Past projects 4
Gaining Greatness With Gymnastics
Funded Nov 5, 2018The new mats and balance beams have been a huge success thus far in our program. We have already used the equipment during physical education in all grade levels for a variety of purposes. The future possibilities guarantee their use to be impactful to our school community.
The news of the project being funded elated and encouraged our students. They wondered about what new activities and lessons would take place in the weeks, months and years to come. Before the equipment arrived, their curiosity and interest gave them a fresh energy and excitement for PE. After the arrival of the equipment, the students have been joyfully learning and further developing their skills and have shown their gratefulness with a lot of hard work.
For several weeks students have worked on gymnastics while building their focus, strength, coordination, balance, flexibility and confidence. The quantity and variety of the equipment also allows more opportunity to learn new things. It permits students to work and practice more and wait less for their turn on the equipment. Another group of students in the upper grades have used the mats and balance beams to play a game in our current invasion unit. We utilized the mats as a target area and the balance beams worked wonderfully as a clear dividing line between the two teams.
In the future we will use the mats to improve gymnastics skills for all grade levels, as well as incorporate the materials for a number of other lessons focusing on different objectives. For example, I plan on using the mats to prop up in different ways to create barriers and formations for students to move over, around and under practicing various skills while demonstrating relationships with their body to an object. Additionally, I have ideas to set the mats upright and create a goal or target area and have students throw objects into the mat "hoop" or aim them at a specific target on the mat. I want to also use them as bases or hurdles. The beams and mats will be used to create obstacle courses and will be integrated with other equipment to create new things, such as a "car" with the mats placed on top of scooters. Finally, I will also take student ideas for new ways we can use the fabulous addition to our equipment collection!”
With gratitude,
Coach Smart
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School and one other donor.Physical Education Students Need To Be Fully Equipped For Life!
Funded Dec 16, 2017Our P.E. classes have leveled up. The Mark White Elementary athletes are becoming experts in the field. Pun intended. How are we using the equipment? Let me count the ways...a LOT! For instance, the Ball Pursuit Game was used not only for its created purpose, which all grade levels enjoyed, but we also used the portable net goal and balls for our unit on Target games. The opportunities for its use are only as limited as our imaginations.
The poly spots have been used in countless ways, such as: objects to retrieve during lessons; a spot marker for games and activities; a tool for facilitating kinesthetic awareness; a method of aiding in all standards-based units, such as net and wall games; and many, many more.
Hula Hoops have many more creative applications in physical education than one might assume. A few examples of the many ways they have been used in addition to traditional hula hooping are as: a jump rope; a target spot; a manipulative tool; a target marker; and a means to problem-solve collaboratively.
Finally, the variously textured balls give students the opportunity to feel more secure and less nervous about practicing manipulative skills without getting injured. The textures also target students with different learning styles.
We cannot thank you enough for your support!”
With gratitude,
Coach Smart
This classroom project was brought to life by National Fitness Foundation and 2 other donors.Sports Equipment for a New School
Funded Dec 23, 2016When the boxes arrived on our campus with brand new sports equipment, our students' faces lit up with excitement and anticipation. Once everything was prepared and assembled and we were able to begin learning the value of team sports, the students gained an even deeper meaning and importance to the gift that was given by you through DonorsChoose and matched by Dick's Sporting Goods. Beyond the physical materials, thanks to your generous donation, our students are learning not only the value of sports, but they are gaining valuable life lessons.
When I first introduced field hockey, many of our students had never even heard of the sport, and most of them had never played the game. After teaching the skills independently needed to play, we had our first match. It was so rewarding as a coach to see so many excited and engaged children playing a new sport, working together, competing cooperatively and growing as athletes. This example has been just one of countless rewarding moments since the arrival of our sports equipment.
Currently at our campus, as we close out our first year as a brand new school, we are gaining an awareness of each sport and developing the skills needed to be successful both individually and as a part of a team. As our new school grows, so will the opportunities for our students. The students' skills are improving and their knowledge of various sports is expanding. I will diligently work with the community and our students in the upcoming years to provide more experiences for intramural teams to compete and for students' lives to be impacted by the lifelong benefits of team sports.”
With gratitude,
Coach Smart
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and 14 other donors.Technology for a Performing Arts School
Funded Oct 21, 2015It is incredible how much my dance classroom has improved due to your generous donation towards 3 new iPads. As we use this new technology in our classroom, the purposes it's used for and the amount of use increases more and more daily. Your donation transformed a previously technology-free space (besides my work desktop and personal iPhone) into a global world where my dancers learn more, I differentiate instruction and have more successful, on-task, small groups working together and children learn safe ways of using technology in a supervised setting.
Currently, I am assessing my students on modern dance. As I assess 1 student at a time with my rubric, another group of students uses an IPad with video footage of the next movement phrase we will be learning that they need to study and practice. They synergize with the iPad as they study with it. For instance, 1 student watches the video without showing the other students in the group and calls out the movements (great for increasing their dance speaking vocabulary) while some of the other dancers execute the movement being called out without seeing it (great for increasing dancing vocabulary). That same student holding the iPad also tells the student(s) if they are doing the movement incorrectly or correctly based on the footage. This is also great for student critiquing, peer leadership and ownership for learning.
Another small group that failed the assessment, who need to retake it, use another iPad to keep practicing the former combination with the assistance of a student that passed the assessment with flying colors.
For my students that pick up the material faster than most, they use the iPads to enrich their learning with the plethora of apps I have downloaded thus far that teach dance history, new stretches and warm ups, and styles of dance.
In addition, the students record each other performing movements to immediately watch and critique themselves. We have been able to learn "on the go" with the ability to take the iPads anywhere. I use them to show pictures online and YouTube videos to students when teaching about history, culture and genres of dance, famous dancers, and more.
We have just gotten started with using this technology, but it has already made a tremendous impact. The students and I are all extremely excited about where this technology is going to take us with how we have and will be using the iPads. The students themselves have shown me ways to incorporate it into our daily routines, so we are also learning from each other. We are motivated about incorporating even more technology with these iPads, such as using bluetooth earbuds and speakers, and more apps that teach connections between technology and dance, such as notation.
Since you work for Chevron, I am sure you are pretty busy and need to get back to work, so although I could go on and on, I'll leave it at this: Your generous gift has been AND WILL CONTINUE to be such a gift with the endless impact it will make on these children's lives for years to come, and it has made my teaching more enjoyable and easier! Merci.”
With gratitude,
Coach Smart