Past projects 8
Purifier, Charging Stations, Germ-Ex: Much Needed Classroom Supplies
Funded Jan 14, 2022I was surprised by how much the students have appreciated having a charging station in my room. I thought they'd want to keep their phones on them. This device has 10 ports so several students can use it at the same time. It charges so fast so that if they leave it there for the duration of my class, it is charged for the rest of the day. That's handy if they have a game that afternoon or a long bus ride home.
This project also included a surge protector / extension cord, which might sound like an odd need, but has been an amazing asset to my classroom. I teach a dual-credit college writing class and sometimes students use the school computers and they aren't charged. Sometimes they have their own chromebooks and they aren't charged. My classroom is in the oldest part of our building and the room only has three plug ins. So what I've done is plug in this extension surge protector and on days that we type, I stretch it to the center of the room and they can plug in their computers. That way they can continue working.
Not only did this project make my classroom more technologically friendly, it also provided my classroom with Kleenex, an air purifier, and sanitizing supplies. These past few years have shown how important it is to maintain sanitized surfaces, but supplies such as those are expensive.
So thank you so very much for making such a large impact on my students and on my ability to teach. I very much appreciate your support of education and young scholars.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex.Wordless Picture Books Led to Creative Writing and Story Sharing
Funded Mar 16, 2021I started collecting wordless picture books a few years ago. I use them in my creative writing unit as inspiration for writing short stories. In teaching high school, I've always had at least a couple of students in each class that just can't get started with writing a short story. There's something about having such open possibilities that are overwhelming and daunting. So when I teach writing stories, students choose a wordless picture book and add the story to go along with the pages. I teach how to punctuate dialogue, plot structure, and all kinds of story elements with these books.
Other teachers have figured out that I have this collection of books and borrow them for lessons in their own idea. I had a teacher borrow them to teach inferences. She had her students use sticky notes to infer what was happening and/or what the characters were thinking. In the future, I plan to have my students read their stories to the small children in our child development preschool program, but Covid has prevented that. So not only have you impacted my classes, you've helped other students as well. Thank you for providing these resources to my students and my school. I will use these for many years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
This classroom project was brought to life by The Center for Disaster Philanthropy and one other donor.Add Fun Reads to My Classroom Library
Funded May 5, 2021Thank you so much for providing new books to my classroom library. As an English teacher, I have always felt it was important to have a classroom library and keep the books fresh and current. A love of reading is important to foster in children of all ages and my high schoolers are no different.
A few years ago, I started a book club unit where students read the same book as a small group of other students. I love how it brought the kids together and allowed for collaboration. I chose to do verse novels for that unit - books written in poetic form.
Poetry typically has a reputation amongst students of being difficult, but verse novels are different. They tell a story that students would be interested in -- just like the regular novels that they read. Because they are written in verse, the pages have less words on them. The pages have to drive the story within less words, so the stories are typically faster paced and excited. Kids have loved this type of reading! They want to read more of this type of book after we are finished with our Book Circle unit; however, our school's library doesn't have a verse novel section. I wanted to provide a selection of this type of book for my students and you have helped me do that. Because of you, students will be engaged in reading something that they enjoy and have a passion for. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and one other donor.Resource Books Help Prepare High School Students for College Writing
Funded Apr 4, 2021Thank you for providing much needed resources to my students. They are truly amazing students and very appreciative whenever we get new class materials.
Learning how to do college level research papers is a daunting task for most students. They need to know how to cite quotes and evidence in their essays, create a works cited page, and format headers and MLA requirements. MLA recently changed to an updated edition and many of my resources were out of date: thank you for helping update my materials so that I can provide them for my kids.
When a student wants to use a resource that doesn't fit the normal standard, say for instance a work with three authors, I want them to have a way to look up how to cite that information correctly. I'm generally their first course where they are learning these writing skills. I want them to gain independence and confidence in order to be prepared for future college success. No matter what college pathway they chose, they will need to know these college writing skills. You've helped make that possible: thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
ACT Prep Books Prepare Students for Success
Funded Jan 3, 2021I want to thank you once again for donating ACT Prep books to my classroom. For many of my students a good ACT score provides them the opportunity to attend college with scholarships and without scholarships their dreams may be difficult to reach. My students are extremely hard working and dedicated to being successful. I teach an elective class that goes over ACT skills. I have students that need to get a 21 to get into a nursing program or teaching program along with students who are trying to get a 32 so that they have a full ride. My school also offers free after school ACT tutoring. I know that the ACT isn't the only means of achieving their intelligence and abilities, but it is very important to a lot of students.
