Past projects 18
Bringing Stories to Life With Clay and Technology
Funded Dec 24, 2018Thank you so much for supporting our students as they learned how to be filmmakers and how to contribute to a design process in a group! Each step of the filmmaking process provided truly engaging opportunities for our students to practice their English as they negotiated how to plan, design, build, and film their stop motion animation films. Students took on roles of designing sets and characters, directing, lighting, and editing. Along the way they learned art-specific language to support them in making decisions and expressing their wants/needs.
The final products have become a source of great pride for many groups for many reasons, namely, because many students had a hard time believing that they could successfully complete their own stop motion animation film.
Additionally, the clay has had a larger contribution to our student community by supporting students who are also in our after school Art Club working to develop sculpting skills.
Thanks again for being a part of our project. We couldn't do it without you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
Building Solidarity Through the International Language of Soccer
Funded Sep 12, 2018It is with great excitement that I am able to share that the warm up pants your donations provided will continue to be used beyond the regular season! Our girls have made it to the N.Y.C. soccer playoffs and will be continuing their work together into the post-season---or what we like to call the extra COLD season! We are SO grateful to know that our girls have these pants to help them to prepare for these particularly cold games.
While our first weeks of the season take place in the balmy sun of August, our last few weeks send us on cold, and often wet, adventures making the warm up pants a real lifesaver! Over the last two weeks of the regular season we've played multiple games in cold rain or damp, cloudy weather making the extra layer especially important. Additionally, the girls have chosen to wear the pants to school on multiple game days as an outward symbol of their unity and as a reminder to the school community they they are a team and they are ready to play!
Wish us luck! It's been an amazing season and on behalf of our entire team, thank you again for your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 2 other donors.Dropping Phones and Picking Up Books!
Funded Jan 7, 2018Thank you so much for your donations! Your contributions have helped to give our classroom library a much-needed makeover. Before students considered having to choose a book from the library in my room a punishment. Now they excitedly scan the titles looking for something new to read.
During the first week the new books were available I had students getting up out of their chairs because they were curious about the piles of new books at the back of the room. Now that they are arranged in our book carts, more and more kids are choosing to pick their silent reading books from our classroom library rather than the larger school library.
The students enjoying these more accessible books range from my newest English learners to even my more advanced readers because they just love the stories so much. Thank you for supporting our project and helping to bring in more books with characters who look like my students, with language that is accessible for more of my students, and with storylines that are truly encouraging kids to drop their phones and pick up books!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
I Know the Chinese Word, but What About English?
Funded Oct 19, 2017Thank you so much for helping bring these Chinese picture dictionaries to my classroom. I often see students motioning to each other to come and look at something in these dictionaries-- be it a new idea, a question, or simply to share something they find to be interesting. They have also been supportive in conversations with students about how the English language works, finding the right words to support them in their writing, and in encouraging them to explore the English language on their own.
It is wonderful to be able to have a Chinese picture dictionary at each table for students to read in their down time, for their silent reading time, or to use for a reference. Thank you so much for providing the funds to bring these books to these students. They are a source of joy, excitement, interest, and growth---and for that I am truly grateful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.Searching for the Right Words!
Funded Oct 18, 2017Thank you so much for helping bring these picture dictionaries to my classroom. They have become a part of our daily routines, and offer a space for students to explore the English language on their own terms. In fact, I often see students motioning to each other to come and look at something in these dictionaries-- be it a new idea, a question, or simply to share something they find to be interesting. I have even had students borrow the books during lunch and before school to spend a little more time exploring the English language on their own.
It is wonderful to be able to have multiple picture dictionaries at each table for students to read in their down time, for their silent reading time, or to use for a reference. Thank you so much for providing the funds to bring these books to these students. They are a source of joy, excitement, interest, and growth---and for that I am truly grateful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 6 other donors.I Know the Word in Spanish, But What About English?
Funded Oct 19, 2017It is incredible to experience a student getting upset with you because they want more copies of a book! This is precisely what has happened with these dictionaries. It is not uncommon to see two students huddled together discussing the meaning of a word or pointing out new language to each other. I have even seen students borrow the books during lunch and before school to spend a little more time exploring the English language on their own.
Simply put, these picture dictionaries have become a part of the fabric of our classroom. Each table has at least 1 copy of the Spanish picture dictionary for students to read in their down time, for their silent reading time, or to use for a reference. Thank you so much for providing the funds to bring these books to these students. They are a source of joy, excitement, interest, and growth---and for that I am truly grateful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 4 other donors.A Journal A Day Keeps the Worries Away
Funded Sep 19, 2017Each day I have the pleasure of starting class with students putting pencil to paper to share their ideas about the world, politics, social challenges, books, art, history, emotions, current events, and more. While a composition notebook may seem like a simple tool, it is a powerful one. For 10 minutes each day students write down ideas in any language related to a prompt or question and do so with confidence knowing that the only grade they will receive is one for their effort.
Our daily journal time has become a space for students to share ideas comfortably. We have talked about their opinions on classwork, their experiences at school and in their home countries, and most recently the journals have provided a space for students to process their feelings, their ideas for action, and their opinions about the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
I have watched students who wrote exclusively in their first language shift to trying to write as much as they can in English. I have also seen students who are not comfortable yet with joining conversations, write vigorously at the start of class. Thank you so much for giving them a space to develop language, ideas, confidence, and opinions!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda
Getting Crafty to Share Our Stories
Funded Oct 17, 2016Thank you so much for your donations! Your money helped to fund our class vinyl cutter and starter materials. Students have already begun experimenting and using the machine to help them to draw and cut out their own designs as well as images and shapes they find on the Internet.
During our unit on the immigrant experience, a few students challenged themselves by choosing a project wherein they wrote multiple journal passages from the point of view of the main character who traveled alone to a new country to find safety. They then designed a journal cover using the vinyl cutter. The results were incredible and included titles like "Adventure is Calling, I Must Go" and "Journey of Life, Let the Adventure Begin." The students felt a certain pride for the covers they had designed because they knew they had made a choice to take on the hardest project from the list of choices I had given them. Additionally, when they presented their work to me, they explained how the design of their covers helped to show the feelings and the experiences of the character from the book. We also discussed how the design aspect increased their opportunities to collaborate together to problem solve using the machine while also practicing speaking English (without their even realizing it).
It has been incredible to watch these students work together to figure out the best way to design a shape to share a certain idea. They continue to amaze me at how quickly they begin to learn the specific capabilities of the software, and to become comfortable using the individual pieces of the vinyl cutter to bring their creations to fruition. I now even have a small band of students who are always looking for reasons to come into my room and "use the machine in the back of the room."
Finally, all students in my classes are now working together to create a public art piece to help share their own immigration stories. Some students have used the vinyl cutter to cut out images to create "stickers" to use in their artwork. These images have ranged from airplanes and peace signs, to snowflakes and the New York City skyline. The addition of these student-made stickers has encouraged some students with less language because they are still able to create and use these symbols to help tell their story and share it with the public.
I am grateful for the way the vinyl cutter has already sparked the imagination and curiosity of some students, while challenging others to consider new ways to share a story. I look forward to seeing more students gain mastery of the machine during our upcoming poetry unit wherein students will be challenged to design and cut out their own book of poetry.
Thank you again for helping to fund our project. I can't wait to see what students think up to make on it next!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Amanda