Past projects 5
College and Career Readiness
Funded Aug 28, 2024The college pennants and the carpet in our space are becoming fantastic tools for engaging students in important conversations about higher education and careers. By using these elements, we're sparking curiosity and helping students explore their goals early on, which is incredibly powerful for their academic development.
The college pennants are doing more than just decorating the space—they're becoming a gateway for students to imagine their future educational paths. Questions like "Where is this school located?" and discussions about school mascots are helping students familiarize themselves with universities and develop a connection to those institutions, which may seem distant or unfamiliar to them. These discussions likely build excitement around the idea of college and the opportunities it represents, which is especially important for students who may not have had family members attend university.
Similarly, the carpet's design, especially with the soccer ball over South America, is a creative way to tie in cultural relevance and make learning more engaging for students from Central and South America. It's fantastic that they're able to identify places of interest and interact with the carpet in such an academic yet fun way. The ability to connect with their roots while also learning about global geography and potential career paths is helping to make education feel more relatable and exciting.
By incorporating these visual and interactive elements into our space, we're not only providing a collaborative learning environment but also encouraging students to think about their future and the educational paths that will help them get there. It is a great initiative for early college and career awareness!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Weber
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 16 other donors.Learning Like a Pro!
Funded Aug 14, 2024Flexible seating has been beneficial for students, especially in fostering collaboration in small groups. The adaptable environment increases students' stamina and engagement, helping them remain focused and active throughout the long school day. When engaging in reading and annotation activities, students enjoy buddy reading and responding, and flexible seating makes this type of collaborative learning more effective and enjoyable.
Thank you so much for your generous contribution to make this happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Weber
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.Antsy Kids Need Alternatives
Funded Aug 23, 2018Prior to making my Donor's Choose request, I purchased one balance disc for a student in need. When I saw the difference it made, we circulated it around the classroom. Upon learning that each student would have their own disc to use, the students became ecstatic. They have been very responsible with their discs and more alert due to this seating option. Yay! Students use them not just at their seats but to move and sit around the classroom too.
As I mentioned before, we don't use desks in the classroom, so the seat back pockets are a necessity to help stay organize, as well as have a bit of personal space to store work. Students have respectfully using theirs to store their folders for various subjects, as well as, books they are currently reading.
Thank you very much for your generous donation as it has gone a long way to making our classroom a more conducive learning environment.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Weber
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Cozy Reading Nook
Funded Dec 16, 2015Thank you so much for your donation. After some delays with snow and school closings, we are finally enjoying our new carpets. Couldn't have come at a better time, considering how cold it has been. Our classroom is located in a modular and therefore has no insulation under the tile floors.
I've never seen so much excitement over carpeting, it's as if they've never had such a luxury! I don't blame them, sitting on hard chairs all day is very uncomfortable. A cold floor didn't offer much of an alternative. Now they have way to move around and work in a cozier environment.
We have been able to enjoy more group lessons while sitting on the floor instead of our desks. In addition to independent workshop times, where they choose to use the carpet area to do tasks or read.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Weber
Next Generation Literacy
Funded Sep 4, 2014The school year has gotten off to a great start. The student are super excited about their Kindles. They have been able to use the MyOn app on the Kindles in order to listen to a variety of books. They say it's engaging and they are appreciative as they do not have access at home.
In addition to the Kindles, the Elmo document camera has been very useful in sharing student work and as the teacher, sharing instructions for the whole class to see. It has boosting my teaching because now my students can see exactly what I'm talking about and follow my directions step by step.
As you can see from the pictures, the students are very excited about the technology we have in our classroom now. Thank you so much for your donations. I think it is easy to see however small or big a contribution you make, the results are priceless.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Weber