Past projects 9
Explore Artificial Intelligence Through the Novel Klara and the Sun
Funded Jan 9, 2024Thank you so much for your generous contribution! That allowed us to have enough copies of Klara and the Sun for each student to have their own copy. Often when we don't have enough copies, we have to use a class set that can't leave the classroom because other students will need to read it later in the day.
Having their own copy allows them to make post-it note annotations about events in the novel to further their understanding. It also allows students the ability to read at home if they are absent to stay caught up. As teachers, it allows us to assign reading homework so that we can read the most important parts aloud together in class and discuss, and then the students can do some of the reading at home. This gives us more class time for impactful activities and discussion.
Klara and the Sun is a great novel for our dystopian unit because it addresses artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. This allows students to see some possible ramifications of new technologies and connect that more deeply about issues in America today.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
Help Art Buddies Make Amazing Art Together
Funded May 11, 2023Thank you so much for your generous donation. This provided a great quantity of art supplies for our Art Buddies class. Our classroom is in inclusion special education classroom where high school juniors and seniors are buddies with the cluster students. Students in the cluster program have moderate disabilities like autism, intellectual disabilities, Down Syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
These materials will help make this school year amazing and full of really wonderful projects. In the attached photos, we practiced oil pastel techniques, researched flowers, created oil pastel flowers, and arranged them in real vases. The vases were then delivered to teachers around the building who loved them.
Later in the year we will make collages, sculpt with clay, create 3D art with cardboard, paint with acrylics and watercolors, and more. Thank you for helping to make this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
This classroom project was brought to life by Tullman Community Ventures and 9 other donors.Support Our Art Buddies Program with New Supplies!
Funded May 4, 2023Thank you so much for your generous donation. This provided a great quantity of art supplies for our Art Buddies class. Our classroom is in inclusion special education classroom where high school juniors and seniors are buddies with the cluster students. Students in the cluster program have moderate disabilities like autism, intellectual disabilities, Down Syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
These materials will help make this school year amazing and full of really wonderful projects. In the attached photos, we practiced oil pastel techniques, researched flowers, created oil pastel flowers, and arranged them in real vases. The vases were then delivered to teachers around the building who loved them.
Later in the year we will make collages, sculpt with clay, create 3D art with cardboard, paint with acrylics and watercolors, and more. Thank you for helping to make this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
This classroom project was brought to life by Tullman Community Ventures and 9 other donors.A Student-Selected Classroom Library
Funded Oct 30, 2022These books have been wonderful welcome to my class libraries. I have an instructional special education class in one room and I co-teach an inclusion class in another room, so I split these books based on who requested them and reading levels.
The students always dive in and enthusiastically begin reading the new books. We use these books for independent reading on Fridays where the students get to select a book of their choice with the goal of reading at least one book per quarter.
We have many students who check out several books, read with enthusiasm, and love to discuss what they read. Thank for your generous donation and making their reading possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
Personalized Reading and Writing Support Using IXL!
Funded Dec 31, 2021IXL is an amazing program and thank you for helping to bring it to my students! On IXL, students take a diagnostic test that determines their current levels for reading comprehension, grammar, writing, and vocabulary. From there, when students select an activity from the recommendations, they are able to practice skills that are personalized just for them and their needs.
We practice skills on Wednesdays and they also used it to practice for the SAT in March. So far, my student have answered over 5,000 questions and have spent 23 hours practicing! Since each student has their own assigned Chromebook, they are also able to build their skills from home. Each skill activity is fairly brief and shows the students in a bar to the right how many questions they have answered and their Smart Score that goes up to 100 when they have fully mastered a skill. It also gives them fun awards to visually show their growth.
As a teacher, I can assign skills to specific students or do a group jam where we all work on the same skill together. I can also reassign accounts as students may move away and new students join the class. This has been such a valuable and personalized way to get my students to practice needed skills, while allowing me to effectively differentiate instruction to all of my students. Thank you for your generous donation that made this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
A Student-Selected Class Library of Diverse and Fun Books!
Funded Dec 16, 2021Thanks you so much for your generous donation to our classroom library. My students are juniors in high school and are in the small, instructional setting to receive special education services. Many of them have had negative experiences reading or struggle to read grade-level books. That makes having an interesting and accessible library so much more important.
My students helped create the list of books for this Donor's Choose project, so they were extremely excited to unbox the books and see their picks in real life. Many of them chose manga or graphic novels, as the pictures improve their understanding, and they can enjoy novels with characters and themes that correspond with their age and not their reading level.
Our classroom is a more vibrant and exciting place thanks to your donation and my students are exploring new books during independent reading time. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 14 other donors.Dystopian Graphic Novels for Reading Circles
Funded Sep 24, 2021Thank you for your generous contributions that have brought my dystopian literature unit to life! My students are in the instructional setting for English, which are the smallest special education classes with the greatest support. This means that many "classic" books like 1984 are at a reading level that is too difficult for my students.
My students really love graphic novels, however, and the images increase their reading comprehension. This allows us to explore themes and content that matches their age (16-17), but at a level where they can understand, feel confident, and enjoy the book.
Soon we will begin our small lit circles, where the students will read the graphic novel of their choice in a small group with a few other students. Thanks to your donations, my students now have five books to choose from: Crowded, East of West, Monstress, The Handmaid's Tale, and Prez. I am looking forward to seeing my students explore these books in the coming weeks.
Thank you again for your donation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 12 other donors.A High-Interest Class Library
Funded Oct 21, 2021These books have made wonderful additions to my classroom library. I share my classroom with another special education teacher and we had cobbled together a class library, but the books were old, dated, and worn. These new books have vibrant covers, are fresh and interesting, and include stories both engage my students and reflect their experiences.
During independent reading time, everyone has been able to find something that interests them. The "I don't like any of these books" argument has disappeared. They know I am very excited about these new books and will help them find one too. Plus, my students helped me create the book list, so they were pumped to see the books they chose arrive. The graphic novels have been very popular, especially with some otherwise reluctant readers.
Thank you again for your generous donations that made this library possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 5 other donors.Experience Ancient Egypt Through Novels!
Funded Aug 30, 2010We are in the middle of reading Mara: Daughter of the Nile in my Honor's World History class. So far, the are really enjoying the story of the novel and learning details about everyday life in Egypt! Each student has his or her own copy of the book to take home and read. Sometimes, we have time to read in class, but mostly it is homework, since everyone reads at a different rate.
We begin each class by discussing the questions on the reading guides that I made. As we discuss the plot and the character development, we are also discussing tiny pieces of Egypt's history. There are details about gods and goddesses, what kinds of clothes people wore, what life as a slave or a noble person was like, life in the pharaoh's court and more. This really brings history alive for the students.
This has been a wonderful experience to have with my class! Even though my students are 11 and 12 years old, they have been given a great opportunity to read and think critically- about a novel, and about history at the same time. I am profoundly grateful that you have been so generous and instrumental in making this happen. Thank you so much for your support: from me, from my students, and from the future classes of students that will be able to enjoy these books in social studies!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McSween