Past projects 5
In Need of Odds & Ends
Funded Oct 24, 2019Thank you so much for your donation which helped our classroom receive many materials! With your donation we were able to receive a new Zenergy chair and more STEM materials. My students have really enjoyed completing STEM challenges in class and often come into class asking "are we doing a STEM challenge today?". On days where I answer "yes" it is so fun to see their reactions which are full of excitement!
My students were very excited when our new materials started arriving. They immediately wanted to try every single STEM challenge in the box. I wish we had all the time in the world to do that!
Again, I cannot thank you enough for your support. With your help, my students are participating in meaningful collaboration, are having hands-on learning experiences, are using critical thinking skills, and are also problem-solving in unique and real-world ways. They are building skills that will help them in their future, all while completing challenges and having fun. My students and I are thankful for you and also thankful for Donors Choose for making this possible. These awesome, positive experiences couldn't have happened without you. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Wolford
More Flexible Seating Options
Funded Apr 9, 2019Thanks again for your support which provided my students with more seating options for our classroom. With your help we were able to receive 2 stability balls, 2 Zenergy balls, and 1 wobble stool. These seats added more options to our flexible seating classroom, so now all of my students have a choice of a comfortable seat to use in class.
My flexible seating classroom is a non-traditional setup, meaning we have more seating and workspace options than just regular student desks and chairs. We have a variety of desks, tables, chairs, stools, stability balls, lap desks, etc. These different choices allow my students to become aware of options that help them learn best, putting them in control of making responsible choices about choosing a seat that is right for them. My students were so excited to find out that our project was funded in a short amount of time. We were able to receive our new seats before our state testing started, so all students were able to have a seat that was comfortable for them. Perfect timing!
I can't thank you enough for your help, but also for having a positive impact on my students. I'm glad they had the opportunity to see the community coming together to help each other, and I can only hope that they will choose to help others in the same way when they are adults. Thanks for helping us out and for being a positive role model!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Wolford
Seeing (on a Doc Cam) is Believing!
Funded Sep 30, 2018Thanks again for your generous donation to our classroom fundraiser for a document camera. Ever since we received our new HoverCam document camera, we have used it every day and cannot imagine learning without it! It has been so helpful, especially in math, in many ways. Using the HoverCam, I am able to clearly display something that I want to show my students. On the other side, students are also able to use the HoverCam to share things with their classmates. They love sharing their ideas, and they have enjoyed sharing their work, their correct math problems, something they made over the weekend, etc. This addition to our classroom has really increased the opportunities we have for communication. The best part about that is: students are doing a lot of the communicating as they are demonstrating and sharing their learning. The HoverCam has even encouraged some of my shy students to participate and share; doesn't get much better than that!
We really appreciate your support and are so grateful for your help. My students and I have enjoyed learning with the HoverCam, and this couldn't have been possible without your help.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Wolford
Teaching Lifelong Skills with Chromebooks
Funded Aug 22, 2018My students and I are so grateful for your donation to our classroom! With your help we were able to get 3 Chromebooks. Chromebooks are a smaller version of a laptop but with most of the same features. These devices are versatile and can also be used as a tablet with a touch screen. We use Chromebooks pretty much every day and in just about every subject. Thanks to your help, I am able to provide my students with more opportunities to use technology in meaningful ways.
In one school day, my students are exposed to technology in many different ways. For example, in math class, students complete a daily activity online to help improve their math fact fluency. Also in math, students access instructional videos and assignments on Google Classroom, which is a website that allows teachers to post documents for students to view and complete. A favorite math activity for my students is an online game called Prodigy, which resembles a video game. When playing Prodigy students can battle creatures, but students have to answer math questions in order to put up a fight. It is amazing to see my students so excited about practicing math! All of these online activities that students complete are reinforcing the skills that I am teaching in class. Students are able to practice online and I am able to track their progress. So while students think they are playing a game, they are actually practicing and improving their math skills; it's a win-win!
This is just a little glimpse into the major positive impact these Chromebooks have made in our classroom. With your help, I am able to teach my students skills that they will be able to use in their future as a digital citizen. Thank you so much for supporting my students, and ultimately thanks for supporting our future engineers, doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc. We really appreciate your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Wolford
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 other donors.Promoting Success with Flexible Seating
Funded Nov 13, 2017My students and I are thrilled with the materials that we received through our Donors Choose project. From your donations, we received a table, four stability balls, three wobble stools and four lap desks. These materials, in addition to other items we have in our classroom, allow students to have a variety of choice for their seating options instead of having an seat. Each morning when students come in, they are able to pick a seat that is comfortable for them. Their seat is not permanent, and most times students end up working at another seat throughout the day. By having the ability to make their own choice, they are becoming more aware of where they pay attention best and work best in the classroom. These opportunities are helping my students become more responsible.
When I created this project, I expected to have at least a month to prepare a plan of attack for changing my classroom over entirely. I didn't tell my students about this in fear that it wouldn't actually happen. I started thinking of how I would manage this, knowing it would be a huge undertaking. Little did I know, my project would be funded just four days later with materials arriving in three weeks! Right away I informed my students of the exciting news and they were extremely ecstatic when I showed them the items we would be receiving. We talked about what flexible seating is and why we are giving it a try, and then we began creating new classroom rules and jobs together. These discussions ended up being a great way to introduce students to having a choice in the matter, which is an important part of flexible seating. I started reaching out to colleagues for their advice on how to manage flexible seating effectively. My students had many questions about flexible seating, so we contacted a 5th grade class in the district who participates in flexible seating. Those students were able to answer the questions my students had, and they also gave us some advice about flexible seating. From all of our hard work, from the collaboration with other teachers and students in the district, and most importantly, from our generous donors, we now have a full-blown flexible seating classroom, and my students and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's now hard to imagine 19 students sitting in a traditional desk and chair, and I know they certainly wouldn't want to go back to that traditional classroom. Their attention has improved, they are making responsible choices, they are collaborating more with their peers, and they are problem-solving without the need for me to step in. The growth I've seen in my students is unbelievable and we're only halfway through the school year. I'm looking forward to watching my fourth graders grow even more, and this is all thanks to your donation. We are so thankful for you and for Donors Choose for making this all possible. You have changed the lives of myself and my 19 fourth graders, and we are so very grateful for your generosity. This awesome, positive change couldn't have happened without you. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Wolford