Past projects 19
Manipulating Math!
Funded Oct 24, 2021This project has been so useful this year! We've been using the materials almost every day since returning from winter break. The students went from guessing on math problems to actually taking their time and working through the problems using the manipulatives. In fact, they became so comfortable with adding and subtracting using the blocks, that they've been pushing themselves to use drawings and numbers, but still refer back to the blocks to check their answers. Every day, they get about 5 minutes to use the blocks to build whatever they want, and then they are eager and ready to use them for math. They've also asked if they can use them during our Fun Friday activities.
As for the dice, we will be using them in the upcoming months to help with multiplication. I am preparing games for the next unit we study and am excited to surprise the students with the dice. Thank you again for all of the help and support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 9 other donors.Back-To-School Baggies!
Funded Jul 18, 2020Thank you once again for helping me raise enough money to create these bags for my students! I delivered them about 1.5 weeks ago and was able to meet majority of my students and families (from a safe distance!). Many of my students were at first shocked at seeing their teacher, not only outside of school but at their house! However, after the initial shock wore off, they became super excited to see the bags with all of the supplies and snacks. Not only were the students excited but the parents were as well. Many of them reached out after and said that it was very comforting to know that their teacher spent the time to create and deliver these bags.
We are using these resources in a variety of ways. We've already used the whiteboard and markers multiple times to warm up for math in a way where students can still share their responses with the class and collaborate. The notebook has become a journal where they will get a few prompts each week to write in as a way to track how they are doing during this time. Lastly, the rest of the supplies will become more useful once we have our routines and procedures down, as the students will need them for subjects such as math, ELA, art, science, and history!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
A Clean Class = A Ready to Learn Mind!
Funded Jul 19, 2019Thank you so much for helping me raise money for cleaning supplies in the classroom. Many people don't realize how important cleaning supplies are in a classroom and how much teachers actually use them. Having all of these supplies has already shown to be effective in the classroom. The most popular item for the students has definitely been the hand sanitizer dispenser. It is hung by my main door and the students use it when entering and exiting the classroom (even if they only step out for a few minutes). I am hoping as we enter the flu and cold season, this will help stop the spreading of the germs to not only keep the students healthy but the staff as well.
The item that I have found to be the most useful for me has been the swiffer and broom sets. I have given the responsibility of sweeping the room to a couple of my students, which allows me to then spend just a few minutes after school mopping the floor. Normally it takes me upwards of 30 minutes to clean the room, but with the additional brooms and help, it has cut down that time immensely, giving me more time to prepare for the next day's lessons. Thank you for helping me keep my classroom clean and sanitary, and hopefully, all of us healthy this year!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
Falling Into Festivals!
Funded Sep 27, 2019Thank you so much for the support with this project. The festival was an absolute success and it was heard throughout the school that this was the best Fall Festival we've ever had! We used the resources to provide prizes to all the students who participated in the different games. Some of the games included a bean-bag toss, a ring-toss, a fishing game, and an obstacle course. The decorations were used to create a new event at the festival which was the haunted hallway! It has been almost a week since the festival and students are still talking about how much fun the haunted hallway was to go through. The tents were used to keep the staff cool as they manned the various activities, and the coolers were put to good use keeping the drinks and frozen yogurt nice and cold! Each item was put to good use, and will continue to be used at future events at this school. Your donations not only helped this years Fall Festival be what it was, but will also help for years to come.
These donations helped make this one of the most successful events at our school, and it would not have been possible without all of the support from you donors and the community. On behalf of Carson-Gore Academy, I thank you all for helping create amazing memories for the entire student population and their families.”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
This classroom project was brought to life by District Partnership Program and 26 other donors.It's TIME to Read!
Funded Jun 25, 2019Thank you again for helping me get a subscription to TIME Magazine for Kids. I have finally received the first weekly magazine and have passed them out the the students. The students are given time in the morning to read the magazine and work on some activities that are related to the articles. Many of my students are low readers and do not enjoy reading because it is difficult. By giving them a magazine to read that is interesting to them, it is helping them gain interest in reading. The magazine also exposes them to more challenging texts but in a friendly way that is not intimidating.
Every morning while I walk around the room checking homework, I see students who don't normally read or participate in the morning activities working on the magazine. I hear students who struggle to read basic words trying to tackle the words in the magazine, sounding out each letter as they go.
This is my first year using the magazines, and while we have only had them in the class for a few days, I am excited to see what the year brings. I plan on using the magazines more as the students become more comfortable with the layout and style. Thank you again for giving my class this awesome opportunity to grow as readers this year!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
I Don't Always Wear Headphones, but When I Do...I Learn!
Funded Sep 8, 2018Thank you so much for donating to my classroom! After receiving my second set of laptops in the week prior to setting up this fundraiser, I realized that many of the reading programs require students to speak into microphones to read out loud. I also realized that the new math program online required students to watch videos, each tailored to the specific student. I knew immediately that I would need to get headphones. I was able to set up the headphones and pair them to each laptop and have now created an amazing technology station in my classroom. Students are able to grab a laptop and a pair of headphones and are set up, ready to learn.
These headphones are also helping teach my students how to be responsible and respectful of classroom materials. They have learned that in order to use the headphones, they need to take care of them and make sure that the technology station stays organized. Having headphones has allowed two full groups of students to work independently, and quietly, which allows me to work with the other students. Overall, my class works best in small groups, and being able to have 2/5 of the students on laptops allows me to pull the other students and work with them. Thank you again for your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
Classroom Laptops: Improving Reading and Writing Through Technology
Funded Aug 16, 2018Thank you so much for your donations towards Classroom Laptops. I have already set up a website for my students to use, that places all links they will need to use on one friendly page. This has allowed them to take a laptop from it's shelf and independently start working with little instruction from me. The reason this is important is it is teaching students how to be comfortable around technology that is not in the form of a cellphone or video game console. My students have been able to start learning how to type on an authentic keyboard through the use of an online program. They have also been able to start working on an online math program, multiple reading programs and even a coding program.
