Past projects 239
Murals, Science, and Art, Oh My!
Funded Feb 18, 2016Thank you for supporting my classroom and my students by donating to this project. My students and I really appreciate your generosity.
Outside of my classroom my students and I have created a literacy garden where they read, conduct research and relax. The space is literally an extension of my classroom where I regularly conduct classroom lessons or reading circles. However, the walls surrounding our space was bland and colorless. Thus this grant was born!
One of my goals for the space was to paint murals that not only beautified the space, but provided educational value as well. Having this grant funded and being able to commission Jo Cobbett was wonderful! She took my vision and the visions of my students and brought them to life! Not only did she paint an awesome mural depicting the African savannah and an Asian rainforest, she also guided my students as they painted their dedicated wall. She taught them drawing and painting techniques and instilled a love of the arts in my students. It was incredible!
The learning wall murals are not only loved by my students, but by our entire school community as well. Thank you so much for helping me bring color to our space. Stay tuned! There are still walls to paint! We have only just begun!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 28 other donors.Full STEAM Ahead: The Science and Art Connection!
Funded Nov 15, 2015Thank you so much for supporting my students with this project. We are very appreciative of your support.
Integrating Science across the curriculum is a great way for students to learn. Not only do they learn important concepts and skills, they also see the how everything is connected and have a true and deep educational experience. This project brought Art, Science, Writing and Technology together in a way that enhanced my curriculum, and gave my students the opportunity to let their creative juices flow.
While working on this project, my students conducted research on an insect that they were most interested in and wrote a seventeen page book about them, complete with a table of contents and a glossary, and made 3-D models of their insect out of clay to put on display. They shared their books with the school community at our open house this month and were guest readers for our 1st and 2nd grade classes. They became expert entomologists and it was wonderful!
This was one of the best units of study my students experienced all year. Thank you again for your generous donation to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by EMP Museum + Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and 10 other donors.Ride on the Magic School Bus, Where Science Meets Literacy!
Funded Dec 31, 2015Thank you so very much for donating to this project! My students and I really appreciate your support!
My students LOVE the Magic School Bus literature series, and so do I! Science and Literacy are a natural connection and with these books I integrate Science across the curriculum and it makes such a big difference! My students are learning and having fun at the same time!
The wonderful thing about these books is that not only are they fun to read, but they are full of scientific information. We have read about insects, the food chain, the solar system and archeology, just to name a few. In addition, I am able to integrate literacy and writing skills, giving a real context for learning the skills. So much better that using a standard textbook and workbook!
Thank you again for your generosity. Because of you my students have been on many wonderful adventures through the power of reading--adventures that they will never forget!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 23 other donors.Third Grade Techies Need Technology! 3.0
Funded Mar 16, 2016Dear Friends!
Thank you so much for supporting my classroom and my students and this project. We are so incredibly happy to have more technology in our classroom!
I teach at a small urban school and my families do not have the financial resources to provide devices for their children to use at home. With trends in education moving more and more towards the use of technology, it has been a goal of mine to be able to provide my students with the access they need to succeed. Thanks to you and your generosity, I now have a computer for every student in my classroom to use!
My students use these computers every day! They do research, compose stories, and when allowed play educational games during free time. Each student has one at their desk, although they often prefer to work in teams on projects. Now that we have a device for every student, productivity and creativity has increased two-fold! My students are eager to complete their assignments and are always looking for ways to improve ore enhance whatever they are working on. I allow my students to take them home once a week so they can share what they are learning and doing with their families. I can't tell you what a difference this has made in my classroom.
Thank you again for your donation to my classroom. We are very appreciative of your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 21 other donors.Technology for One! Technology for All! 2.0
Funded Dec 1, 2015Thank you so very much for supporting me and my students by donating to this project! My students and I are so very thankful that there are folks like you out there, willing to help them be the best they can be!
With the emphasis on 21st Century Learning in schools, having an ample supply of technological devices is necessary. I teach at a small school that does not have a big budget and with parents, who many of them do not have the ability to provide these resources for their children. My job is to give them the best education I can, and to give them as many opportunities to succeed as possible. Thanks to you and your generosity, I am able to level the playing field, and my students are taking full advantage of having additional devices to use in the classroom.
My students absolutely love to use the iPad Pro and the new Chromebooks this grant provided! Getting them to conduct research, write a story or book report, or review Math and Science concepts is a joy, because they know they have access whenever they need it. There are some days that my students are so involved in their research activities using the devices that I just sit back and take it all in. It is wonderful to see the exploring, investigating and learning going on!
Thank you again so very much for taking an interest in my students. I am so very grateful that you supported this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 6 other donors.Full STEAM Ahead 2.0: Connecting Science, Art and Technology
Funded Nov 25, 2015Thank you so very much for supporting this project. My students and I appreciate your generosity!
