Past projects 8
Giving Access
Funded May 21, 2020I am at a loss for words to express my deep gratitude for your abundant generosity supporting my students. Thank you. While they will be surprised thoughtful strangers provided them with the technology they would otherwise not have, it is such a relief to know that they will have access to distance learning during such a strenuous time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
This classroom project was brought to life by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 3 other donors.A Little Spot of Sunshine
Funded May 6, 2020Thank you from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my students for your generous donations. Your gift to provide my students with the resources to better facilitate the much-needed conversations and discussions of how we feel, especially now during our school closures, is vital to understand the normalcy of being human and build on our connections. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.Mo' Reading, Mo' Fun, Mo' Mo Willems, Please!
Funded May 13, 2019My students vary in school readiness when they begin in my kindergarten classroom. Some have attended formal preschool, others day care, and several stayed home with a caregiver. The wonderful thing about these Mo Willems' books is the wide range of accessibility to all of my students. The content is rich in the simple illustrations and text and highly engaging. The books showcase silly characters that are learning how to navigate in life, very much like the children. I first read aloud a book to the whole class. We discuss, journal a response, publish those responses, and then add the book to the classroom library for students to revisit at their leisure.
These books are favorites. We also have the characters in their plush form, so the children enjoy reading the stories back to them. Sometimes, in moments of high demand, children have to wait to read to the plush characters or can buddy up with a classmate. It is thrilling to witness their developing pleasure for reading and literacy, vocabulary growth, and developing desired social skills.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 2 other donors.Charging Made Easy
Funded Aug 7, 2018My students have been able to enjoy the ease and accessibility of having the classroom iPads at the ready and as needed. They have learned the responsibility of the care and keeping of the devices as well as the charging stations, connecting the chords appropriately and so forth. They have also been trained to rotate the responsibility of maintaining the area tidy, with a different kinder student being in charge of checking appropriate chord connections, ready levels, etc., each day. Prior to having the charging stations, I would have to take the iPads/tablets to the office to be placed in charging cart, located in a different building. Sure, each iPad could be connected as needed, but we didn't have 10 outlets available to do that simultaneously. Now, thanks to your generous support, iPads are connected to charge immediately, and all may be connected if necessary. This semester has been fantastic in the sense that students have at their disposal a working device, with minimal interruption or pause. My students may not appreciate the value of having necessary resources handy and available, but I can assure you, there is less lost time waiting for, retrieving or taking tablets to be charged in another building.
Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
Coding a Robot in Kindergarten
Funded May 2, 2018We received the Botley robots at the end of the scholastic year which allowed for two different classes to have the opportunity to explore coding with the Botley robots you provided. Both groups were quick to understand that these robots were not remote control vehicles, but rather computers that only did as commanded when the students entered a code sequence. It has been fantastic to see my students comprehend how to code!
My new class of kindergarten students has this entire year to explore and discover the many possibilities offered in the Botley packages. A wonderful bonus I discovered was when they made the connection of literacy when they sorted the coding sequence cards, applying understanding of reading left to right, top to bottom. I am so excited to see what more we can discover together.
Your donations have made it possible for my Kindergarten students to be introduced to the world that awaits them and help prepare them to access the possibilities. These experiences are but the beginning on their STEAM endeavors.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
This classroom project was brought to life by Learning Resources and 9 other donors.More Bounce For The Ounce
Funded Aug 6, 2018It's difficult to put into words how grateful I am for your donation to my project. I am committed to providing students with a relevant curriculum that develops lifelong skills, and it is inspiring to see so many others that share my vision for education. Your funding will greatly support and promote learning in the classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
Bringing in the Zoo
Funded Mar 20, 2012My kindergarten students have had the most memorable and enriching experiences caring for our classroom animals. They enjoy and don't realize they are studying, observing, recording their observations of the animals in our class. They don't feel the labor of learning and building academic vocabulary. They have learned responsibility and compassion to care for others vulnerable and reliant on those who are capable. Thank you for making it possible for this group of kindergarten students and those who follow.
The students whom have benefited from your generosity have been touched and have grown to appreciate and value the commitment of taking responsibility for other living creatures.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu
What Is That I said? Building Academic Conversations
Funded Aug 22, 2015The skills that my current 26 kindergarten students have been developing with the selection of books you've provided are plenty:
identifying story elements such as characters, setting, plot, beginning, middle and end, problem and solution. My students have been able to explore new adventures in reading for enjoyment and delve deeper into asking appropriate questions and listen attentively. In addition, they have been working on building on their ideas, expressing those ideas with peers, making connections with their own experiences, and most challenging, constructing academic conversations with classmates in conversational pairs.
Reading happens in pairs, quads, large group (read aloud by me or the "story sharer"). Sometimes its leisure reading in our classroom library, and other times its the whole class on the carpet. The books used in this project have provided my students with varied opportunities to improve their conversations, comprehension and oral expression of ideas.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cantu