Past projects 58
Writing Takes Practice and Feedback
Funded Jan 20, 2022Generally speaking, writing can be challenging for students. Fortunately, we use a great graphic organizer that breaks down the steps to essays to make writing as easy a writing a single sentence. Turning these sentences into a well-crafted essay takes extra practice, and revisions.
Thank you for supporting this project that allows students to print out, annotate, and edit. Not only do they check their own work, but they can quickly get written peer feedback. Writing is a process, and this project gives students a chance to reflect and edit their work.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by Utah State Board of Education.Books by Acclaimed Author
Funded Dec 13, 2021When encouraging students to find books to read, we have various strategies to employ. We encourage students to get recommendations from readers they trust. Another powerful tool is to find a book that one likes, then read as many books by that same author as possible!
Margaret Peterson Haddix is an author providing rich, compelling stories for young readers. Many reluctant readers find her Among the Hidden series to be a catalyst for greater satisfaction in reading. She creates real and imaginary worlds addressing issues that elementary students (and full grown readers alike) can reflect on as they grapple with growing up in a complex world. It is a great triumph to introduce and hook a child on her amazing novels!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
Hot New Titles From 2021
Funded Nov 30, 2021Persuading a student to read for entertainment involves many aspects. In addition to foundational skills that makes reading smooth, having access to books that inspire, intrigue, engage, and match the interests of readers is essential.
There are so many amazing classics for students to read. An avid reader has been exposed to them many times, but resistant readers can find the classics to be difficult to understand or removed from their reality. While I love classic literature, the books published today offer wonderful reading for students. These new titles will be a match for a hungry or even reluctant reader.
Each year vibrant, scintillating new titles are released. Within children's literature, historical fiction has really taken off. In the past only a handful of children's books told about World War II but now there are dozens of titles that entwine historical events in age-appropriate stories. I believe there is a book for everyone and a student who doesn't like to read, hasn't found the right book, yet!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.Brains: Bigger on the Inside
Funded Sep 12, 2021Students are fascinated by learning about the brain. As we work through the pages of the Big Brain Book: How it works and all its quirks, we learn more and more about the areas of the brain and how it helps us. We can also get hands-on by using the brain model. While the names of the areas of the brain can be a mouthful for students, they quickly grab on to new terms. Next up is a mnemonic device for the 12 cranial nerves!
The Make Your Own Neuron project alone resulted in a lot of excitement and sparked interest in understanding more. I love enhancing children's natural curiosity with the activities and information in this book.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 7 other donors.Stand to Learn
Funded Aug 5, 2021As my class reverts back to pre-pandemic school hours, we are busy building up stamina. A year of early dismissal has taken a toll, and the last hours of the day can feel very tiring. I am so grateful that we have standing desks in our class that allow students to get on their feet and pump some energy back in to their brains.
All of my students have used the standing desks. Some of the quieter students like using it when their friend is using it as well. Others don't care who is around, they just love having the swing bar for their feet and the chance to release energy. I know which students wish they had one for everyday use. It is motivating to be able to choose one's work space and it leads to better productivity.
One day a student had her head down during math and when I ask how she was, her response was that she was feeling tired. Her eyes brightened and she immediately asked to work at the standing desk. Her engagement in the lesson changed. I am grateful daily to see students' needs met with a standing desk.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
Practice Makes Permanent
Funded Jun 14, 2021Decoding skills, accuracy, fluency, vocabulary knowledge, and comprehension together are the skill set that results in reading with meaning. Teachers use observation/testing and analysis to tease out what each students needs to progress. From helping students decode letters and multisyllabic words, to teaching vocabulary, and instruction to help students build inferential meaning of text, I am providing the reading instruction they need. Some are at third grade level in their reading skills and others are exceeding 5th grade level, but they all need to be growing their skills.
The supplies for Practice Makes Permanent gave me access to amazing resources for helping each student at whatever stage of development they need next. Teachers Pay Teachers has lessons for a full range of standards created by talented, experienced, professional teachers. These lessons are about root words, to multi-syllable words, and figurative language. Thank you for access to these time saving resources.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.Lessons for Learners!
Funded May 4, 2021My current students were in 3rd grade when the pandemic closed schools until the end of the year and teachers, families, and students jumped into remote learning. It was a rocky moment in education. Last year was better but constant changes, quarantines, and illness impeded even in-person learning and the inequities of distance learning still had an impact.
We definitely see a need to fill gaps and elevate the skills of our incoming/current students. They have faced challenges and we, teachers, are committed to give them the instruction, coaching, practice, and feedback needed for them to grow. Many will need to improve much more than one level to get back on grade level.
Thank you for the Teachers Pay Teacher purchasing power. I have great confidence in finding and teaching off-level skills because other experienced teachers have shared their successful lessons. Don't forget: We can do hard things!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 3 other donors.Wanted: Stools for Standing Desks!
Funded May 4, 2021Students in my class love the standing desks. The kick bar swings silently as they release pent up energy while they drafting essays or practicing math. It allows them more choice for physical comfort than the typical school desk and chair.
My students compete for chances and came up with an equitable rotation for using the standing desks. IF students opt out of using the desk on their rotation, other students have the opportunity. The increased ability to pay attention is my favorite side effect.
The desks are fabulous but until students have adapted to regular standing, they can get tired fast. The stools are the perfect solution to allow their legs a brief rest while they slowly build more and more ability to stand for longer segments. 20 minutes seems to be about the sweet spot. Thanks for supporting our flexible seating!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.Roasty-Toasty Hands!
Funded May 13, 2021Students at Title 1 schools have specific needs. Many needs are temporal and relate to food insecurity, clothing, and access to educational experiences. When students grow fast, a family can easily feel burdened with the cost of winter clothing. My school tries hard to use community resources and donations to supply coats, but frequently students don't have winter gloves.
Recess in the cold is refreshing for students who have adequate clothing and robust physical energy. It can be punishing for students who do not. This project supplies gloves for the students who do not. When temperatures dip below freezing, students are allowed to be outdoors. These gloves will make a difference for many students who can bundle up while outside and still feel their fingers when we come in to work.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 6 other donors.Giant Outdoor Game and Project Refills!
Funded May 4, 2021Covid-19 protocols have really changed the way we interact at school. Social distancing and regularly disinfecting make many of our group collaborative games off-limits. Thanks to this project we have easy to clean games.
Social-Emotional Learning is a huge part of class cooperation. Of course, students have collaborative learning activities all through the day, but practicing communication skills while playing a game creates an authentic setting. Once students have practiced using kind words, turn taking, and disagreeing agreeably while playing, they are more able to apply those skills in a learning environment when their working memory is taxed with cognitive demands.
Many other great projects got a boost with the refills included. Goal making and journal writing projects allow students to reframe their self-talk and practice Growth Mindset attitudes. Allowing students to own their scores, set their goals, and track their progress leads to more engaged learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dewey
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.