Ms. Brubaker's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 12

• IPad Technology in the Classroom

  Funded Nov 28, 2022

  Thank you so much for your contribution toward a new iPad in my classroom! Technology is no longer the wave of the future in schools ... it is here, and the iPad is helping me in three key ways:

  • Student Assessment

  • Parent Communication

  • Student Engagement

  Our assessments are no long pencil and paper and must be completed on a device. The iPad helps me administer individual reading and math assessments quickly and easily. For example, a student reads aloud from a passage and I mark the passage on the screen as the student reads. The score is automatically calculated, reducing my tedious task of counting words and misreads. This is just one example of how I can use the iPad for student assessment.

  I also use it for parent communication. We have a great app called ClassDojo which enables me to send individual and group texts to parents daily. I use it to let them know about daily homework assignments as well as special events like a reminder about a project or field trip. Parents can text me back individually with questions or concerns. It also has a "Class Story" section where I can post photos of special events for parents to enjoy. This app keeps all parent communication in one place and I don't have to use my personal phone for parent communication.

  Students also enjoy using the iPad for the student-based educational apps we use, like Amplify (for reading) and IXL (for reading and math). While they have Chromebooks to use, it is a special privilege to be able to use the classroom iPad because it is a higher quality experience.

  As you can see, the iPad is a great enhancement to our classroom and I truly appreciate your support. Thanks so much for your donation toward this project!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Walt Disney Company and 6 other donors.

• Rock Hounds Want to Polish Their Knowledge of Geology!

  Funded Jan 21, 2021

  Thank you so much for funding the rock tumbler and rock collections for my classroom. This turned out to be such an amazing science project for distance learning! We went through all four stages of the rock polishing cycle and looked at the differences after each stage. The students were amazed to watch the rocks get smaller and smoother as time went on, which increased their understanding of the process of erosion.

  It was fun to share the results each week during our Zoom class, and sometimes the students would ask me, "When are we going to look at the rocks?" I used a document camera to share the rocks with the students virtually.

  We are now on the second round of rocks, and some of the students will be returning to campus later this month. I hope that we will end up with enough polished rocks by the end of the year for each student to choose several to keep.

  Thanks again for your very generous contribution to our class. I know that you inspired several rock hounds who proudly showed me their own rock collections.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

• Let's Have Fun With Spelling and Vocabulary!

  Funded Sep 12, 2020

  Thank you so much for your support of our classroom throughout this time of distance learning. As you can imagine, learning vocabulary, spelling, and writing remotely is a challenge for a 4th grader. The materials you purchased for my classroom help the students engage with these subjects through the computer.

  Spelling City provides a variety of game-like lessons each week for a word list I am able to choose or customize. The students work with the spelling and definitions throughout the week and take an online test on Friday. They have told me how much they enjoy the colorful, animated games and have done well on the weekly tests.

  The Mrs. Wordsmith materials are unique, as you can see from the photos. They are bright and colorful with crazy characters that the students enjoy. The story kits are especially engaging for the students because they provide unique writing prompts with lots of questions to get the students started, and other activities to take them through the writing process. The best part is because this resource is digital, I was able to download it to my computer and easily post the pages to my class distance learning platform so the students have quick access to the information.

  You have eased the burden of online teaching with your generous contribution to my class. The students and I appreciate your involvement in our educational journey!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 3 other donors.

• All Aboard the Distance Learning Express!

  Funded May 7, 2020

  Thank you so much for helping to bring this project to life. During this time of distance learning, I had to shift gears and develop new lesson plans that students could complete from home. It is not a small task, and the materials from Teachers Pay Teachers help immensely.

  Some of the materials I selected are traditional paper and pencil activities that I was able to photocopy and distribute to the students at the beginning of the year so that they could do hands-on activities instead of having everything be screen-based. The students are showing some examples of these in the photos ... an interactive grammar notebook they are compiling week by week, and some reading response "brochures" that went along with the novel we were studying: "Island of the Blue Dolphins."

  Other materials I purchased from Teachers Pay Teachers include some writing units developed specifically for distance learning. The one displayed in the photos is a fictional narrative unit that consists of a video of a "guest teacher" who takes students through each step of the writing process over the course of ten daily lessons. It is helpful to have because students who miss the presentation during class can view it later. It is set up to easily integrate with Google Docs so that students can submit their writing to me and I can return it with comments for revision.

  All these new resources have been extremely helpful in getting my students through these first few months of distance learning. Since we're in it for the long haul, I will be using other writing units similar to the fictional narrative unit, and other support materials for novels we will be reading throughout the year.

  Your support of our class is deeply appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.

• Versatile Learning With VersaTiles!

  Funded Oct 21, 2019

  The VersaTiles you helped purchase for my classroom are awesome! We have been learning how to use the tiles in small groups and working on the skills they promote. These lessons are self-led and self-corrected, making it easier to let the students work independently while I meet with students one-to-one or in small groups. They are very well designed in that respect.

  All the tiles and accompanying booklets are bright and colorful with topics of interest to today's upper elementary age students. It's difficult to capture the attention of digital age kids with old, boring materials from 10 or 20 years ago. The freshness and liveliness of these tiles are a nice change from our district-provided curriculum.

  The prevalence of screens in the lives of today's students has made it challenging to provide enriching and engaging materials that are NOT digital, but these VersaTiles help to fill that void. Sometimes the students surprise themselves by finding that non-digital activities can be fun!

  As we begin the New Year, we're looking forward to using these more as we work toward mastery of language arts standards. Again, many thanks for being a part of my classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by hand2mind and 3 other donors.

