Past projects 3
Nurturing Curiosity: Cultivating a Nonfiction Oasis in the Classroom
Funded Jun 20, 2024I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support of my students. The non-fiction books and book display you donated have created a special space in our classroom, where students can immerse themselves in exploring fascinating topics. The display not only grabs their attention but also draws them in with curiosity and excitement.
We've set up this reading nook by our window, complete with cozy cushions, and we plan to add a small rug soon. There's even a plant, a bird feeder, and a field guide for identifying birds, making it a peaceful, inviting spot. It has quickly become a favorite place for students to read, and they love gathering there for group work as well.
One of my goals is to ensure my students are exposed to plenty of nonfiction texts, and thanks to you, they now have access to a rich variety of books that spark their interest and help them learn more about the world. This high-quality literature is already building their vocabulary and background knowledge.
Both my students and I are absolutely thrilled with this resource, and I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. Your donation will have a lasting impact on our classroom and our learning journey throughout the year! It will also benefit future students of this classroom for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.Exploring Together: Funding Scholastic News for Third Grade
Funded Mar 29, 2024I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generous support of my students. The subscription to Scholastic News has been an exciting addition to literacy instruction in my classroom. I would not have been able to provide them with these high-quality nonfiction resources on my own.
Our first newspaper contained an article about manatees. I downloaded vocabulary slides from Scholastic to pre-teach difficult words before we read. Students were so excited to each get their own newspaper. After reading the article together, they logged into the website and loved watching the video about manatees which was a supplemental resource to the article. Scholastic provided a Google slideshow that I can post for students to work together to answer questions about the text.
While students are having fun learning about topics that are interesting to them, I have repeated opportunities to integrate this learning with all content areas. We discussed nonfiction text features that helped us understand the article, they completed a writer's response prompt in their writer's notebooks, and we discussed animal adaptations. Scholastic News has also enabled us to have discussions about current events in our morning meetings.
I love this resource and my students love it. Thank you so much for your generosity. It will have a huge impact on our learning throughout the entire year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones
RoboRealm: Elevating Education Through Coding Exploration
Funded Mar 20, 2024I want to express my deep gratitude for what you have done for my students. The addition of iRobot Root coding robots to our classroom has been exciting for the students and the teacher! Having a dedicated set of robots available every day has transformed our learning environment.
Students love being in a classroom where they participate in engaging activities. They are highly motivated to do projects involving robots. This has been beneficial to the overall climate of my classroom. Students are also required to work with other students on these projects, and this has been a wonderful opportunity to practice collaboration and communication skills.
What student wouldn't prefer coding over a worksheet? The robots have allowed students to showcase their understanding in new and creative ways. It is so easy to integrate all subjects of the core curriculum by creating coding challenges—whether it's sequencing knowledge or solving problems on the mat or using the LEGO boards on the robots. Students are so engaged that they hardly realize they're doing academic work.
Our learning routines now include robots and coding, and it is natural to incorporate coding terminology and lessons into everything we do. Students are using problem-solving, logic, and critical thinking skills to create programs and debug them. They are learning foundational skills that they can build on in the future.
Robotics is a great way to allow students to express their creativity. Students can create a project for their portfolio using the robots. The LEGO boards that attach to the robots extends that creativity. They also have unstructured time to play with the robots each week to practice coding and discover new things they can do with the robots.
Your gift benefits not only my current students but all future students as well. Thank you for your generosity and for making such an impactful difference in their lives.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Jones