social Studies Geniuses
Funded Dec 22, 2010First, let me begin by extending my deepest gratitude for your generous donations once again. These materials couldn't have come at a better time. Currently, our class is targeting biographies, specifically for Black History Month and Women's History Month. So you can imagine how delighted we were upon receiving our biography library and audio books for our listening center. The audio books have impacted my ELL students the most, who required good listening skills on their journey to mastering the english language. During our Writer's Workshop, we used our biography book set to assist in certain research. On the other spectrum, the math games are superb! My students have such an interest in playing them once their written assignments are completed. These games have provided some encouraging real-life questions and responses to connect to our math curriculum. Best of all, the children are having fun! Please continue to be the inspiration that children such as these need.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Diaz
This classroom project was brought to life by American Express Members Project and 8 other donors.