These laptops have been extremely useful as I have two grade levels, and while I am teaching one of them, the other grade level is able to use the laptops. This has allowed me to begin setting routines up in the classroom that gives both grade levels the time and attention they need from me. It has also been a great incentive in my classroom for the students to better their behavior. They are able to earn free-time on the computers based on behavior. Having an entire technology station in my classroom has also allowed me to give two students a job of being our technology organizers. I chose two students who are not the most focused or behaved every day, but by giving them this job to take care of the technology, they are learning how to take care of materials and be responsible. All of this would not have been possible without your donation and support to my classroom - thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
Classroom Chromebooks: Improving Reading and Writing Through Technology
Funded Aug 17, 2017Thank you so much for all of the donations! With the money, I was able to actually get 7 laptops which has been unexpectedly helpful. Our school has a rotating laptop cart, which I share with a fellow coworker. With these extra 7 laptops, both classes are able to have enough laptops to use throughout the week (though the 7 I own stay in my room). The technology has so-far been used for my students to do a variety of things in the classroom. The biggest impact is that my class has a chance to learn and practice typing at least 2-3 times a week. While typing is a common skill in many adult lives, most of my students never knew how. This skill will not only help them use the laptops efficiently, but when the students are expected to type out paragraphs during their year-end state test, they will be able to spend more time on the quality of their writing rather than worrying about having to type so much. While on the road to success in typing, my students will be expected to type up research papers using Google Applications (such as Google Docs). With the laptops, my students will now have access to their Google accounts throughout the week, instead of for the 50 minutes we have time in the computer lab once a week. The laptops are also a great way for my students to learn how to do the actual research for their papers instead of me printing out articles for them. This way, we not only save on paper, but my students learn how to find information on their own. Lastly, these laptops have been helpful so far in the classroom during group rotation work. Students are able to access multiple websites provided by our district to help with reading. I am also able to assign assignments for students to do while I work with a small group. While group rotations are still a work in progress, this is where I picture the laptops to be the most useful in the future.
As I expected, the first question my students asked me when seeing the laptops was if they could play games! After explaining that these were to be used during group work, perhaps if they were lucky, games could be incorporated down the road as a class reward. Currently, their favorite activity to do with the laptops is a class wide gameshow using websites such as Kahoot and Quizizz. These websites have class-wide "quizzes" in the form of a game that allows for all student engagement. These quizzes can be anything from Math and English related, to food and movies. They also enjoy doing the typing program and "Hour of Code". Both programs are game-based, but provide real-life skills for the students such as typing and learning how coding works.
While I have not used the laptops to their full extent yet (currently working on the creation and scheduling of the groups), there are a few students who will be extremely helped by having it in the classroom. Several of my students struggle to write full papers, but are always the first ones to sit down and do work on the computers. As a result, I plan on differentiating some of my requirements to utilize these laptops. The laptops will be either motivation for these particular students to finish their work, or, if the projects can be adjusted, for the students to do their work on them.
Once again, I really appreciate all the help. I am looking forward to finalizing my groups and getting the rotations down efficiently. I never imagined having laptops in my classroom at all times, so it has been a learning curve for both me and my students. However, with what we have used them for, I have seen my students comfort level with technology grow, which has been awesome to see!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 9 other donors.Library Center
Funded Sep 21, 2016I would love to give a big thank you to everyone who helped fund this project. At the beginning of the school year, I had students who hated reading. I was struggling to get all of my students to turn in their daily reading log because they had nothing to read at home. Due to scheduling conflicts, my class has been unable to have time to even go to the school library. However, thanks to the donations, I was able to create an in-class library for everyone to enjoy. I have never seen students so excited to see a shipment of new books until this past month.
Before letting the students borrow books, I looked each book up online and received their Lexile score. On the spine of each book, I placed a label with the score and organized the library based on the level. The range of the books cover anywhere from 1st-8th grade. I then gave each student their specific score and range and encouraged them to read books within that range. My class immediately loved seeing their scores and the range of books that would best help them succeed in the future. As my students have not been to the library yet, I decided to run our library with a similar system. The students have to write down the book they want to check out, and write the date that they got it. Once they return it, they "check it back in" by writing down the date the finished the book. This not only gives students the responsibility of taking care of the book while in their possession, but it allows me to see what level books each student is choosing to read and how long it takes them to complete it.
Over the past month, I started seeing the impact of these books in my class. It went from me begging my class to even pick up a chapter book, to me telling them to put the books away and pay attention to the lessons. For this reason, I started having part of the day be dedicated to silent reading. Every day after lunch, we play classical music and everyone (including myself) reads whichever book they checked out from the class library. I am hoping to see an increase in their reading comprehension and fluency in the near future. The most notable affect that this library has had is with one of my students who is at a lower reading level. I found out that he had never read a book before, so during the silent reading time, he comes to me and reads aloud one of the lower-leveled books I received. Just by having an easier chapter book for him to read, I've seen such an increase in his confidence and reading fluency. I hope that it will continue to improve as we work our way up to age-appropriate reading levels! Thank you again for all of the donations, I have been so excited to see the improvement in my class after just a month of these books!”
With gratitude,
Ms. McLennan