Mrs. Ballou's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 49

• Dashing into the World of Coding

  Funded Jan 24, 2019

  Thank you so much for donating to our project, "Dashing into the World of Coding". With your support we received two Wonder Dash robots, which is a brand new tool for our STEAM classroom!

  I first introduced the robots to my Coding Club, which includes third and fourth graders who meet for 30 minutes on Fridays. Since the robot was new to both the students and myself this was the perfect opportunity for us to figure out the ins-and-outs of this robot before using it with the whole class.

  Students worked in small groups to use block coding on an iPad to move Dash around a shape that was taped on the floor. We had been using block coding on Scratch, which is a computer program, so students were able to easily transfer this learning experience to Dash. Students were able to choose which shape they wanted to code, and they quickly figured out that for the square and rectangle they could duplicate their code on the congruent sides. They were applying their math knowledge without even realizing it! After they were able to code Dash around the shape they added the "extra" code, such has flashing lights, dance moves, and sounds. We had Dash move around a square as he danced to a song, while another Dash blinked his eyes and made noises. Students had a blast as they discovered all of the extra code that Dash has to offer.

  I cannot thank you enough for providing a new robot for our STEAM classroom. It has really opened up the opportunity for more hands-on learning experiences as students build and code. I hope the pictures offer a quick glimpse into our classroom and what students get to do every day!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Carol Kupers Whalen Memorial Fund and 3 other donors.

• Financial Literacy Is Magnetic!

  Funded Sep 18, 2018

  Thank you supporting our project, "Financial Literacy is Magnetic." This project provided us with magnetic building blocks and toy straws. These new materials have given students a new way to stretch their imagination when we're building.

  A large part of our STEAM curriculum is being hands-on with building materials. Students are challenged to solve a problem with the materials they are given. I like to have more structured materials for my kindergarten and first grade students, so they don't feel overwhelmed with having too many materials to choose from. Both the magnetic blocks and toy straws are the perfect resource for this. Students are able to build houses, animals, cars, benches, and more with these materials. They are only limited by their imaginations!

  To make a connection with financial literacy, I wanted my younger students to start with forming a solid foundation for the basic skills, recognizing patterns and counting numbers. While building, students have been focusing on creating a pattern in their structure. Students have created patterns with shapes and colors. We've discussed how a pattern can repeat itself or grow. Along with patterns, we're constantly working on our number sense skills. Students count the number of materials they're using and are sometimes challenged to only gather a specific number of materials to build with a limited quantity. The latter focuses on their counting skills as well as pushing them to use their imagination with a limited amount of materials.

  I appreciate your support of my students and classroom! Not only are we building a better foundation for math skills, but we're also teaching students how to share and collaborate. I look forward to continuing to use these materials in my classroom for years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and one other donor.

• Slicing Away The Fear Of Financial Literacy

  Funded Aug 29, 2018

  Thank you for funding our project, "Slicing Away the Fear of Financial Literacy." This project provided us with five Osmo bases and five Osmo Pizza Co. games. We have ten iPads in our STEAM classroom, but only had five Osmo bases. In order to be able to utilize all iPads with Osmos we needed the additional five bases. Now we're able to use all iPads with Osmo at the same time, thus bringing down the ratio of students per Osmo.

  The Osmo Pizza Co. game allows students to run their own pizza shop. In the game, customers come up to the shop to request a specific kind of pizza. Students are required to make their pizza and provide an accurate amount of change to the customers. They are also measured on a customer service rating, meaning can students provide a pizza and change both accurately and efficiently. We're able to get so much out of this one game!

  I have been able to use this resource with students as young as first grade! When I was meeting with a first grade teacher about using Osmo in her small groups for math and language arts, she was discussing how she wished there was a way to differentiate instruction for her gifted students. I immediately thought about Osmo Pizza Co. game, which is more geared for students in third grade and above. When I sat down with the students to work through the game with them, it was amazing to see their thought process as they navigated new math skills. They knew how to add and subtract numbers, but making change was a new skill for them. We talked about various strategies for approaching these problems and how they would solve them. It was amazing to hear their thought process and finding a skill that provided just the right amount of difficulty for them.

  I cannot thank you enough for providing this opportunity for our STEAM classroom and whole school. It's been amazing to see how students have grown in their financial literacy skills in such a short amount of time. I look forward to seeing them continue to apply mental math strategies and work with numbers in a variety of ways.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and one other donor.

• Rolling in Financial Literacy

  Funded Oct 5, 2018

  Many thanks for funding our project, "Rolling in Financial Literacy." This project provided us with two materials that have transformed our classrooms lessons – a rolling cart and brainflakes.

  The rolling cart seems like such a simple material, but it has provided us with so much more freedom with lessons. On Fridays I am able to go into classrooms to work with teachers to teach STEAM lessons that are in addition to what students would receive in my classroom each week. I was worried how I would not be able to get my materials to each classroom in a quick and efficient way. The rolling cart is the perfect resource for me to prep materials throughout the week for Friday lessons and then easily transport them to classrooms. I have also been able to use it for our after-school STEAM practice held on Wednesdays.

