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Ms. Ekins' Classroom

  • North Star Elementary School
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Past projects 53

  • Writing for the Real World

    Funded Nov 9, 2019

    I wish you could have been in our classroom the week of the book binder arrival. The students were close to finishing their writing pieces and could not believe the machine was for us! Now, imagine how excited they were the days prior to our publishing party as the binding machine came out and early finishers got to bind their books and assist others with binding theirs.

    The day of the publishing party there was definitely a buzz in the air. I had to bind several books the evening before so I could wrap them all in a fancy box with string to deliver at the publishing party. We had invited our 5th grade buddies, and there were gasps in the air when we unwrapped and read such professional looking pieces.

    The students don't get a lot of fancy experiences and turning their books into REAL books was unforgettable. Thank you for helping us have such luxurious experiences in our classroom.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

  • Basic Supplies to Go Above and Beyond

    Funded Oct 23, 2019

    It is amazing how much something small can alleviate so much pain in a classroom. Fabulous, high-quality pencil topper erasers can do just that. First, they last so much longer than cheaper erasers. Second, telling the kids about their quality and fanciness really helps them respect a tool they can infamously go through like candy (and not because they are always used to erase). It is a relief to set-out a pile and let the students retrieve one when needed. The kids have been incredibly respectful with our eraser gift, and every pencil has a great eraser when it is needed. Thank you for such a great gift that makes a difference in my teaching life.

    Although we won't put our portfolio pockets together until the spring, the students have done their first round of filing. This preparation and collection of their best work gives me the chills. Watching students SEE what learning and growth looks like is priceless. Hearing their gasps of shock about their work and pride about old work they have lovely memories around is the best form of assessment I can think of. Thank you for giving our class such a great, professional tool to store our final product in.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School.
  • Brain-Friendly Luxuries

    Funded Sep 23, 2019

    You would be amazed how much certain classroom supplies can simplify a teacher's life. The reusable, washable water bottles and erasable pen sets have simplified and improved my classroom tremendously!

    The water bottles have been a new experiment...and I'd never go back! We created a class job of a kitchen cleaner. They have been religious about collecting the water bottles each Friday for their washing. The kids have also taken great care of the water bottles. They understand the value of being gifted such a luxury. Each water bottle is in pristine condition and hydrates their brain several times a day.

    The erasable pens, I already knew I adored, but could not afford with my teacher budget. This year, we took them to the Great Salt Lake! The kids were able to draw diagrams of the plant samples they collected. The kids are also very cautious to get each pen back in its case and in rainbow order (thanks to the color-coded outside).

    Thank you. Thank you. You have given the fourth-graders items they will never forget...to help create learning I hope they'll never forget.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 4 other donors.
  • A Prime Learning Environment About Utah Environments

    Funded Oct 17, 2018

    These gifts are such an asset to the fun AND learning of fourth graders. Thank you!

    The kids are almost obsessed with finding every spare moment to work on their latch hook rugs. Some choose to stay in for a few minutes of their recess! I was very pleased with their ability to stick with it in the beginning. Fine motor skills are something I notice more and more fourth graders need a lot of practice with. They are also doing a wonderful job of meticulously sorting up to 12 yarn colors and following the intricate patterns found in each kit.

    We also just earned the USB drives to begin using during our Writer's Workshop. The kids are excited to use new technology, and I am excited that I no longer have to carry 24 notebooks home to go over their drafts. The kids will also be ready to publish the informational text they have been working on. First, they will type and save their essays in essay format, but before sharing them with second graders, the kids will print maps, photographs, and diagrams to make their research come to life for our second grade buddies. The color printer ink will make the final products truly professional looking. The USB drives and plentiful colored in are most definitely resources I never could have provided for my class with my own budget.

    Thank you again for such luxuries in the classroom that make learning more engaging and teaching easier and more enjoyable!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School.
  • Remember to Reflect...Reflect to Remember

    Funded Mar 27, 2018

    The moment the pocket portfolios and composition notebooks were unpacked from their delivery boxes, the students were entranced by the fact they could possibly be for their use. The professional feeling of the pocket portfolios really helped them take sorting through their fourth-grade work seriously. They were very pensive about the pieces they chose to showcase for each subject. The fact that their work was respected enough and important enough to warrant such fancy storage was very much appreciated by the kids.

    Beginning the portfolio process with the pocket portfolios also garnished incredibly high quality reflections in their notebooks. They reflected upon their growth they could see through items in their portfolio. It is, by far, the most powerful weeks of the school year. They reflected on objectives that were hard, but became achievable through their hard work and perseverance. They reflected on the projects they will never forget. And the best part? Chances are, because of these reflections, they will never forget any of the projects they packed away and wrote about. They will forever be stored in their long term memory banks.

    Thank you, beyond words, for giving us the tools we needed to feel like the hard work we had done in fourth-grade was valuable enough to other people to treat with such awe and care. It makes a big impact on my students' view of the importance of and purpose of school.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.
  • Mapping the Scientific Mind

    Funded Dec 12, 2017

    One could never predict the love fourth-graders could have for sets of erasable, colored pens! Because the pens and card stock were requested specifically for our interactive notebooking learning, we've tried implementing an, "Is it for our notebook? Then, I can use the pens and paper" rule. But, every once in a while, when writing something important, special permission to use the pens is granted. It is genuinely responded to like a treat.

