Past projects 2
EARBUDS FOR ALL
Funded Apr 8, 2019When we decided to request earbuds for my classroom, the students all agreed that it would be a change for the better, and it has been! We still have the bulky box of hulking headphones sitting next to our chromebook charger as a reminder of what we used to have. However, now the students just reach into their desks for the small baggie that holds their earbuds. They no longer have red ears or complain that their ears are getting squished. No waiting in line to collect the headphone bags and they have their own personal earbuds so no one else uses their earbuds but them.
One of my students said this in his thank you letter:
Dear Donor,
Thank you for donating money to us. If we didn't have those ear buds, we'd be using those big ugly headphones and our ears would be hurting. So, thank you so much!
We are more comfortable, sanitary, saving time, and enjoying the ease of having those ear saving earbuds right in our desks to use whenever we need them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. H
Journey Through the Solar System
Funded Dec 1, 2018To start with, Journey Through the Solar System has been a learning journey for our 124 third grade students. When we started our solar system unit they knew very little about the planets. We began by reading from our text about the planets, stars, orbit, and the difference between inner and outer planets. They were interested and all students then gathered three facts about each planet on a google slides presentation.
The following week we went to the planetarium. They were wowed by Mr. Strobel's presentation of the evening sky tour and finding the constellations in the sky. We saw Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Canis Minor the small dog, Cygnus the swan, Leo the lion, Orion the hunter and the Big and Little Dippers. Just being in the planetarium and seeing the night sky was a big thrill for our students. None of them had ever been to the planetarium before. Then we watched the all-dome video, "The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket." In the video two children make a cardboard rocket and magically spend a night touring the solar system with the help of an astronomy book that comes alive to guide them on their journey. This video was the highlight of the presentation as students really get to see what it would be like to be close to the Sun, fly through storms on the planet, Jupiter, feel the chill in Uranus' atmosphere and much more. There were lots of oohs and aahs throughout our trip through the solar system. Afterward, everyone was eager to recall what they had seen and asked even more questions about the planets. As we continued to work on our slide projects the students were able to recall facts about the planets and the solar system that they were not able to before. The way they talked about the solar system, it felt like they had experienced the trip in real life!
Now, as we finish up the unit, we will be working on a group report of each of the planets. This project will further solidify their knowledge. But I assure you that the climax of their learning took place in the darkened planetarium when we all set out to journey through the solar system in the cardboard rocket. Thank you all sincerely for your support. Without your generosity we would not have been able to take this trip.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. H
This classroom project was brought to life by New Teacher Fund and 4 other donors.