Past projects 19
A New Year, A More Beautiful Classroom!
Funded Aug 14, 2019Thank you so much for your generous donations. Your support has allowed us to start the year with a truly lovely learning space. Our new seating cubes are great for storage, and also allow more students to have comfortable seats instead of sitting on the rug. We do most of our lessons in a circle, on the rug, as well as our weekly community circles. During centers, students choose the cubes for comfortable independent reading spaces, too.
The gold crowns have been put to great use already during the early months of the year. It is classroom tradition that students get a gold crown on their birthday, so they can "announce" special day throughout the school. Students from previous years will often come back for the crown, too, and having enough for all brings much joy!
Students love their new bookbags! They were so excited to each receive one and know that they were theirs for the year (and beyond!). I am very happy that our independent reading books are protected and well-cared for in this way. So much prettier and stronger than ziplock bags.
Thank you again for all these contributions to our classroom. They have truly made an amazing difference to us all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 5 other donors.Creativity and Practicality
Funded Jun 26, 2019Thank you so much for your incredible support of my classroom. My students were overjoyed to see the beautiful (full!) bottles of brand new paint and the wide range of colors. It is truly a rainbow of joy on a gray, stormy day!
This morning, we worked on our concrete poems, and students had the opportunity, once their poems were written, to paint the background. There were no guidelines, except being respectful of materials and each other, and it was such a happy, calm time in our classroom. It gave students the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity, experiment and push beyond their own boundaries, and it gave me a chance to see them exercise their other strengths.
I was also immensely proud of how responsible they were with the materials. They used the brushes carefully, experimented with the paint without wasting it, and when we finished, the room was even cleaner than before. It was such a productive and enjoyable time. Thank you for contributing to my students' school experiences and allowing them to have such a range of activities and adventures.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and one other donor.Lights, Sound, Learning!
Funded Dec 26, 2018We were so excited when the boxes arrived! They were all very curious as to what was inside, and when my intern opened and assembled the lamps, they really wanted to know what we would do with them. Once the lamps were in their new homes, students really loved the cozy effect and the enhanced lighting.
Our new lamps have brought a breath of fresh air into the darkest corners of our room. They have actually inspired me to change my library around, so that it is now more open and the books are more accessible. The lights allow students to read more easily, as well as see the books in our book bins and choose their next favorite read!
Meantime, our new speakers ensure that when we watch a video about a new topic: wolves, Picasso, the first settlers in the Americas, students are able to hear the words more clearly. Likewise, we are able to play quiet learning music to contribute to our classroom ambiance and our joy in learning.
Thank you so much for these wonderful contributions to our classroom. They have been a true source of joy for all of us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
Ready to Learn in the New Year!
Funded Aug 22, 2018Our classroom is a community: of thinkers, writers, jokesters, and individuals. We have good days, and great days, and spectacular days, along with the occasional more challenging days. We thrive on ideas and creativity and imagination, but we also need the more mundane: papers, pencils, and markers. Without your help, our classroom could never survive its daily adventures in learning. Without your support, we would have no record of our creations, no way to visually share our ideas, and no way to deal with day-to-day communication and projects. Everything from homework to worksheets to reading interesting articles relies on the materials that your generosity provided.
Our students know and appreciate the importance of these tools in our classroom. They are thrilled to be the first to use a new, fresh pencil (with a full eraser!), they love the sight of a clean sheet of paper, or the opportunity to use the new markers. The arrival of the new boxes of materials was a thrilling event for all, as the students crowded around to see "What came today?". When I asked for their help writing Thank You letters, they jumped at the opportunity, and with no probing, immediately knew the value of these resources.
As the year progresses, we will continue to use these materials daily, hoping that we have enough through the end of the year: through poetry publishing parties and field guides, broadsides and biographies, and of course, our daily studies of grammar, vocabulary, and new texts.
We are sincerely grateful for your support and generosity as your help will ensure that our classroom runs smoothly, and we are able to focus on the bigger ideas, without worrying about the basic needs.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.¡Libros! ¡Libros! ¡Libros!
Funded Mar 10, 2018Our new collection of books has introduced our students to a range of new books. We were all so thrilled and in awe as we unpacked our boxes. I held up book after brand new book, and my students' eyes just gleamed with excitement! It is amazing to have Spanish versions of many popular titles (especially graphic novels), thereby enticing students to read more for pleasure. I have watched with joy as even my most reluctant readers find books that suit their interests, tastes, and reading skills. I was overjoyed to expand our Spanish library with these new additions to the point that I could organize the collection into separate bins for specific authors and specific topics. We now have librarians in the class who help to maintain the library at all times: spines facing out, books in their proper bin. They adore their role and take it very seriously.
As part of our small group work, students have independent reading time 3-5 times a week. Each student has their preferred reading nook, from a corner near the door, to a comfy bean bag, to a private space under a desk. As long as my students are reading, they are free to choose. We determined early on that joyful independent reading time means different things to different students: one student needs a cozy space away from others, whereas another prefers their desk, versus a third who chooses to squeeze in next to a friend. The importance is that they enjoy the experience and through it, their love of reading will grow.
The graphic novels have been a great hit, but students have also been very drawn to our new Dr. Seuss collection and the wide selection of chapter books. I have been surprised by the choices some students make, while others are more predictable. Students have been so excited to discover new series and have formed their own book clubs during, where they exchange notes about different books in the same series.
This joy in reading would not have been possible without your generous and classroom-changing donation. Our library is the heart and soul of our room, and your generosity has helped to make it richer and infinitely more enticing.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 8 other donors.Let's Organize Our Books!
