Past projects 6
Let's Brag by Showcasing Student Work
Funded Aug 15, 2024Thank you for your generosity. The students are using the binders to organize their writing and arts/crafts. Currently we have about 5 pieces of writing and art. The students wrote 3 pieces for Latino Heritage, alebrijes, ojo de dios and xoloitzcuintle and 2 are personal narratives about 2 special memories. The students wrote informative pieces in which they gave information about the cultural art they studied, and then created their own piece. This type of work makes it meaningful because they internalize what they learned using different modalities. They read, listen to informational videos, they write, they create and share their work. The best part of the process is that it generates more Spanish oral language. It is very important for kids to practice speaking the language so that they are comfortable using the language.
We add writing/art pieces as the year goes on.These binders are a gift to my students at the end of year. The students enjoy putting their work in the binders and browsing through their writing and admiring their art. Students feel proud of sharing their binders with their peers and parents.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Authentic Stories Needed to Create Authentic Stories
Funded Aug 14, 2024Thank you so much for your support, parents and The Gates Foundation! These books have brought joy to my bilingual students. The students used the novels for Spanish reading classwork and homework. They recreated the book cover for their reading journals in which they answered comprehension questions and summarized the chapters. The students love listening to the story and discussing the Spanish vocabulary that is very specific to the setting of the stories. Some parents are reading the book along with the students and they are appreciative for having this experience of reading in Spanish and discussing the story at home.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 9 other donors.Arts & Crafts with Reusables to Destress from the Tests
Funded May 8, 2024My students from last year and my current students are loving these markers and are creating different arts and crafts. These hands on art activities are used during our Spanish writing time. The kids are able to talk and write about their art/craft using simple Spanish sentences to build language confidence and practice. Last year the students used the markers to create mandalas from old CDs. Our class reuses old items and create art pieces.
This year the students are using these materials for Mexican folk art, alebrijes and Mexican mirrors during Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month. These markers can be used to color different surfaces and that is why I have been using them for a while. They are expensive but are worth it. I am very grateful for the donations that made this project possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
Weaving An Ojo de Dios
Funded Oct 28, 2020Thank you for your donations! We used the yarn once we returned to the classroom at the end of April 2021. The kids loved all the different colored yarn and were excited about weaving! The students started weaving an ojo de dios (2sticks) or a mandala (more than 2 sticks) and then continued with the paper plate weave. The students worked on their crafts a little each day and they created beautiful crafts. This was very special to me because it was nice to finally see my 5th graders in person and see their creativity as they worked quietly with their face masks on.
My 5th grade class worked very hard this year and having this time to weave was a reward for all the hard work during Zoom.The students were eager to work on activities that were hands on and weaving was the perfect activity. As the kids were weaving I played some music and they enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you for your generosity and for this experience.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 11 other donors.Let's Read in 2 Languages!
Funded Sep 9, 2020This is the 2nd time donorschoose.org and you have supported our biliteracy goal. Our goal is to read authentic stories that are culturally relevant to our community. We are currently reading Esperanza Renace by Pam Muñoz. Before reading the book we talked about the title and cover. (pre-reading) We discussed the meaning of Esperanza (hope) and renace (reborn/rebirth). The children participated giving their ideas orally or in writing (reading journal). We did this during our virtual classroom time. The students analyzed the chapters, and the titles. (Each chapter has a name of a fruit or vegetable.) We read the first 3 pages in class (introduction) and the homework was to read a chapter weekly. The students had to answer questions for each chapter and we discussed the answers during class. They analyzed the characters, made connections and predictions. As an extension, the students completed a family tree and a family survey. They made cultural connections and shared some of their family's superstitions and/or cultural beliefs. The students had a lot of fun listening to each other and to their stories. The students are collecting pictures from the grocery store ads/magazines of the fruits/vegetables. We will do a collage of the titles as a culminating art activity. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
Let's Read en Español! Leer Es Poder
Funded Aug 10, 2020Thank you so very much for the Spanish books! We started our Spanish novel "El Soñador" by recreating the book cover for our literature journal. I wanted the children to have a hands-on art activity to create excitement for the book. We had all the necessary materials for the art in a bag, construction paper, crayons, glue sticks, and the composition book. The drawings of the silhouettes show the kids' dreams.(dreams of love, peace, and a better world etc.)
The children took photos of their journal covers and shared their thinking about being dreamers like Neftali, the main character in the story. I was very impressed with the art and the creativity of each individual student. Chapter questions were also photocopied and glued in the literature journal. As we started reading the novel, we discussed the the story elements of setting, characters, and plot. I truly enjoyed how the children were able to relate and make connections with the main character. The students wrote chapter reflections and summaries. These reflections helped me learn more about my students.
We are currently reading the last chapters and we are excited about a culminating project that we will do.
The parents in my class are very generous and this project was possible because of their support along with donorschoose.org.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Vigil
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 11 other donors.