    As a teacher, their ability to write with something they find so engaging has many benefits. The fourth-graders look forward to note taking and notebook projects. When they take notes, they've really begun to pay attention to the organizational power of color coding ideas. And, they can easily fix careless mistakes without added stress.

    Thank you for these luxurious office supplies. The kids take incredible care to keep the lids on and safe and that all pens are put back into the container in rainbow order several times a day. I've enjoyed watching their attention to organization really come to light with their new supplies.

    Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 5 other donors.
  • Wiggle While We Work

    Funded Nov 2, 2017

    While I cannot accurately measure a numerical amount of positive impact this flexible seating has had on my students, I can attest to the comfort I see in them while they learn. While fourth-graders are avid complainers if asked to sit on the floor, they clamor to sit on the short ottoman stools along walls and at short tables. I also find it fascinating to watch the students balance as the sit on the two wobble chairs. I try, occasionally, and am stunned at the balance and focus required.

    Although the new flexible seating is stationed around two table teams, the whole class has several opportunities through the day to move the new seating to various spots around the classroom for independent work. By far, they most enjoy our new chairs when they are reading to themselves. They can easily drag the chairs around or wedge them into cozy reading spots around the room during our Daily 5 time when the fourth-graders read, write, and practice spelling independently or with a partner.

    Truly, the chairs have brought a new level of learning peace to several students who struggle to "sit still" in a traditional seating arrangement. Thank you a gift that brings such a big impact on the learning of the students in my classroom.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 8 other donors.
  • Ecosystems in the School Systems

    Funded Oct 5, 2017

    These supplies arrived just in time! Our class was deep in study of the three Utah environments as the informational texts we ordered arrived in the mail. In our class, the students learn to do effective research and read informational text to do a lot of deep learning on their own. Because they had been researching the same books for weeks, there were squeals when the new sets of books were added to the research buckets. There are many ideas in the books that expanded our previous knowledge and plenty of ideas that affirmed our learning we've created.

    We've also been going in high gear to begin our latch hook rug projects. I've been utterly pleased to dedicate a piece of class time everyday to it. The kids worked for days to sort complicated shades of yarn colors, most are beginning to hook the pattern of their Utah environment creation, and all are learning the joy of a long term project. This is a project they will never forget, and a project I could not fund on my own.

    Finally, the students are working on researching a Utah endangered species and writing an informational essay during writing. As students begin to finalize their paragraphs and informational text features, the color printer ink will be such an asset to make their informational text as visually exciting as the informational text the students have been reading during this whole Utah environment unit.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

    This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 3 other donors.
  • Science on the Big Screen

    Funded Oct 5, 2016

    The value this project has added to my classroom, so far, is truly unmeasurable. We have used each and every supply purchased already! The latch hook rugs will be a long term art project we work on a little bit each day. It is a big value for fourth graders to learn the pleasure of completing something that wasn't fast or easy. Boy, do they look forward to those ten minutes!

    The fourth graders have also completed research about a Utah endangered species, determined a question that would drive their writing, written a script, and begun filming and photographing scenes for their public service announcements. This project definitely would not have been feasible without your help. The tripods and microphone have helped them really buy-in to the movie making aspect of expository text writing.

    The books on CD have also been popular in our room already. Their favorite is Wait Until Helen Comes. Wanting to read the book faster, students have even clamored for the second copy of the printed book I have. They can't get enough!

    Thank you again, tremendously, for believing in the power teachers can have when they have the supplies necessary to spark their students' joy of learning.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

  • Students Who Can Think Achieve (in Life) - Higher Level Thinking Skills Workshop

    Funded Oct 7, 2016

    Once again, a Kagan Workshop has altered the way I view learning in the classroom. I love research. Especially brain and learning research. The best lesson I learned during this workshop was that classroom structures we are already using in our class (and adore) automatically utilize a variety of thinking skills.

    The workshop is set up to learn new information about learning, and we learned it through learning activities called structures! There are 15 thinking skills. And every structure taught on Saturday used a minimum of four thinking skills. Back in the classroom, these structures have been put to the test. First, the kids love doing them because they often get to mix around the room to find a partner. Our favorite, so far, is call Odd One Out. The kids sit in teams of four. Each kid gets a picture. Three of the photos will have something that makes them "fit", but one photo is "out". The kids independently write on their whiteboard whether they fit or they are out. Then, when they share with their table of four, they explain why they fit or not. The amazing part? They use their creativity to find much more interesting ways to categorize the pictures than I do! And, the class loved hearing about other tables' sorting ideas. Reviewing for a science test has never been so fun!

    Thank you so very much for making the learning I did possible!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Ekins

Greetings! I am a 4th grade teacher in a Title 1 school...that means that the majority of my students come from low social-economic households. Despite these challenges, the students come to school each day eager to learn and take charge of their education. I believe in empowering my students and giving them thrilling and motivating educational experiences that simultaneously improve their reading math, science, and social skills.

About my class

Greetings! I am a 4th grade teacher in a Title 1 school...that means that the majority of my students come from low social-economic households. Despite these challenges, the students come to school each day eager to learn and take charge of their education. I believe in empowering my students and giving them thrilling and motivating educational experiences that simultaneously improve their reading math, science, and social skills.

About my class

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