Past projects 7
ABC There's a Space for Me!
Funded Sep 22, 2022Thank you for your donations to "ABC There's a Space for Me" classroom project. My student's excitement when they saw our new classroom rug was priceless! The rug makes our room a cozier place to learn and come together as a school family.
More then just an fun piece for the room, the classroom rug is aslo helping to provide each student with their own space when we gather for classroom meetings, Read-Alouds, partner and group work. Each student is able to pick a letter to sit on each day. Having a desiginated spot of their choosing helps them focus on whatever task we are working on and keep their bodies in their own space. When children leave the carpet, I will call letters or letter sounds to help practice those early literacy skill in a fun and engaging way.
Our classroom rug will continue to provide learning opportunities throught the year as well as for classrooms in the future. Thank you again for helping me give my students this fun, educational addition to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
This classroom project was brought to life by The Tracy Family Foundation and 8 other donors.Young at Heart!
Funded Aug 31, 2017It doesn't seem enough to just say thank you for your donations to our Donors Choose Project, Young at Heart. The impact this experience has had on everyone involved has so filled our hearts! I will try to put into words what this project has meant.
Each month my students and I go to the nursing home to visit the residents. We read together, do crafts, play games and talk. The talking is what happens the most! It is such a joy to watch the residents and the children interact with each other. When they see each other it is like an old friend has come to visit - hugs are shared, laughing is heard! It has been an opportunity for my students to see how much of a difference they can make by being kind, listening and spending time with someone. My most reserved students come out of their shells on our visits. I have been amazed at the confidence my students have developed on these trips. When we have to leave the fist question asked by all is "When is the next visit day?"
Of course we have used the visits in our writing at school and to help encourage reading, but truly the academic impact is far less important then the social/emotional learning that has occurred. I have been teaching for over 20 years and this is the best thing I have ever been a part of! Everyone who has been a part of a visit is deeply touched by the experience. We are already making plans to continue our visits next year.
As I said it is very hard to put into words what this project has meant to all involved. I hope I have given you a small window into what these visits look like and how they make us feel. So even though thank you doesn't seem enough, I do so thank you for helping to make this project happen!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
We Like To Move It, Move It, Move It!
Funded Feb 9, 2017Thank you so much for your contributions to my Donors Choose Project, "We Like to Move It, Move It! My students were so excited when they came into the classroom and saw all the brightly colored wobble chairs! Each one got to sit in a chair and decide if it would be a chair that would help them focus and do their best. We set up a rotation system so that everyone that wanted to could have an opportunity to experience the wobble chairs.
Students who are choosing to use the chairs mainly use them during carpet time and writing time - two times in our day when they have to sit for an extended period of time and really stay focused. I have noticed a big change in students ability to listen, not distract others and stay on task. The chairs give those students who need the opportunity to fidget, wiggle, wobble and rock a safe place to do so that doesn't interfere with their learning or the learning of others.
It is so important to give students options when choosing a place to sit that works best for their learning style. I am having to do fewer corrections with many students and they are feeling more successful because they are better able to following expectations and complete their work.
Last, but certainly not least, the wobble chairs are fun! They add an element to our classroom that embraces differences and offers students more control over their learning. I could not provide this opportunity without your help and I am extremely grateful!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!
Funded Aug 4, 2016The addition of the informational texts has added so much to our classroom! The children love to spend time with the books talking about the photographs, discovering new facts and asking tons of questions leading them to more reading and discovery.
The books have been used in many ways during reading instruction. Students have learned what the characteristics of an informational text are: photographs, indexes, labels, and more. They are able pick up a book and know if it is an informational text and explain why. My students love to buddy read with the books and talk about what they are seeing - making predictions, sharing what they know and asking questions that push their thinking. The books are instrumental in helping build vocabulary and introducing concepts previously unknown to my students.
While studying the life-cycle in Science, we had a caterpillar in our classroom. As we watched the caterpillar form its chrysalis we were able to use our books to see what would happen next and compare it to the life cycle of other living creatures. After the butterfly emerged, two of my students used the books to help them write their own information text about the life-cycle of the butterfly.
I am extremely grateful for the addition of these books to our classroom. On my own I would not be able to provided these books for my students. It means so much to know that others are willing to go above and beyond to provide for my kids!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
Oh The Drama!
Funded Jul 20, 2015Oh the drama you helped to provide in our classroom has been deeply appreciated! The children are so excited to have hands-on materials to bring their imaginations to life. Watching the students use the resources your donations provided is both fun and authentic. They each became builders, shop keepers and veterinarians right before my eyes. As one of my students said, "This is the real deal!"
So far, the children have used the construction materials to complete a STEM project based on transportation. The saws, drills, levels, hammers and more provided a real-life experience as they created forms of transportation. Our next drama station will be a veterinary clinic in which the cash register and writing supplies will be used.
The benefits of these materials are felt every day. The children's vocabulary is growing, they are problem solving and learning how to cooperate with each other for the benefit of everyone. Alone I could never provide all these opportunities for my children. I am extremely grateful for your donations and the joy it is giving to my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
Counting and Sorting and Patterns, Oh My!
Funded Dec 23, 2014The excitement that has been generated by the materials your donations helped provide will be felt well beyond the Kindergarten years! As one of my students so wisely said, "Math is super important - everybody does it - even my grandma!"
The materials purchased with your donations are used every day in our classroom. Items such as the attribute blocks and coins are sometimes used in whole group instruction. Often I use the items when working with small groups of children to help differentiate my instruction to best meet their individual needs. The number recognition activities and the sorting activities help provide additional independent practice. All the materials give children hands-on opportunities to explore, discover and problem-solve on a daily basis.
At a time when school funding is at an all-time low, it would be impossible for me or my district to provided the materials your donations helped to purchase. I am extremely grateful for your donations to my project! Thank you for helping foster a love of Math and learning in our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia and 3 other donors.Big Books for Little Readers!
Funded Aug 2, 2014Thank you so much for donating to Big Books for Little Readers! My students are loving the books and choose the Big Book station when they have choice time. All of the books are enjoyed, but they especially like, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and Silly Sally. One of my students said, "Those books are so funny I just want to read them all the time!"
My students are spending lots of time with the books reading them both individually and with a partner. They are experiencing the joy reading can bring as well as practicing early reading concepts such as where to start reading, left page before the right page and letter recognition. They are learning that the picture needs to match the words and a story has an order it needs to follow.
The big books your donations provided for have made a huge impact in our classroom! I have been able to provide reading opportunities for my students that otherwise would not have been possible. Many of my students haven't had many experiences with books and these big books have started them off to what I believe will be a lifetime of reading!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kniel
This classroom project was brought to life by Lysol Lysol and 4 other donors.