Past projects 21
Anime Animates Our Library!
Funded Mar 15, 2018There is a different feeling around the building when we talk about the library this year. Students love being here--we fill up to capacity almost every period of the day. They know it is a place where they can study, create, relax, be inventive, read, work with their friends, be tutored by their peers. Teachers are excited to spend time in the library, too, and are eager to collaborate with librarians and bring classes for instruction. Your generous contributions have helped supply us with materials for this year and many things we will use into next year, as well. Moreover, they have helped transform the collective view of the library in our building.
There were audible gasps when we brought out the sets of manga markers, pens and paper. Students were thrilled and couldn't wait to use them. The supplies perfectly supported a recent event, when author Misako Rocks! visited our library and provided two manga drawing workshops for our students. The atmosphere at the event was nearly festive, and our often stressed-out students were relaxed and clearly having a wonderful time at the workshop. We were thrilled to announce at the end that, thanks to Donorschoose, we had many supplies they could use if they wanted to deepen their manga drawing experience.
This year the embroidery makerspace project was unexpectedly popular, with students working on projects for days, and very excited to learn a new skill. Your donations have helped ensure enough supplies for all of 2018-2019's embroidery needs.
This grant had a large range of requests, but everything has been really useful and appreciated. We love our new library cart; it's amazing what new wheels can do for easier mobility and transportation! We can display our New York Times daily subscription in a professional and enticing way. We can't wait to use our green screen and explore the fun tech tools we can use with our students.
Thank you for supporting our exciting library program.”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
Complete Our Circuit!
Funded Nov 12, 2017This project was honestly...SO MUCH FUN! Students were a bit wary when they first saw our supplies of batteries, wire and LED lights, initially opting to just create greeting cards with paper punches and washi tape. However, with the help of our amazing library monitors who eagerly created demo cards, enthusiasm quickly crescendoed!
Ultimately, we were able to create cards for our friends and family and even for the teachers and administrators around the building who helped support the library Makerspace from the start! Another unexpected bonus came in the form of a SparkFun grant which we applied for and WON--which added another 500 dollars worth of cool LEDs, buttons, switches and wire. We will certainly be able to create these cards for another entire month--possibly in June when we want to create more Thank Yous (to teachers?) and Congratulations (to graduating seniors and retiring faculty) or maybe even NEXT December!
Thank you so much for your generosity and support. Feel free to follow our progress on our Instagram account: BrooklynTechLibrary...we'd love to show you our creations!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 6 other donors.A MAKERSPACE That MAKES Our Library's SPACE Shine!
Funded Nov 8, 2017I forgot how, when given the opportunity to play with high quality materials, students always amaze us! Your generous donations have been so appreciated here in the library. Just today I walked by a diverse group of 8 students, all happily embroidering...honestly not what I expected when we first requested the supplies! (And be sure to follow us on Instagram to see photos of their ongoing, amazing creations! @BrooklynTechLibrary I post the photos as fast as I can...and they just keep coming!
Your donations have already had a major impact and will continue to...we are excited to create wire sculptures and paper mache in the coming weeks. Last month had us creating beautiful illuminated cards as well as working on knitting and crochet. As a result of this mini-unit, we connected with a wonderful parent who is a fiber artist. She has since visited our library twice and taught students to crochet. She also connected with our school's crochet club and will have a greater impact in the future! Our markers were just recently discovered by some manga-obsessed students who are using them to draw characters. In response, we just reached out to the Brooklyn Public Library and are hoping to host a manga artist workshop event in March...which will be received with tremendous enthusiasm by the entire student body, I'm SURE!
It means so much to get support from parents, alumni and other generous friends and strangers (not-yet friends). We really appreciate your support and look forward to brainstorming future projects with students so we can keep our Makerspace vibrant and continue to teach our students new skills. THANK YOU!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 7 other donors.Help Deepen Our Daily Connections!
Funded Jul 30, 2015Having these supplies has made the school run much more smoothly! There are so many situations when teachers want to copy multiple pages in a packet, and you have enabled us to stay organized (and avoid having to sit and hand staple things, which takes so many precious hours, despite being a great hand strengthener :)
Having parents and community members (and friendly, generous donors from around the country) means a lot to teachers, and it really helps create a sense of community.