The books that you provided for my students included official guides for Reading, English, and Science. I have several students that had the scores they needed in some categories, but were really struggling with the other parts. These books have allowed me to help them focus on their areas in need of growth rather than trying to tackle the test as a whole. For example, I have a student who needed a 21 in Reading in order to take Dual Credit College Writing next year. That is a class that is required for her future college degree. At the beginning of the year, she was just a few points off and she just got her scores back from this last test and she got above the score she needed.
So thank you on behalf of the students who are impacted by this donation! Thank you for giving them tools that they need to be successful. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
Verse Novels for Reading Circles
Funded Oct 23, 2020This year has been tough. The books you donated to my classroom have made a real difference. Every student was able to have their own book and got to choose their reading group. I was scrambling to find enough resources to fit the needs of my classroom under pandemic guidelines and you came through. Thank you!
With this unit, students selected a book group and got to take that book home with them. Groups were a mixture of students who were in-person and virtual and hybrid A and B schedules. It made my classroom feel more connected. Students they didn't get to see in-person any more, they could still connect with and work together with. On Fridays, if we were 100% remote, I would do breakout rooms via Google Classroom and the students discussed their books and had to related it to each others' lives. They had to communicate together. When we were hybrid, I had students write responses within their group's project page to one another. They would discuss back and forth what was happening in their story.
The books I picked out for the groups featured a diverse group of protagonists, but they all featured a teenager having to overcome a trauma or struggle. It was what the kids needed this year. They wrote reflection poems. They did mini-researches about the book's topic. They incorporated quotes and used in-text citations. They did all the challenging reading aspects of my classroom, and they were able to learn together. Thank you for helping me provide that for them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and one other donor.Reading Group Novels Bring Socially Distant Students Together
Funded Oct 13, 2020This year has been tough. The books you donated to my classroom have made a real difference. Every student was able to have their own book and got to choose their reading group. I was scrambling to find enough resources to fit the needs of my classroom under pandemic guidelines and you came through. Thank you!
With this unit, students selected a book group and got to take that book home with them. Groups were a mixture of students who were in-person and virtual and hybrid A and B schedules. It made my classroom feel more connected. Students they didn't get to see in-person any more, they could still connect with and work together with. On Fridays, if we were 100% remote, I would do breakout rooms via Google Classroom and the students discussed their books and had to related it to each others' lives. They had to communicate together. When we were hybrid, I had students write responses within their group's project page to one another. They would discuss back and forth what was happening in their story.
The books I picked out for the groups featured a diverse group of protagonists, but they all featured a teenager having to overcome a trauma or struggle. It was what the kids needed this year. They wrote reflection poems. They did mini-researches about the book's topic. They incorporated quotes and used in-text citations. They did all the challenging reading aspects of my classroom, and they were able to learn together. Thank you for helping me provide that for them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves
This classroom project was brought to life by Smarties Candy Company and one other donor.Wordless Picture Books Develop Creative Writing Skills
Funded Jul 12, 2019High school students are so often assigned informative and argumentative writing pieces that they seldom get to use their imaginations. This is an on-going unit in my class. This has gone over so well that other teachers have dropped by to see what my class is up to! This is something I look forward to. :-)
For the first lesson, students picked out a book and typed out what they thought the story was according to the pictures. For some, this is the first time they typed a full page in one class period. Some surprised me with how creative they were. Over the last few weeks, during our writing Mondays, we have revisited their initial stories. One week, while I was teaching quotation marks, students had to add dialogue to their stories. Another, when I taught adjectives, they had to make a special moment really vivid. These stories have really enabled me to make what I teaching applicable to my students.
Thank you so much for making these lessons possible. My kids have truly loved making up their stories. I've shared these and my lessons with my team teacher and the special education teachers. You've made a great impact on my students. You've allowed high school students to be creative. Thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Groves