Past projects 7
Writing Our Way Through History
Funded Sep 21, 2023The presence of Chromebooks in our classroom has made an incredible difference. We have used the Chromebooks to support work in writing, social studies, and science. Every time we have used the Chromebooks, the interest level of the children has risen, as has their focus. Using the Chromebooks has allowed me to work one-on-one with our students, meeting them where they are, and that's helping us to individualize our teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
In social studies and science, we learned about the environment in and around New York City. Children gathered information from the habitats in and around the city, and the plants and animals native to each. While most of the information they gathered came from books, there were a few children who wanted to know the answer to very specific questions related to a particular animal. Having Chromebooks available meant that they could quickly use the internet to research the answers to their questions. This gave us an authentic reason to teach research skills as they relate to technology and the internet.
Using a Chromebook also made it easier for children to build on and they're writing skills. In particular, revising is easier for them to reread. Instead of having to rewrite an entire piece to get a "perfect" finish piece, students are able to make revisions directly on their work. This allows them to write more freely, and edit and revise multiple times, knowing that they won't have to spend hours recapping their work. Again, this is particularly helpful for students with graphomotor difficulties. Additionally, using the spell check on the Chromebook helps children focus on words they have misspelled and learn to spell them. Using Chromebooks has been helpful for my direct instruction with children. Once a student has completed their written work I can highlight and comment directly on the student's work on the Chromebook, and the child can easily make revisions in response to these comments.
The presence of the Chromebooks in my classroom has already had a positive impact. I look forward to your continued use of them as we move through our poetry study, social studies research and writing, and our historical fiction writing in the spring. Thank you for making this work possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
This classroom project was brought to life by The SONIC Foundation and 13 other donors.Apps for Engagement
Funded Dec 22, 2022This iPad has really helped my students be more engaged in specific activities. For example, we do a lot of work with our multiplication facts in fourth grade. It is really important that students memorize their multiplication facts so that they'll be better able to complete hard multiplication and division problems like three-digit by two-digit problems. There are several engaging and fun applications on the iPad that allow them to practice their facts while also having fun. This device really supports their development.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
Writing Our Way Through History
Funded Aug 13, 2021The presence of Chromebooks in our classroom has made an incredible difference. We have used the Chromebooks to support work in writing, social studies, and science. Every time we have used the Chromebooks, the interest level of the children has risen, as has their focus. Using the Chromebooks has allowed me to work one-on-one with our students, meeting them where they are, and that's helping us to individualize our teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
In social studies and science, we learned about the environment in and around New York City. Children gathered information from the habitats in and around the city, and the plants and animals native to each. While most of the information they gathered came from books, there were a few children who wanted to know the answer to very specific questions related to a particular animal. Having Chromebooks available meant that they could quickly use the internet to research the answers to their questions. This gave us an authentic reason to teach research skills as they relate to technology and the internet.
Using a Chromebook also made it easier for children to build on and they're writing skills. In particular, revising is easier for them to reread. Instead of having to rewrite an entire piece to get a "perfect" finish piece, students are able to make revisions directly on their work. This allows them to write more freely, and edit and revise multiple times, knowing that they won't have to spend hours recapping their work. Again, this is particularly helpful for students with graphomotor difficulties. Additionally, using the spell check on the Chromebook helps children focus on words they have misspelled and learn to spell them. Using Chromebooks has been helpful for my direct instruction with children. Once a student has completed their written work I can highlight and comment directly on the student's work on the Chromebook, and the child can easily make revisions in response to these comments.
The presence of the Chromebooks in my classroom has already had a positive impact. I look forward to your continued use of them as we move through our poetry study, social studies research and writing, and our historical fiction writing in the spring. Thank you for making this work possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 9 other donors.Writing Our Way Through History
Funded Oct 29, 2019The presence of Chromebooks in our classroom has made an incredible difference. We have used the Chromebooks to support work in writing, social studies, and science. Every time we have used the Chromebooks, the interest level of the children has risen, as has their focus. Using the Chromebooks has allowed me to work one-on-one with our students, meeting them where they are, and that's helping us to individualize our teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
In social studies and science, we learned about the environment in and around New York City. Children gathered information from the habitats in and around the city, and the plants and animals native to each. While most of the information they gathered came from books, there were a few children who wanted to know the answer to very specific questions related to a particular animal. Having Chromebooks available meant that they could quickly use the internet to research the answers to their questions. This gave us an authentic reason to teach research skills as they relate to technology and the internet.
Using a Chromebook also made it easier for children to build on and they're writing skills. In particular, revising is easier for them to reread. Instead of having to rewrite an entire piece to get a "perfect" finish piece, students are able to make revisions directly on their work. This allows them to write more freely, and edit and revise multiple times, knowing that they won't have to spend hours recapping their work. Again, this is particularly helpful for students with graphomotor difficulties. Additionally, using the spell check on the Chromebook helps children focus on words they have misspelled and learn to spell them. Using Chromebooks has been helpful for my direct instruction with children. Once a student has completed their written work I can highlight and comment directly on the student's work on the Chromebook, and the child can easily make revisions in response to these comments.
