Past projects 3
Recess Revival: Fueling Fun With Outdoor Play Equipment
Funded Nov 17, 2023The students love playing with the outdoor recess equipment that you helped fund! It is so wonderful to watch them play cooperatively and learn new games using the new toys. Some of them are even learning how to jump rope for the first time!
When we invited the children to come unbox the equipment, it was like Christmas morning. They were so excited to see all the new things they would have access to, and couldn't wait to go tell their friends. We are so grateful that you could help us give them this experience, and are looking forward to watching them create new memories every day!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Klein
Flexible Seating to Increase Student Choice and Focus
Funded Oct 18, 2016Thank you so much for helping me enhance my students' classroom experience by donating to our flexible seating project. My students love our various seating options and are always smiling walking into my room. I still have students from other classes walking in telling me how jealous they are, five months later!! As a thirteen year old, you spend a lot of time following other people's instructions and having people telling you what to do. My kids find it so refreshing to be able to take ownership of their own bodies and learning, and be able to choose their own seat. I'm happy to give them this little bit of independence, and it really does go a long way.
Flexible seating has spurred many conversations about self-awareness, self-regulation, and responsibility. Especially for my special education students, these conversations are some of the most important that they'll have all day. Understanding your own body and needs is the biggest hurdle to overcome, and until you're self-aware you will never be able to use strategies to help yourself. Flexible seating has been a great tool to spark those tough conversations.
The materials that we received from the Donors Choose project was just the beginning of our flexible seating endeavor. Since October, we have been testing the waters with many different types of seating to see what works best and what the students don't seem to take to. We've gotten different types of stools, different types of floor pillows, a bungee chair, standing desks, and are still on the hunt for innovative ideas! It's an ongoing work-in-progress, and I love finding exciting new options to bring into the classroom. Thank you again for making it possible for me to start this project, my students and I are so grateful!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Klein
Chromebooks for Special Needs Learners that Crave Audiobooks
Funded Nov 10, 2015I can not thank you all enough for your generous support! Having the Chromebooks in my classroom has truly made a difference and I have seen such growth in my students since we got them. Even outside of the audiobooks, the benefits these Chromebooks bring my students are immeasurable. Because of them, my students are able to stay organized and use accessibility features to increase their confidence in their work.
In my classes, we use a program called Google Classroom. All of their writing assignments are through this program, and they can be accessed from any computer when they log into their account. This prevents them from needing to waste time looking for lost papers, or going back to their locker to find a forgotten folder or notebook. With these computers, they are able to access these assignments from class and get a head start on their homework, and complete in-class assignments.
In addition to this, my students really benefit from being able to type their assignments as opposed to hand-writing them. Due to various reasons including fine-motor disabilities or just plain rushing, many of my students are unable to even read their own handwriting after writing something! Having the option to type is a huge help.
They also take full advantage of accessibility features such as spellcheck and text-to-speech. When writing, my students are often hesitant to use new or interesting vocabulary because they are not confident in their spelling abilities, and don't want to be embarrassed by a spelling mistake. With spellcheck, this roadblock is eliminated! They more readily use advanced vocabulary which greatly improves their writing.
Finally, the text-to-speech feature allows them to read and comprehend different online texts, even outside of the audiobooks. Text-to-speech is a feature that allows the computer to read text out loud to the user. This feature is available through Google, and has especially helped my students during our non-fiction reading unit. They can have the computer read articles out loud to them that they have found online, which helps them comprehend the material. I believe my students think the text-to-speech feature is the most exciting part of the Chromebooks. They love having the computer read text out loud to them, and even sometimes type things just to have the computer read it. It really gets them excited about the technology and makes them more comfortable reading higher-level texts.
The students that have warmed the most to the Chromebooks are the ones with handwriting difficulties. They do almost everything on the Chromebooks, and basically nothing handwritten anymore. This allows them to put their full effort into their work, and focus much more on the quality of their writing! They love having the option to type their work. The Chromebooks have really increased their confidence and level of engagement.
Again, thank you so much for your kindness and generosity when donating to my classroom. My students and I are so appreciative of your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Klein