Past projects 3
Digital Citizenship Essentials!
Funded Nov 8, 2023Since receiving your generous donations, my class has had a wonderful time learning more about digital citizenship. We spend the school year breaking down digital citizenship into 6 main categories: Media Balance, Privacy and Security, Digital Footprints, Relationships and Communication, Cyber Bullying, and Media Literacy. I went through these topics and found books that aligned with each of those categories. Your donations supplied books that connected what we were learning in class to fictional storytelling.
These books helped to not only support the categories of digital citizenship, but create engaging text sets for my students to access and create further connections on their own. I read a few of the books as a read-aloud in class and the rest I set out for my students to read during independent reading time. I was pleased to see many students choosing to read those books on their own. My heart was full when I had a student come up to me and reference how a character in a book was not following the rules of internet safety that I had just taught them!
This is my second year teaching this class with 3rd graders and I wish I had these books last year! I am really thankful that I have the books in my classroom for many years to come. Working on digital citizenship with todays children is so critical for their future success in living in an unpredictable and ever-growing digital world. I appreciate your support and kindness in making this happen for us.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hardenbrook
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors & Young Sheldon on CBS and 2 other donors.Transition to Third
Funded Oct 6, 2022Thank you so much for your donations towards my classroom. I cannot possibly explain how thankful I am to have people out there who value what I am doing in my room and value tools to help support our children. We have had a very busy year filled with growth and learning together so far and we are looking forward to an exciting 2023!
I want to share a little bit about the impact and use of the items that you have helped purchase. First, the storage bins have been so helpful in keeping my small reading groups organized. Each student know what color bin is theirs and it keeps all those papers and books in the correct spot. Second, the large clock with the moveable hands was so helpful in teaching my time unit. The students were able to move the hands themselves and understand what an analog clock shows. This hands on strategy helps them greatly in a world of mostly digital clocks!
The mindfulness tools I feel belong in their own category. My students are working on the Zones of Regulation, identifying what emotion they are experiencing and how to use coping strategies to help them be successful and safe in all ranges of the emotional experience. This has been critical in helping us handle big emotions. Due to your contributions, every student has a calm strip at their desk to help them have a tactile sensory output when feeling stressed, anxious, worried, overwhelmed, excited, etc. Every child having one helps get rid of any uncomfortable feelings of anyone being singled out. I have found that it helps me as well! The class loves having them and I enjoy catching them using the strips when they might not even realize they need it. We are also practicing mindfulness and meditation to help us regroup after lunch and specials time- when our bodies and mind are at a peak! The cd that was purchased has helped me in guiding them through something I was inexperienced with.
The tools that you have provided for me have helped make this year more successful. Once again, I want to thank you for taking the time to think about this small school and 3rd grade classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hardenbrook
New Year, New Education
Funded Oct 22, 2020I am so thankful for the contributions you have made to my classroom during this 2020-2021 school year. The materials you have provided for us have been put to good use over the last few weeks and I would like to share that with you.
First- the books donated are phenomenal. I specifically chose diverse books with a variety of interests, cultures represented, text styles, and authors. I did this so that all of my students can see themselves mirrored back on my bookshelf. I offer a very open library to my students, encouraging them to explore different kinds of books and to find what they truly enjoy reading. The books I have received have done 2 specific things since they were added to my shelf. One- they are freely choosing to borrow and read thought provoking and eye opening books such as New Kid by Jerry Craft. Exploring the experience of a Black student in a predominantly white community is critical in helping students learn about inclusion and microaggressions and how to be a true friend to all. This book and others show many experiences they do not witness in their daily lives. To help them grow as citizens, they need to have exposure to different perspectives. Two- I am reading picture books to my students, both when they are remote learning and when they are with me in class. Picture books are critical to upper elementary as much as beginning elementary. The artistry and the lessons are done in such succinct ways that we can learn about theme, character traits, problem and solution, symbolism, etc, in a smaller text that is approachable for all readers. Thank you for your donations of both kinds of books to my classroom.
The next set of materials that you provided to my classroom were with the intention of handling Covid-19 style learning. I was unsure on how to best approach education this year, how to take a collaborative and shared environment and make it safe, germ free, and distanced. This thought overwhelmed so many in education and we did our best to pool resources and ideas and generate new methods. The materials provided helped me to separate manipulatives, offer collaborative work at a distance, and create new lessons from scratch. Thank you for providing these tools during an unprecedented time in education.
I am continually blessed and thankful for both the Donor's Choose platform and for the friends and family who have supported me throughout the years as a teacher. The opportunities you have provided for my students, and the financial and mental support you have provided me, is priceless. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Hardenbrook
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 9 other donors.