Past projects 186
Wanted: A Pair of Yetis for Video Journalism Class!
Funded Nov 2, 2022Thank you for our new Yeti microphones! The very first time the kids tried them out, the improvement in audio quality was striking. The students can sit back from the mics and speak normally, knowing that our new equipment will effortlessly pick up every word. No more hunching over the laptop. No more muffled recordings. The kids' voices sound crisp and natural. Actually, the very first thing that the kids tested out was not voice recordings - it was sound effects. They started scrunching paper, cellophane next to the mics... tapping them... scraping them with their plastic ID cards, etc. As always, I can tell that the kids are going to put the new equipment to far more imaginative uses than I could ever have imagined! Thank you for remembering our wonderful middle schoolers!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 3 other donors.Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing!
Funded Jan 26, 2022Thank you for purchasing "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing!" for our school library. We now have several sets of Judy Blume titles for our elementary students - all thanks to our sponsors on Donorschoose. That's at the suggestion of our fourth grade Language Arts teachers, who use the Judy Blume books in their classes. It is great to go through a novel with the entire group, reacting to the story, thinking aloud about it as we read - modeling for the kids what fun it is to read a novel. Thank you for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Popular Comic Books for Young Readers
Funded Dec 29, 2021Thank you so much for these titles. Comic books are a great way to attract reluctant readers into the library. 'Dog Man' and 'The Baby-Sitters Club' are proving particularly popular. With most additions to the bookshelves, it is wise to advertise the titles a little, maybe with a special sign, perhaps with a mention on the morning announcements, but when your books went on the shelves, the kids seemed to know about them by telepathy. They were all checked out inside a couple of days. Thank you for helping our kids enjoy reading so much!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great
Funded Mar 8, 2022A big thank-you from our 4th graders for purchasing "Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great" for our school library. We now have several class sets of Judy Blume classics for our 4th grade Language Arts classes. Both kids and teachers enjoy them - and it's particularly fitting to have Judy Blume titles on our shelves because she used to attend our school.
It's very useful to have class sets of children's novels. The whole group reads and reacts to the novel together. Teachers can get beyond simple decoding and comprehension questions, into predicting plot, reacting to characters... really savoring the story. A big "thank you!" from all of us.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Let's Join the Baby-Sitters' Club!
Funded Apr 7, 2022Thank you for buying our children these graphic novels from the "Baby-Sitters Club". This series had long been a favorite with the kids, but we had nowhere near enough titles to keep up with the demand - so your gift is extremely welcome!
These graphic novels tend to attract students in 3rd through 5th grade. They help the kids transition from reading picture-rich easy books to checking out chapter books. Of course, getting a series of books really helps motivate our readers, too. They are desperate to read all the titles!
Thanks for keeping our kids in mind. We really appreciate your help!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.Now You See Me, Now You Don't!
Funded May 3, 2022The kids are in love with the green T-shirts, gloves and hoods. How are they using them for the Morning Announcements? Here are some examples. We have a Sports Jersey Day coming up. Students will pay $1 to the United Way to wear their favorite team's colors. A kid is going to describe Sports Jersey Day while wearing one of your green T-shirts. As they talk, the T-shirt design will change from one team to another, and another, and another... The gloves, meanwhile, are really useful when the kids use hand puppets. They film the puppets in front of the green screen - and thanks to your gloves, nobody can see who is working the puppets. And the hoods have proved useful for Halloween. We've used a green hood, and a green T-shirt, to make a video of a headless ghost cradling its head in its hand. You work out how!
As you can see, the kids are being very creative with your gifts, and are learning a lot about video production. Thank you so much for helping them out!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and one other donor.2nd Grade Favorites: 'Pinkalicious' and 'Pete the Cat'.
Funded Feb 10, 2022Thank you! 'Pete the Cat' and 'Pinkalicious' are finally on our library shelves! The second grade are really happy.
This project was conceived in tandem with a second grade teacher. Once your library books arrived, we gave her class the first chance to check out the books. Then, we made a short video for the school Morning Announcements promoting the new titles. Your books have been in constant circulation since then.
It was very kind of you to remember our children. We appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Teen Film-Makers
Funded Sep 23, 2021Thank you for our new MacBook!
It has really changed the way our aides work in the Media Center. They are producing two morning announcements videos at a time, instead of just one. That's perfect, because they only come to the library every other day, so instead of falling behind in producing morning programs, they are now meeting deadlines. Because more children now have access to iMovie, we are getting fresh input to our programs, and more students are able to present. Bravo! We really appreciate your thinking of our kids!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Great-SOUNDING Videos.
Funded Feb 23, 2021Thank you so much for buying us a portable microphone!
We can now shoot videos, using just the iPhone, from several feet away (up to around 20 feet, I'd say) and still get excellent audio quality by placing the microphone that you purchased up close to the person talking in the video. The mic communicates with the iPhone using a special App. This is great for recording students and parents (not so necessary for teachers - they always know how to switch on their 'teacher voice'!). It is particularly useful with the younger kids. Our videos are used in the morning announcements and social media, and we sometimes shoot videos for inter-school competitions, too. This little mic is a great asset. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
Middle School Movie Makers
Funded Dec 1, 2020Your MacBook has to be one of the most useful items we have EVER acquired for the library. We have vastly improved the Morning Announcements. We can show photos / video clips, add credits, voiceovers, music, sound effects, emojis....Every day we learn a new trick! It is fantastic. With half our kids at home, and half at school, we need to hang together and stay upbeat. The improved Announcements help keep the school unified, and put a smile on the kids' faces. Thank you so much for this gift! We are delighted with it.”
With gratitude,
Dr. Pearson
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 3 other donors.