Funded Jun 30, 2017The classroom library is at the heart of developing our students reading abilities, and most importantly their love and appreciation of books. In a dual language classroom, our library must reflect the languages studied. Early readers may struggle identifying the differences between languages, but with our beautiful new bins, students can easily recognize the English language materials in their blue boxes and the Spanish language materials in their red boxes. Laminated labels further separate books by genres, including fiction, poetry, books about animals, biographies, and others.
We have focused on independent reading and independent book selection with our third graders this year, as a means of building stamina and enjoyment of reading. Our newly organized library has supported our students' independence in book selection and enticed them to discover new genres. Additionally, these bins protect our precious books so that they can be enjoyed by future classes of second and third graders, and when students see books treated as precious, special objects, they also learn to take care of our books and our classroom.
When organizing the library, there were extra red and blue bins, which I was able to use for organizing our mentor texts, or books that we use in instruction during the different units. I was excited to use similar labels and organization system, so that I can now locate materials easily and quickly. I am so tremendously proud to show off our attractive, color-coordinated library and teacher library, and my students are just as thrilled to use it at every opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 6 other donors.Starting the Year off on the Right Foot
Funded Aug 25, 2017These materials really helped us get the year started off on the right foot. Our colorful carpet squares have livened our time on the rug during morning meeting and lessons. Placing the carpet squares before transitions to the rug is one of the most coveted classroom jobs! The squares have allowed for expanded and flexible seating during whole group meetings and during independent reading. Students love finding their own little corners to read a great book, and these carpet squares ensure that they are not sitting on the cold floor.
Our new pencil boxes, pencils, erasers and other tools ensure that we always have necessary supplies on hand. Students know where and how to locate these materials easily thanks to our lovely laminated signs, eliminating wasted time and supporting student independence. As for myself? I am in love with my magnetic white board erasers! They are always on-hand when I need them, and between those and the great collection of colorful dry erase markers, I am able to communicate with my students through daily messages, instructions, and interactive writing activities.
Lastly, and most frequently used: our cases of paper will ensure that we can produce and share the worksheets, homework, letters home, and other important documents throughout the year, without worry of running out. Even in this technological age, paper is the cornerstone of learning.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 3 other donors.Joyful Learning with Our Document Camera
Funded Jul 8, 2017I had heard for months that a document camera would change my (teaching) life, and my colleagues were certainly right! Our third graders are working on claim, evidence, and reasoning, and with our document camera I was able to easily model the writing process up on the screen. We read poems, examined new texts, and wrote letters, all up on the screen. Students could see my process of writing, start to finish, up-close, and learn that even adults make mistakes, but the key, in writing as in life, is to learn from our mistakes, and be prepared to revise and improve!
I am extremely proud of the growth I have seen in our students' writing since working with them at this level of detail. I am excited to see how they convert thoughts into written words, and I am thrilled to see them work and re-work their writing projects before declaring it complete.
In the coming months, we will be reading novels, non-fiction texts, and more poems. I plan to use our document camera often so that students can also view the text as I model reading aloud with expression or taking notes on important passages, particularly as we enter a challenging nonfiction unit.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Fun Recess Activities for Growth and Learning
Funded Jan 29, 2017Every day, during our morning announcement, we are told whether today will be an indoor or outdoor recess day. In the early months of the year, students' faces immediately fell upon hearing that they had to stay indoor for those all-too-brief minutes of play. Then our Donorschoose project boxes began to arrive. My students were beyond thrilled to watch as I opened the boxes and took out item after item: new games, puzzles, crafts supplies, building blocks and logs!
These past months of rain, slush, and (a little) snow made for many days of indoor recess, but since our supplies arrived, students have been cheering for indoor recess announcements. Thanks to your generous donations, their daily recess has become a time for learning new games, creative play, construction of architectural masterpiece, and socializing with new friends around all those fun activities. In our room, indoor recess is a joyous, creative time, full of boisterous and happy students.
I still have some surprises on hand for my students, as I reserved some of the special craft supplies (beads, origami papers) for special projects in the coming months. My group of students love creating and I am so excited to see the amazing projects that they will complete before the end of this year!
Thank you again for your incredible generosity and support. The supplies that this project brought to our classroom will be enjoyed for years to come by incoming second graders, cold season after cold season. They will ensure that for those precious moments of free play, my students will always have choices and new things to explore.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman
New Worlds for Curious Readers
Funded Aug 16, 2016Dear Donors,
We are so thankful for the materials purchased through this project! At the end of last year, when we looked at the few boxes of books destined for our classroom library, we felt so sad! What would students read when our new second grade classroom "opened" in the Fall? How could we get them excited about reading if there were no good books to browse? The books that arrived with this project have given students the ability to browse and choose GOOD books independently so that they can develop their love of reading as well as discover their likes and dislikes, like all good readers should!
As a new program, we have so much work, research, and planning to do. Having beautiful, appropriate mentor texts--texts we can use for read-alouds to model good reading practices and strategies--has made all that hard work a bit easier. As a team, we have enjoyed digging into the resources, discovering new stories, and sharing them with our wonderful students.
During our literacy workshop, we want students to be engaged in independent work that will help them grow as readers and writers. Last week, we took out the sand timers and added them to our fluency center, where students practice reading texts repeatedly to improve fluency. The timers added the excitement of competition and students have been so eager to visit the center and demonstrate their growth.
This project also contributed greatly to our classroom environment: having bright-colored paper on hand to decorate, color-code, and highlight information has been so helpful. Our breathing ball helps us re-focus on busy days, so that we can redirect our energy into productive learning. The students get so excited when they get a turn to lead the class through this routine. Likewise, our motion bubbler (a bit like a sand timer, but with bubbles) has been a popular relaxation object at our quiet corner, when students need a few moments to rest and recenter.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Shirman