This project is one that is two fold. It helps me to get closer to my goal of providing all of my students access to computers to use in the classroom, and will give my students more opportunities to use technology when they need it to conduct research and written reports.
In the next few weeks, my students will begin a unit about animal and insect homes. They will choose an animal/insect to study, research and report on. Most of the work must be done in the classroom because many of my students' families do not have the financial means to afford computers of their own. We are so grateful that you have helped our class as wait time to use a device has been shortened tremendously!
As we go forward with this project, my students will make PowerPoint presentations, audio books and reports in addition to art activities where they will create habitats and 3-D models. They are so excited that they now have more access to the technological support they need to successfully complete their project.
I teach at a small school where financial resources are not as abundant as the larger schools in the surrounding area. Grants such as these help me make sure my students get what they need to succeed.
Thank you so very much for donating to this project. Because of you, I will have a resource in my classroom that I will be able to use with many classrooms in the future.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by EMP Museum + Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and 12 other donors.Space, The Final Frontier...For Classroom Organization 2.0
Funded Sep 4, 2015Thank you for supporting my classroom and my students. We appreciate your generosity!
My classroom is a very busy place with students actively involved in many different activities. Science projects, learning centers, art and technology presentations, Language and Math journals..... just a day in the life of my classroom! My classroom does not have a lot of storage space and it is always a challenge to find a place for everything. Students rotate around the room and often are working on desks that are not their own. Just keeping up with pencils and crayons became a major problem.
Enter Seat Sacks! Because of your donation my students now have additional storage space for all of their ancillary materials! The items they use the most are right at their fingertips and easy to keep up with. With the movement of a chair to another table, my students have everything they need for most of their daily projects. These seat sacks have really been a life saver and my students absolutely love them!
Thank you so much for donating to my classroom. I am happy and humbled by your support and am so grateful for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com FY15 and 5 other donors.Flashdrives and Toner for Writing...Oh My!
Funded Aug 22, 2015Thank you so very much for your continued support and generosity. Because of you my students have supplies and resources that will help them learn, grow and succeed.
In this age of technology, a goal of mine to provide my students with all of the tools they need to help them become technically literate. Most of my students come from families that do not have the financial means to have digital devices readily available. Donors like you allow me to give my students experiences and opportunities they may never have. That is a wonderful feeling.
When I showed my students the materials you funded they were so very happy! I explained that the flash drives would be theirs to keep at the end of the year and all of their written projects would be stored on them to share with their families. They are now motivated more than ever before to write, print and save their work. A teacher's dream!
Thank you again for supporting me and my students. It takes a village and I am very grateful that you are a part of mine.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
Full STEM Ahead! Young Scientists At Work!
Funded Jun 7, 2015Thank you so much for supporting my classroom. My students and I appreciate your generosity.
Providing my students with exciting learning opportunities is always a goal of mine. The STEM bundles funded with this proposal are a perfect fit in my classroom. The materials give my students first hand experiences problem solving and finding solutions and apply those solutions to real life situations. And of course, the activities are fun!
When my students saw the challenges, they could not wait to get their hand on them and explore! I did not give them any directions the first time they worked with the kits and it turns out that I didn't need too! They used their knowledge of the engineering design process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve) to make decisions on what they could and could not do; they experimented with different challenge models and had wonderful conversations along the way! I assigned 4 students to one STEM challenge with the idea that after a given amount of time, they would rotate to another STEM activity. Much to my surprise, not one single student wanted to leave their initial station! They activities were so engaging that they did not want to stop, and several groups made wonderful modifications and improvements to their design challenges!
We have STEM Day every other Friday. My students always looked forward to these days, but they look forward to them even more now that we have these wonderful new materials as a resource. Thank you again for your generosity and your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 7 other donors.School's Out For Summer! Time to Plan For the Fall!
Funded Aug 22, 2015Thank you so much for your donation to this project! The materials you helped to fund have been in use since the first day of school! It was so wonderful to have these additional resources that will help my students succeed!
My classroom is a very busy place! From independent learning centers to whole group instruction, my students are active and involved every day. My goal is to provide my students with learning experiences that will help them achieve and instill a love of learning. My school is wonderful and I have an extremely supportive Principal. However our school is small thus so is our budget. That is why your support was and is so critical and so very helpful!
My students absolutely love using everything you helped to fund. Learning center activities, writing folders, math games! All of these "extras" add to the learning environment in my classroom and provide my students with additional opportunities to learn and grow. Whenever a new resource is introduced, they squeal with delight and are so happy that they have another tool to use in the classroom. They immerse themselves immediately and take pride in their work and their learning. A true teacher's dream!
As the year goes by, my students will continue to use the materials you funded everyday. Thank you so very much for your generosity and for helping me help my students. We are so very appreciative and think of you and smile whenever we use of of our new tools.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Gaiter