  In addition to the rolling cart, the brainflakes have provided more variety in building materials, particularly for my younger students. Kindergarten, first, and second grade students have focused on sorting the brainflakes by colors, creating patterns, and working with money to "buy" their materials to build. Students are tapping into their imaginations as they build a variety of animals, shelves for Santa's elves to hide, a layout of a building, and more. This has led to great conversations about teamwork, helping others, sharing, and more.

  Financial literacy is an important topic for students to feel comfortable with. The rolling cart and brainflakes are leading the way in providing a solid foundation for financial literacy for my students. If students don't have a solid foundation early on, then they won't truly comprehend the more difficult financial literacy topics. I cannot thank each of you enough for believing in the power of these resources.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 4 other donors.

• Coding Our Path to Financial Literacy

  Funded Oct 11, 2018

  A big thank you for funding our project, "Coding Our Path to Financial Literacy." Osmos have transformed my classroom this year and because of you, we've been able to add Coding Awbie to our Osmo resources.

  Codie Awbie teaches students about block coding, which is the process of taking step-by-step directions and applying them all at once. When students do this, Awbie can follow the code and move through a maze to get to his destination. For example, a student may code the following based on obstacles that Awbie has to maneuver around.

  Left 1

  Right 3

  Straight 3

  Jump

  Left 2

  By putting a string of code together, students are applying their problem solving skills. Coding Awbie is the perfect stepping stone for teaching my youngest learners the basics of coding.

  Since using Coding Awbie in the classroom, students have been more prepared for other coding experiences, such as Hour of Code, which took place at the beginning of December. Hour of Code is a national movement to get students experience with coding. Normally it is more complex for my younger students, but having used Coding Awbie prior to Hour of Code, they were able to apply the skills they learned; therefore, being more successful. Students constantly come in my room asking if we're using Osmo today! Coding is no longer an abstract concept to them. Thank you for making this possible! I cannot thank you enough for supporting us.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and one other donor.

• The Rise of the Osmos

  Funded Sep 1, 2018

  I cannot thank each of you enough for supporting our project, "The Rise of the Osmos." With this project we were able to get 4 Genius Kits. To get our STEAM classroom started coding with Osmo, we needed bases to connect with iPads. The bases allow us to connect with the rest of the Osmo coding devices. We have 10 iPads in our STEAM room, so my goal was to get 10 bases. That way we have a smaller ratio of students per device.

  The Genius Kit comes with the base, plus a variety of starter games, which include number tiles, letter tiles, and tangrams. In order to get students confident with financial literacy, they need to understand the basics of number sense. The number tiles work with an application on the iPad, which allows students to practice building numbers. This is a standard of learning across grade levels as students work with numbers every day. The game has a variety of levels starting with smaller numbers and working up to larger ones. This is perfect because I am able to have students at multiple grade levels working on the same skill, but on their level.

  The first students to use the Osmos were first graders and they were hooked! I've never seen every single student so engaged in an activity. They were working together to build numbers, encouraging one another, and complaining that there was no way class could be over (my favorite kind of complaining!). Since I only get to see students once a week, I immediately went to their teacher to start brainstorming. The last thing I want is for technology to just sit in my classroom not being used. Together, we created a plan to get her class using Osmos in their daily math lessons. Students would have the technology as an option for a math rotation. This would get them working in an interactive and ever-changing way, something you cannot get with a worksheet!

  I look forward to seeing the growth that students make on their number sense just from this one Osmo resource. One of our school-wide goals in helping students improve their number sense and become confident mathematicians. You're a large part in getting us to that exact point! I'm so thankful for your support and believing in what our STEAM classroom can do for all of our students!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 5 other donors.

• Learning the Code for Financial Literacy

  Funded Sep 14, 2018

  Thank you so much for supporting our project, "Learning the Code for Financial Literacy." One of the areas that I wanted to focus on this school year was coding. When an opportunity arose to create a project for financial literacy, I realized what a perfect opportunity it would be to make both of these topics, financial literacy and coding, applicable to real-life. With that exact thought in mind, I discovered Osmo!

  Osmo is a tool that connects to an iPad and allows students to learn the basics of coding. The Osmo Genius kit, which we received, allows us to use multiple games with the iPad. The kit comes with options for students to learn how to spell and build words, work on their spatial reasoning with tangrams, and build larger numbers.

  To focus on financial literacy, we have used the number tiles and the corresponding application on the iPad. This game has students as young as kindergarten working on their number sense. Students are given a number and have to build the number with the number tiles. For example, how can you build the number 10? Students could do 5 and 5, 7 and 3, 2 and 8, and many other combinations. Students get so excited about this game as they earn points and level up to get harder numbers, all while building their number sense.

  Along with the Genius Kit, students have been diving into Coding Jam. After just one class students have said, "Wow! This is definitely my favorite Osmo game!", "Do we have to clean up?", "Class is already over?". Coding Jam has students use block code to create their own musical pieces. Block code is the idea of taking small chunks of directions and putting them together to create a full sequence of directions. Students are learning the basics of coding and financial literacy as they count beats to create a musical piece.