We really appreciate your support and generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
Help Us Get Ink-ed!
Funded Jan 15, 2015As my students said in their Thank You's, donations to the classroom are very helpful, especially when they involved supplies that we use so often, like post-its and dry erase markers! What's lovely about our school is the way that students are the center or so many class activities, so classroom supplies are truly those of the entire room--not just the teacher.
My students use post-its on a daily basis, to give me feedback, to annotate texts, and, as you can see in the photos, to share what they've learned with others and engage with our classroom bulletin boards. Having ink for my printer, while not the flashiest of things, helps me do my job better on a daily basis. I still print very sparingly, but it's great to know that I will be able to use my printer when I need to.
Your generosity is deeply appreciated. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
New Homes for Our Books!
Funded May 8, 2013I want to especially thank my classroom parents who made anonymous donations in the form of DonorsChoose credit allowing me to complete this project in record time! I posted the project, had it funded and the supplies in my classroom within a week and a half!
Having these new bins has become a great way to get my students involved in organizing our classroom library. We've also been able to use this as a time to sort through books and find books to repair in addition to books that need new homes--they are in such bad shape or don't seem like the best fit for our classroom.
Thank you for your continued support for our classroom.
Ms. D”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
To the Common Core Standards...and Beyond!
Funded Jun 11, 2012Your generous donation to this project has had a tremendous impact. With New York State's adoption of the Common Core State Standards, teachers are scrambling to fill their bookshelves with complex, lengthier and diverse nonfiction texts.
While these standards are aimed at college readiness, which feels like it's a long way off for my 6th graders, challenging themselves to comprehend and make meaning of these complex texts is very relevant; it mimics the type of text they might encounter in a typical newspaper or magazine (written for adults).
Becoming more confident with these types of texts helps my students feel more like true young adult readers, ready to tackle a variety of texts, not just a pre-selected selection for children.
Thank you for your assistance in filling our shelves with such a wonderful range of nonfiction books and magazines!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 9 other donors.Lovely, Long-lasting, Lending Library
Funded Jun 1, 2012This year's unit, Maps and Memories, was a tremendous way to build on some of the map work I started last year. The unit gave students a chance to learn about all different types of maps, as well as think about the intersection between maps and memories.
The resources that Donorschoose.org enabled us to buy deeply enhanced the unit. A few of the photos I've included show the projects which students created, inspired by our study of maps, especially the more artistic renderings.
This mapping unit is a great way to start the year--maps are so accessible, students are familiar with them already, discuss them in Social Studies, and are also open to and excited about learning more. We were also able to listen to an episode of This American Life (an NPR radio show) which discussed mapping in unique ways--including by sense of smell and sound! I'm very excited to expand this unit in upcoming years--potentially using it as a base/theme for the entire 6th grade year! It's even inspired my classroom blog!(mapsandmemories.edublogs.org).
Thank you so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 5 other donors.A Few Supplies Will Help Our Classroom Shine!
Funded Nov 30, 2011Thanks again for your generous donations to our classroom. Having graphic novels in the classroom is a great way to encourage students to familiarize themselves with the plot of many well-known classic novels, which helps encourage students to eventually read the novels in their entirety!
Keeping a close eye on timing in my daily lessons helps ensure that lessons continue moving along, there's always something new to do, and students feel a sense of urgency, that there's no time to be wasted!
Thanks again, from the entire 6th grade!”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.
Compelling Classics and Powerful Poetry
Funded Jun 2, 2011Thank you so much for your generous contribution to our classroom. The current 6th graders are thrilled about the new copies of classics (hardcover, no less!) and poetry compilations!
It's always a huge shock for my students when they reach my classroom at the start of the school year, and I tell them that they are allowed to borrow ANY book they want. Many students are accustomed to being limited by reading levels, and it's very exciting to suddenly have unexpected freedom.
I want reading to feel joyful and I also want them to use their OWN judgment as they select books. That being said, it's important for me to stock my shelves with 6th grade appropriate titles. Many students are reading on advanced levels, yet not ready for the mature issues in HS level books. Your contribution of classics really helped fulfill a classroom need!
Thank you again for your generosity and thoughtfulness.”
With gratitude,
Ms. D.