The presence of the Chromebooks in my classroom has already had a positive impact. I look forward to your continued use of them as we move through our poetry study, social studies research and writing, and our historical fiction writing in the spring. Thank you for making this work possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.Identifying Bias, Omission and Stereotypes in Thanksgiving Literature
Funded Oct 8, 2019Thank you so much for contributing to our critical reading project. Your contribution to this project helped to supply over 50 books that created a priceless learning opportunity for my students.
Many elementary school classrooms use the time around Thanksgiving to have Thanksgiving plays, do turkey crafts or make lists of things they are thankful for. These exercises have proven to perpetuate the inaccurate and overly simplistic narrative of Thanksgiving. (https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-thanksgiving-in-a-socially-responsible-way)
My students instead looked at Thanksgiving from a critical lens. We talked about the multiple perspectives about the holiday as well as the historical event. We questioned the accuracy of information presented in a variety of picture books and wondered who was telling each story and what perspective was left out. We looked for evidence of bias, omission and stereotypes and challenged the dominate representation of Thanksgiving as a holiday that celebrates friendship and peace between Europeans and Native Americans.
This work was more about developing critical habits of mind rather than memorizing "facts" or doing arts and crafts.
Paulo Freire in Pedagogy of the Oppressed asserts, "Critical literacy is not a teaching method but a way of thinking and a way of being that challenges texts and life as we know it. Critical literacy focuses on issues of power and promotes reflection, transformation, and action. It encourages readers to be active participants in the reading process: to question, to dispute, and to examine power relations."
Thank you for creating this opportunity for my students to develop their own power.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 12 other donors.Writing Our Way Through History
Funded Jun 25, 2019The presence of Chromebooks in our classroom has made an incredible difference. We have used the Chromebooks to support work in writing, social studies, and science. Every time we have used the Chromebooks, the interest level of the children has risen, as has their focus. Using the Chromebooks has allowed me to work one-on-one with our students, meeting them where they are, and that's helping us to individualize our teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
In social studies and science, we learned about the environment in and around New York City. Children gathered information from the habitats in and around the city, and the plants and animals native to each. While most of the information they gathered came from books, there were a few children who wanted to know the answer to very specific questions related to a particular animal. Having Chromebooks available meant that they could quickly use the internet to research the answers to their questions. This gave us an authentic reason to teach research skills as they relate to technology and the internet.
Using a Chromebook also made it easier for children to build on and they're writing skills. In particular, revising is easier for them to reread. Instead of having to rewrite an entire piece to get a "perfect" finish piece, students are able to make revisions directly on their work. This allows them to write more freely, and edit and revise multiple times, knowing that they won't have to spend hours recapping their work. Again, this is particularly helpful for students with graphomotor difficulties. Additionally, using the spell check on the Chromebook helps children focus on words they have misspelled and learn to spell them. Using Chromebooks has been helpful for my direct instruction with children. Once a student has completed their written work I can highlight and comment directly on the student's work on the Chromebook, and the child can easily make revisions in response to these comments.
The presence of the Chromebooks in my classroom has already had a positive impact. I look forward to your continued use of them as we move through our poetry study, social studies research and writing, and our historical fiction writing in the spring. Thank you for making this work possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
Writing Our Way Through History
Funded Aug 28, 2018It is only October and already the presence of Chromebooks in our classroom has made an incredible difference. To date, we have used the Chromebooks to support work in writing, social studies, and science. Every time we have used the Chromebooks, the interest level of the children has risen, as has their focus. Using the Chromebooks has allowed me to work one-on-one with our students, meeting them where they are, and that's helping us to individualize our teaching to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
In social studies and science, we started this year learning about the environment in and around New York City. It's children gathered information from the habitats in and around the city, and the plants and animals native to each. While most of the information they gathered came from books, there were a few children who wanted to know the answer to very specific questions related to a particular animal. Having Chromebooks available men that they could quickly use the internet to research the answers to their questions. This gave us an authentic reason to begin to teach research skills as they relate to technology and the internet.
Using a Chromebook has also made it easier for children to build on and they're writing skills. In particular, revising is easier for them to reread. Instead of having to rewrite an entire piece to get a "perfect" finish peace, students are able to make revisions directly on their work. This allows them to write more freely, and edit and revise multiple times, knowing that they won't have to spend hours recapping their work. Again, this is particularly helpful for students with graphomotor difficulties. Additionally, using the spell check on the Chromebook helps children focus on words they have misspelled and learn to spell them. Using Chromebooks has been helpful for my direct instruction with children. Once a student has completed their written work I can highlight and comment directly on the student's work on the Chromebook, and the child can easily make revisions in response to these comments.
The presence of the Chromebooks in my classroom has already had a positive impact. I look forward to your continued use of them as we move through our poetry study, social studies research and writing, and our historical fiction writing in the spring. Thank you for making this work possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kaelin
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 18 other donors.