  I cannot thank you enough for providing these opportunities to my students. They are learning how to apply financial literacy skills in a multitude of real-life situations, which exposes them to new STEAM career opportunities. We would not be able to do this without you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Charles Schwab Foundation and 5 other donors.

• Where Did All the Supplies Go?

  Funded Jun 4, 2018

  I appreciate your support for our project, "Where Did All the Supplies Go?" I wrote this project at the end of the 2017-2018 school year after reflecting on student feedback from our first year. When asking students what their favorite part of STEAM was, the overwhelming response was Legos! Not only do they give students the perfect avenue for imaginative play, but they are also very versatile for my more structured STEAM lessons.

  I love that Legos lend themselves to students finding their creativity! At the beginning of the school year I always have some students say they're not sure what to build. This gives their teammates a perfect avenue to start naming dozens of objects that students could build. I've noticed that students who have been in our STEAM program for a year already are able to employ their imagination and creativity at the beginning of the year versus students who are new to the program. This makes me even more excited to see how our students continue to grow throughout the years of elementary school. We're truly building collaborative, creative learners.

  Legos have been a staple for my classroom lessons in just the first few weeks of the school year. One of my favorite lessons was after we read "The Three Little Pigs, An Architectural Tale." After reading the story students analyzed the pros and cons of various building materials and were tasked at building the tallest house that would be sturdy enough to not be blown over by the wind (a fan). Groups created designs that would allow air to pass through windows, so that their house would be less likely to blow over, while others chose to build houses similar to skyscrapers. On the other hand, students justified building houses that were lower to the ground because they knew it would be sturdier than a taller structure. They decided to sacrifice having the tallest structure in hopes that theirs would still be the only one standing at the end because it was more stable than a tall, skinny structure. It was amazing to hear this analysis, watch them build in teams, and hear the excitement during testing.

  I already have so many more lessons planned with Legos, and I feel so lucky to have the flexibility to do that. I always say that the only limit to my lessons is supplies. If I have the materials, I want to find a way to get all of our students using them. Thanks to you, I am not limited by our Lego supply, and I am truly grateful for that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to bring our STEAM lessons to life.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

• It's a Bug's Life

  Funded Apr 9, 2018

  I am sincerely thankful for your support to our project, "It's a Bug's Life." This was the second part of our green screen projects on Donors Choose. When we began researching insects for their green screen projects, I realized a few things – I did not have enough plugs throughout the classroom to keep our iPads charged, students did not quite have a steady hand for filming, and you can never have too many props to choose from. With all of these ideas in mind, I turned once again to Donors Choose, a community full of wonderful donors who believe in our classroom goals.

  With your donation, we now have the ability to have all 10 iPads charging at once, thanks to the 10-port charger we received. The tripods are also perfect because we can change the height at which students film their videos and the videos are shaky anymore. Students also loved the addition of more props, but the favorite, by far, was the microphones. They felt like true reporters up in front of the green screen delivering their research about various insects.

  An interesting take away from the project was students did not realize that when we went to film the green screen videos, that they would not be able to see the pictures they choose for their backgrounds on the green screen behind them. This lead to a great discussion about how weathermen do their job and how they practice to make sure they're pointing at the right spot on the screen when using maps, temperatures, and more.

  I can already see us being able to expand this project even more in the 2018-2019 school year! We're hoping to use the green screens to have students conduct live morning announcements each day. I'm also envisioning 4th graders practicing their science weather unit by hosting their own weather report as a culminating project. I know that this research project on insects is just the beginning for this technology in our school. Thank you so much for making this project and so many more a reality!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and one other donor.

• Honey I Shrunk the Kids!

  Funded Apr 2, 2018

  Thank you so much for donating to our classroom project, "Honey I Shrunk the Kids." Green screen technology has been highlighted at several education conferences I've been to recently. However, I've always been too afraid to dive into a project because of the resources I needed in order to make it happen. I decided to put my fears aside and create a Donors Choose project to see if it would get funded for the 2018-2019 school year. I never would have thought it would get funded early enough for me to dive into the technology this year!

  I decided to use two third grade classes to test out the technology. They worked in small groups to research an insect of their choice. Let's be honest, most of us are probably not fans of insects in general, but I don't want my students to create that stigma with insects. Therefore, I wanted them to learn why they are vital to our environment. Groups decided to research insects such as, monarch butterflies, fireflies, black widow spiders, beetles, and more! They were quickly learning why they are so important to the ecosystem in which they live and the food chains they are a part of.

  Students built their own props out of recyclables and used the plastic insects that you funded to make their videos comes to life. One of the most important parts of a green screen project is the green screen itself! We used the tripods, green screen muslin, and backdrop holder to actually create the videos. Students built files on the iPad using an application called DoInk to pull backgrounds for their videos. I wish I could share their videos with you because you would be amazed!

  I am continuously astonished by the generosity of my friends, family, and Donors Choose community. Without each of you, I wouldn't be able to have technology like this in my classroom. I love that I am able to introduce my students to the latest technology and of course I have each of you to thank for that!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ballou

  This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 8 other donors.