Past projects 10
Smart Brain Classroom
Funded Aug 15, 2024Thank you so much for the generous donation to our classroom! With the new resources—a cozy carpet, growth mindset posters, a beautiful lamp, and hanging lights—our room has become an inviting and inspiring space for learning. These items have transformed our classroom into a warm and welcoming environment where students feel comfortable and motivated. We've dedicated a cozy corner with the carpet, lamp, and lights, creating an ideal space for reading, group discussions, and quiet reflection. It's quickly become a favorite spot where students enjoy working together and engaging with new ideas.
The first day the students saw the newly decorated room was unforgettable. They walked in, looked around in awe, and immediately felt at home. Many commented on how "cool" and "relaxing" the room felt, and I could see that the new setup helped them feel more connected to their classroom. The growth mindset posters have sparked some amazing conversations about persistence, resilience, and learning from mistakes. These messages are now part of our daily routine, reminding students to approach challenges with a positive attitude and a willingness to grow.
As we move forward, our next steps include using this cozy space for our upcoming poetry project. Students will gather in the reading nook to write and share their poems in an environment that encourages creativity and reflection. Your support has truly enhanced our classroom atmosphere, making it a place where students feel valued and inspired. Thank you for helping us create a space that nurtures both learning and personal growth!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.School Year Starters
Funded Sep 6, 2023Thank you for providing the resources we needed to make our learning environment less cluttered so that we could better focus. We also love our new carpet. It is great for collaborative learning.
The students are so excited that they can easily access the materials they need for all of their classroom project. They can easily find exactly what they are looking for without worrying about wasting precious time.
The new carpet is a great way for the students to spread out and work collaboratively with each other. It is colorful so they are able to easily see the resources they are using.
The students and I are so grateful for your donation.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 6 other donors.Expressive Students
Funded May 9, 2023We are so grateful for the wonderful art supplies that you helped fund for our class this year. We used the first batch of items to have a glow art party to celebrate the end of testing season! The students were overjoyed when they got to see the wonderful art supplies they got to explore! We made a collaborative art mural with the highlighters which glowed beautifully. The students also got to make individual art pieces using the neon paints. They thought it was great how the neon almost worked like secret art. We also used the neon paint to make slime which was a big hit as well!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 6 other donors.See, Play, Do!
Funded Sep 21, 2022Thank you so much for the color printer and copy paper. Through your donation I have been able to provide students with colorful and engaging centers that enable them to practice the concepts we are learning in class hands on.
Additionally, the magnets and the clear laminating sheets make it possible to display student work in a way that makes the students proud of their accomplishments. It is helping us to create an atmosphere of student engagement and pride.
Finally, the gift certificate for Teachers Pay Teachers has been such a valuable resource. I have used it to purchase lessons that are engaging and helpful beyond measure. Another great thing about it; it helps support other teachers.
Our class is extremely grateful for your contribution to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.Full STEM Ahead!
Funded Apr 7, 2022Thank you so much for your donation of STEAM supplies for the classroom. They are such an engaging way for students to put abstract concepts into concrete knowledge. They have really enjoyed testing their skills and trying new ideas. In a school that has a mission for developing STEAM concepts these materials have made that mission a reality. Another added bonus is that the students love learning when it means they get to practice what they are learning hands on. Most of these students don't have the opportunity to play with materials like these so thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.Making Learning Comfortable
Funded Sep 23, 2021I can not thank you all enough for the contribution you made to make our classroom more comfortable and inviting for the students. They are really enjoying the new rug and flexible seating options. They are allowing them to learn in a more distanced and comfortable way which is everything right now.
When the students saw the new rug for the first time they immediately went to touch it and they could not get over how soft and clean it was. That week we did an art project and a student accidentally dropped a few drops of glue on the rug and right away they went to clean it up. They have so much pride in how nice it makes our classroom look.
The wobble cushions are great for the students who struggle to sit still while they are working. It has been great and increasing their independence.
We can not thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.Non-fiction For Every Reader
Funded Dec 11, 2012Thank you so very much for your contribution to our classroom. We are so grateful to have people who care about us enough to help us learn and grow into successful students.
We have already used the scholastic news in the classroom. We love the videos and the current events we get to learn about and discuss. The scholastic has really helped us to improve our reading of non-fiction literature.
We have all looked through the other non-fiction leveled readers and have started to get excited. As a teacher I plan on using the leveled readers as a spring board for unit studies. Unit studies really help the students dig deep into understanding a concept that they have never learned about before.
We look forward to using these materials now and in future 5th grade classes.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by Dream Fund and 6 other donors.Math Investigations
Funded Dec 7, 2011Thank you to all that have donated to this project and previous projects. The math manipulatives have really enhanced the students understanding of place value. I have used the place value cards with some of my struggling learners and even though this is a skill taught throughout lower elementary grades they did not seem to understand it until they got to use the cards. Also, the equation tiles have been a great tool for my high achieving students. They love stumping each other with multi-step problems.
The Dynamath magazines have been a great tool for students to see how math is used in everyday life. The students have really enjoyed reading the stories and figuring out the problems. They even suggested that they get to take them home for homework. I have never seen kids so eager to do math and read at the same time.
The students have only had an opportunity to see the math centers once but they are so excited to see them start being part of thier daily assignments. When some of my students opened it up they were so intrigued by the menus and maps because they do not get to see those regularly.
I hope you realize how beneficial your donation was to my class this year and for my classes in the future.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by Dream Fund and 4 other donors.Expanding Learning through Science
Funded Oct 15, 2010Thank you so much for your donation to our class. Before this donation we had absolutely no science materials or resources. Now, we have enough to start developing inquiring minds. Although we have a science teacher at our school the students only get to meet with her 2-3 times a month. These additional resources will help continue to develop their learning and make the science class much more effective.
We have already done the unit on the three states of matter. The students really enjoyed the interactive whiteboard lessons and games. They loved racing the clock to identify the different substances for each state of matter. It took us 3 different days to practice before we finally got it. The students were so excited. As a teacher I was excited hearing them use the new science vocabulary.
Also, during independent study time the students could not get enough of the science books. I have never seen the students more interested in science. The books are colorful and easy to read so that the diverse range of readers in the class can all access the knowledge. I have readers in here that range from first grade reading levels to fifth grade reading levels. They all enjoy the books equally.
The students have even begun to inquire about the states of matter at home. They have brought in examples of all the different states to share with the class. The experiments have also been a blast. The students really get into them. They like the learning and the mess they get to make and I enjoy it to because they are so excited. I can't wait to do the rest of these lessons. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by Lincy Foundation and 2 other donors.Reading Across the Curriculum
Funded Apr 19, 2010The materials for Reading Across the Curriculum were received with much anticipation and excitement from my class. They were so excited when the materials arrived they were even looking through the teaching manuals and asking me to do certain activities because they looked exciting.
For the reason that the materials have come so close to the end of the year, I have used the math books to review concepts that were previously taught. The students really thought they were great and they stated that they wished they had them earlier, and that next years class will have an easier time understanding the concepts because of the books.
The literature sets are being used by an afterschool tutoring group and they are absolutely loving the books. They also really enjoy the activities and discussion questions that are part of the teacher resource book.
The materials that were donated are not only impacting the students in my class today but they will continue to impact students throughout the years to come. Thank you so much for your donation. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. DeYoung
This classroom project was brought to life by The Lincy Foundation and 5 other donors.