Past projects 3
Growing Minds, One Seat at a Time!
Funded Sep 10, 2023Thank you so much for this amazing gift you were able to provide us with. It is now the middle of the school year and my students have loved their flexible seating choices. We have now officially unpacked and used everything thing that was purchased. At the start of the school year students were sitting on the floor or a tiny five-below rug during our mini lessons because our smart board is set up in a corner of the room. It was uncomfortable and students had trouble focusing. NOW, students are eager to be first on our rug to begin our lesson. They enjoy sitting on a saucer chair, rocker, pillows, blankets, etc. It was a room transformation, to say the least.
As a fourth-grade student, it is hard to be able to move around the classroom when we need work to get done. Most students, always have been told to sit in their regular seats and write. You have provided the resources needed so that this would not be the case in my classroom! When it is independent or group work time, my students grab their favorite flexible seating choice and get right to work! They enjoy the movement and are grateful to have this type of learning experience. They have asked if they can take the material with them to 5th grade next year.
We are currently working on a unit that talks about Bravery and Courage. How all it takes is for one person to stand up and decide to make a small difference in the world and the impact it can have on someone for the rest of their lives. I can't help but think that this is what this project has done for them, or at least given them a glimpse of it in real life. We don't always need to stick with the status quo- there is a little bit of bravery in everyone who decides to try something new, like picking a spot on the floor to work rather than the traditional chair and desk. Sometimes we just need to step out of the box and expand our minds, one seat at a time!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Calixto
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 12 other donors.For The Love Of Reading
Funded Oct 21, 2021These books came at the perfect time for our classroom. Our students are on a detail and synthesize unit, in which they are really practicing all the fiction reading skills that they learned September. A few of the skills that students need to master by the end of the year are, identifying themes in a story, character analysis- identifying character traits, character changes and their development throughout the story, part to whole analysis (figuring out how one part of the story relates to another). When teaching these skills, I model off a mentor text, they practice using the mentor text and then practice more with their own independent reading book. These high interest books will serve as the students independent practice when trying out these skills.
Reading in this classroom looks very chaotic in the best way. Students have the choice of reading independently, reading with a partner, being part of a book club or choosing read aloud's that they love to practice new skills. There are four teachers in the room and they each work with a small group to further develop comprehension skills, while everyone else gets independent practice.
I can not begin to describe the excitement my students had when they saw the new books. Many of them ran to grab their favorite ones, though this left others sad because they wanted to read the same title. (note to self, next time I need to order more copies of popular titles) We have develop a system where they can read a book and share it with a friend when they are done. I have promised them that they may keep a book so long as they treasure it and every time they read it they practice a new skill or learn new things. Thank you so much for your contribution to this project. You have made it very possible for my students to love reading again.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Calixto
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 5 other donors.Choose Your Seat!
Funded Aug 22, 2018It took me a while to write this thank you letter because honestly, I didn't know where to start. The flexible seating project that I started over the summer for my students was perhaps one of the best decisions I have made as an educator. I wrote about the importance of having students sit some place where they felt comfortable and in a space that would allow them to concentrate on their work. At the time of writing this I had not fully understood just how important it is in the classroom to have a space that students feel good in. The flexible seating in my classroom has transformed into a kind of quiet space for kids. I have noticed student leave their tables when they get too loud, they prefer to sit in one of the flexible seating choices as it allows them to better work.
To really describe the impact of this project in my classroom, I want to introduce you to Allan. He is a nine-year-old boy who in third grade constantly didn't follow directions, walked around aimlessly in the classroom, acted out and was not very respectful. This year he is in my 4th grade class and as the year began, I realized, along with the school counselor that this student was not being defiant on purpose, but rather he was having difficulty of regulating and communicating his emotions. He was being triggered when he was sent to his seat to do his work. About two weeks into the school year I introduced the flexible seating option. After explaining the norms on how it should be used in the classroom, students were impatient to begin to use them. Alan however was a bit more caution when he first tried a flexible seating option. He used one of the cushions that I had available, he took the cushion and sat on the rug, he didn't like it. He took the cushion over to the computer area and sat down. He worked there for about 5 minutes and got up after many students moved to that area. Alan tried two more spots until he finally leaned against the science book shelve with his seat cushion. In that little corner spot, Alan finished his first narrative story from start to finish. A total of 3 pages. This was amazing because Alan had struggled to write a paragraph until that point. I asked him about what was different during this writing workshop and he said that he wasn't sure, but he thought that he liked that spot better. The days that follow, Allan continued to use that little corner spot and did all his work and even smiled a couple of times.
Allan is just one example of how this project has impacted my classroom. All my students have benefited from having the opportunity to sit where they feel most comfortable. Students who normally do not talk now share space to work together and give ideas about where they should sit. I have students also pointing out to each other that if they sit together they will not be able to concentrate and do work. Flexible seating has made my students accountable for their decisions, specifically choosing where they sit and noticing how much work they got done.
I have also had an impact in my school. Many colleagues have approached me to talk about how I thought of the project, how I got the funding and how I have implemented the project. I have suggested to various teachers to check out your website. I believe a few teachers have also opened projects for their classroom. It´s great that more teachers are considering implementing things that they believe students will benefit from. Again, when I started this project, I had a vision of my students walking into class and feeling like they are in their second home. Though I have had some trouble, for the most part my project has done what I envisioned. My students are excited to work and just leave their seats for a few hours. This project has given me new ideas on how to make my flexible seating better for my students and has been an example for other classrooms.
Thank you so much for helping me make this happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Calixto
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.