Past projects 5
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader!
Funded Nov 30, 2022We are so grateful for your generous donation to our classroom library. The books you have provided fall into three categories. The first group contains books about the countries/cultures of the majority of our students. Many of our students are of hispanic heritage. We recognize the importance for students to both learn about their cultures and also to see pictures of people who look similar to themselves. We are so happy to be able to provide these opportunities. We always celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the fall, and these books will be perfect for the research projects we complete about a variety of countries.
The second group of books are those that correspond to the themes of our reading curriculum. Reading multiple books on the same topics helps to strengthen vocabulary and knowledge on those topics. We can't wait to provide these books as supplements to our thematic units!
The final group of books is a fictional series that is of high interest to many students. These books motivate even the most reluctant readers to select books to read independently.
We are so excited to dig into all of these beautifully illustrated and interesting new texts!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. St. James
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and one other donor.The Best Seat in the House
Funded Aug 26, 2022The tractor seat stools that we purchased with your generous donation have been even more useful than we imagined! First of all, we are using them primarily at our small table stations in our co-taught class. They work wonderfully there because they are more narrow than our chairs and therefore we can more easily fit all group members. The height of the stools can also be adjusted to ensure that all students can sit with their feet touching the ground. In addition, the stools can spin around. This allows our students who have difficulty sitting, to move in a more appropriate way while still participating in class.
Another great feature of the stools is that they have wheels. This also allows students who benefit from movement, to fidget and move a little bit without leaving the group or distracting others. The wheels also make the stools easy to move to all areas of the class. This allows us to change group and station sizes as needed. Even the students can move them with ease.
Finally, the vibrant colors really add some pizzazz to our classroom. We are thrilled with our new seating and are so very grateful for your contribution to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. St. James
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 10 other donors.Take a Stand
Funded Aug 9, 2022The standing desk that we purchased with your generous donation has changed our classroom! The students were so eager to try it out when we introduced it, that we had to give everyone a turn right away! We have several students in our class who have a hard time attending or sitting for long periods of time. This desk allows students an option for standing while they listen to teacher lessons or while working independently.
Today we utilized the standing desk as one of the stations in our reading class rotation. This allowed everyone some time to use it and it provided a brief break from sitting for all of the students. The desk is wide enough for two students to work together, so it also encourages team work and cooperation.
Another reason the desk is so useful is that we have several students who often stand at their regular desks throughout the day to complete work, because their desks or chairs are too big for them. If the students' feet are not resting on the ground, they are not able to write with maximum efficiency. This standing desk allows the students to stand while also providing a table surface at the appropriate height. We are truly grateful for your amazing contribution to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. St. James
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and one other donor.Burgeoning Bookworms
Funded Apr 7, 2022I want to share with you some of the many ways that your donation has benefitted my students. Our classroom library was very limited and many of the books in the library were quite old and in bad shape. Our library didn't contain any of the newer titles that are popular with kids right now, and so it has been difficult to motivate the students to read. Your donation contained several popular book series that my students were familiar with. They are very excited to read some of the books that they have heard about from friends. I have also found that once a student finds a book that they like, they are eager to read more from the same series or author. Having the different book series is fostering continued excitement about independent reading.
Another benefit of your donation is that although all of the books are chapter books, they are geared towards a range of reading levels. This allows all the students in our inclusive classroom to choose books that are close to their reading levels, but that don't stand out as being books for younger kids. There are also some graphic novels in the donation. The illustrations in these books also help struggling readers (including students who speak English as a second language) to better understand the stories which are closer to grade level.
Finally, we are looking forward to implementing a "Drop Everything and Read" activity in our classroom. This will involve scheduling reading sessions randomly throughout the week where we temporarily drop what we are doing and read (including teachers as role models). We feel so fortunate to have so many new books to enjoy.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. St. James
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and one other donor.Inspiring Individuality and Independence
Funded Oct 24, 2018I want to express my gratitude for your generous donation towards our two class Chromebooks. I also want to make you aware of how useful they are and how important they are to my students.
The students are now using the Chromebooks to consistently utilize the "Keyboarding Without Tears" program in order to become better typers. Many of my students have illegible handwriting or write at an extremely slow pace. The ability to type efficiently will help my students keep up with their peers in the regular classroom. It will also help them to fully demonstrate their knowledge on standardized tests which are taken on the computer.
In addition, the students in my class are able to access a variety of enrichment programs on the Chromebooks. For example, they participate in "ST Math" which is a math program that teaches grade level standards in a nonverbal manner which is very helpful for my students with language based learning disabilities.
I hope you understand just how helpful your donation has been. I can already see academic progress and increased confidence in my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. St. James
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and one other donor.