• Math Games Put the FUN in FUNdamental Skills!

  Funded Sep 23, 2019

  The math games you helped purchase for my classroom are awesome! We have been working our way through the various games in small groups, learning how to play them and working on the skills they promote. At the same time, I'm learning what each game entails and how to introduce them to my curriculum in a cohesive way. Game management will be a key part of that! Luckily, these games are intended for classrooms and already come with organization in mind to make it easier on the teacher. They are very well designed in that respect.

  All the games are bright and colorful with topics of interest to today's upper elementary age students. The board games have titles like "The Math Star," "Climb the Cliff," "Multiply, Divide, and Conquer," and "ATM Action." How could any 9- or 10-year-old resist that? It's hard to capture the attention of digital age kids with old, boring materials from 10 or 20 years ago. The freshness and liveliness of these games are a nice change from our district-provided curriculum.

  The Grab and Go games are small boxes (which are easy to store) that are easy for the students to set up and learn. They are playing within a minute of grabbing the game. Clean up is quick and easy, too. So far, we've worked on three of the six topics: multiplication, division, and place value. Fractions, geometry, and measurement games will supplement upcoming units of study.

  As we approach the New Year, we're looking forward to using more of these new materials as we work toward mastery of new math topics. Again, many thanks for being a part of my classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 5 other donors.

• Help Us Make Our Essays Shine!

  Funded Aug 8, 2019

  The language arts materials you helped purchase for my classroom are awesome! We have been working our way through the various resources and strengthening the reading and writing skills they promote. The writing resources are superb because they guide the students through each of the four writing genres in a step-by-step way that is not too overwhelming. We are finishing up a fictional narrative piece and will also be using the materials for informational writing, opinion writing, and a personal narrative.

  The materials that support grammar skills are such a vast improvement on boring workbooks. These are "interactive notebooks" that the students create. I have had several students ask, "Can I go back and look in my notebook?" when we are talking about a past grammar lesson. That is what a teacher wants to hear! They take ownership of the skills and knowledge when they are creating the notebook themselves.

  We have already used the materials you provided to accompany the novel "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The resources helped bring the story alive for the students and improved their vocabulary comprehension as we read the book together. We are now embarking on "Island of the Blue Dolphins," a classic California fourth grade book that integrates literature with social studies and science. Again, the materials you provided will make the book all that much more accessible to the students. Later in the year, I look forward to using the materials that will accompany the novel, "By the Great Horn Spoon," a historical fiction story about the California gold rush.

  There are so many more materials that I will be using throughout the year to enhance the reading and writing instruction for my students. I'm pleased that I will also be able to use all these supplies year after year with other classes, so you have enriched many more than just one class of fourth graders. In this season of gratitude, I want to express my appreciation for all you've provided. Many thanks for being a part of my classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

• Language Arts Games Put the FUN in FUNdamental Skills!

  Funded May 6, 2019

  The language arts games you helped purchase for my classroom are awesome! We have been working our way through the various games in small groups, learning how to play them and working on the skills they promote. At the same time, I'm learning what each game entails and how to introduce them to my curriculum in a more cohesive way for the next school year. Game management will be a key part of that! Luckily, these games are intended for classrooms and already come with organization in mind to make it easier on the teacher. They are very well designed in that respect.

  All the games are bright and colorful with topics of interest to today's upper elementary age students. The file folder games have titles like "Pirate Treasure," "Text It Up," "Super Spy," "Skateboard Session," and "BMX Rad Racing." How could any 9- or 10-year-old resist that? It's hard to capture the attention of digital age kids with old, boring materials from 10 or 20 years ago. The freshness and liveliness of these games are a nice change from our district-provided curriculum.

  The game that my fourth graders were most intrigued by was the "Are You Ready for Fifth Grade?" quiz game. No surprise there! We played through it so that I could learn how best to do it as a whole class activity. This will definitely be a year-end favorite each year as the students look forward to fifth grade.

  The Can Do games, which each focus on a different language arts skill are simple yet effective games that challenge the students to practice the skills they are learning in class. The reason these games are so great is that the students can open the can and get started on the game immediately ... the directions are that easy. When they can work independently, it means I can work with a small group on another task.

  As I end this school year, I'm already looking forward to using these new materials next year with my next class. Again, many thanks for being a part of my classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 9 other donors.

• 4th Grade Engineers Design With Gizmos and Gadgets!

  Funded Dec 1, 2018

  My students agree that our new science materials are awesome! They have spent some time getting their feet wet using the different kits and I am pleased to see them really engaged in the design process. Our first lesson using the materials was an integrated assignment to design a small model using Legos and write very specific instructions so that a partner could replicate the figure without seeing the original. As I was explaining the task to the class, I overheard one excited student say, "This is going to be the best day of the year!" I didn't expect them to have such success on the first go, but they surprised me with their accuracy and precision in the detailed directions they wrote. I'm going to have to increase the level of the challenge with more complex sets of Legos the next time we do this!

  We have also used the engineering design sets and it is rewarding to see students who may not ordinarily be engaged in class become engrossed in these activities. One boy in particular who often is not interested in daily lessons took on a leadership role while designing a bridge and giving instructions to his partner as they watched his vision come to life. He asked me if we could "save" the bridge without putting the materials away so that he could continue working on it another day.

  After we learn about magnets and magnetism next month, our next task will be to design and build a "rover"-type vehicle which will be able to detect magnets hidden under a foam board grid. The students will have to indicate where on the grid they believe the magnets are. This will test their understanding of magnetism as well as their creativity when it comes to designing the "rover."

  You have made all these experiences possible and my students and I appreciate your generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Brubaker