Mrs. Shattles' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 6

• A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

  Funded Dec 3, 2019

  It was amazing to be able to share this new multi-use cart with my students. Add to it the re-stickable easel paper and our readers', writers', and math workshop times are complete. Now all of our materials are easily accessible for all and everything is at eye-level for the students for their "teaching" moments. My job as a teacher has become easier with this resource as I am never looking for where materials have been put or where to find more chart paper. Everything is in one spot.

  I try to teach students the importance of keeping everything organized and this cart illustrates that point. Whenever materials are needed for one of our "workshop" times, the students know just where to find things.

  My students love being called on to come up to our "teaching cart" and demonstrate their thinking. Whether it's using the whiteboard side or creating their own process chart to share with a group, the children enjoy being put in the role of "teacher." We are finding new ways each day to utilize the cart and the chart paper, and as such the productiveness in the classroom continues to grow.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles

  This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 10 other donors.

• Kindle Kids

  Funded Oct 21, 2015

  It is with a warm heart that I express my gratitude for your funding of my Kindle Kids project. From the moment the Kindles were delivered, both my students and I couldn't contain our excitement. I started by loading sample after sample of books onto them, and then the students read and rated them so we could decide which ones to purchase. At first, my students would get frustrated when they found a sample they really liked, but couldn't keep reading. Eventually, as we went through this process of them getting to choose the books that were purchased (instead of me), they really got into it and actually asked for more samples. Giving my students the power to choose the books being loaded onto the Kindles, gave them ownership and increased their interest in reading. "That's the book I picked!" could often be heard when the Kindles were being used. With our process established, we quickly built a library of books on the Kindles that ranged from fun fiction to informative non-fiction.

  My reading groups have really experienced the most impact from the Kindles. Showing the kids the different available features on the Kindles, such as Word Wise (which shows easy hints above unfamiliar words within a text) has expanded my students' experiences with this type of technology. A lot of students at this age (2nd/3rd grade) are hesitant to admit when they do not know what a word means. With the Word Wise feature, there is no more reading but not understanding unfamiliar words. The meanings/definitions of those new words are right there for the students. It has made strengthening their vocabulary easy and effortless.

  One of the greatest benefits I've seen while implementing the use of the Kindles involves one of my new students who was struggling to adjust to our classroom. She had a book series she was really interested in reading. I purchased the first book in the series and allowed her to "check out" one of the Kindles in order to read it at home. It really helped her to feel like she was part of the classroom and helped her see that the tools we use in the room (such as the Kindles) belonged to her as well. I was able to use the book series as an incentive to help her overcome some of the anxiousness she was feeling and by the end of her second week she had "earned" and read the entire 4-book series. She spoke so highly of the books that other students read them as well.

  I have found it very empowering to be able to get access to a book immediately, especially when it involves motivating a child. I no longer have to wait for books to be delivered, or have students wait for a certain title to be available for checkout in the school library. Nor do I have to find a place to store the various books. A student suggests a title that the other students agree on and instantly we have access to six copies of it. This technology is fantastic! Many of my colleagues are boggled that we haven't thought to do this before. Sure, the books still cost money, but I only have to purchase one in order to get six copies. I expect that several of my peers will be following in my footsteps given the success of this project.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles

• Academic Achievement is a Ball

  Funded Oct 17, 2014

  My grant, Academic Achievement is a Ball, has had more of an impact than I could have imagined. The most important impact being, my scholars are more comfortable and thus more focused. "I would often ask to go and use the restroom just so that I could move around," reluctantly confessed one student. "Now, the ball allows me to move around without leaving my desk; so I don't need to slip out and then end up missing out on directions." One of the things my students love best is they know our classroom is unique because of the ball chairs. Yet, they are far from selfish when it comes to sharing them. When two separate teachers were having difficulties with squirmy students who needed something to help them focus, I received an abundance of offers from my class to lend out their chairs to help their peers. This happened during their first week of having the ball chairs, but my students were desperate to share their excitement and experience.

  Combining the ball bases with the balance balls has been a life saver. Students can actually rotate the ball in a circular motion as the base gives a little extra space that allows them the freedom of movement. It also enables them to easily lean forward to reach something across from them or lean back to get something out of their desks. They can also move with the security of not being worried about falling. The bonus for the teacher is the balls don't make noise when the students are lowly bouncing or moving them within the bases. Plus, at the end of the day, storage on top of the desks is a breeze. I no longer have to worry about chairs falling off the desks, or have to take time to stack chairs each day. My students stay safe and my floors stay clean.

  One of the reasons I am most grateful for this grant is that my students are not only strengthening their minds, by staying focused for longer periods of time, but they are strengthening their bodies as well. A few students still need reminders to sit up straight to keep their core muscles engaged. However, if I tell them we will be using the balls to have physical education for the day, the room erupts with enthusiasm. The students are so amazed by just how many muscle groups can be worked by using the balls as exercise tools.

  I chose to write this grant for a class set of balance ball chairs because I didn't want to single out students who needed them most. In the end, all of my students have benefited from the ball chairs. I now have a classroom full of happier, more focused, and hopefully, in the end, healthier scholars; all of which is a definite bonus when it comes to enjoying and being productive at my job. I can't wait to see how the balance ball chairs will impact my future classes.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles

• A New Way Of Learning

  Funded Aug 26, 2013

  I was so excited to received the materials for this project. The teacher resource books alone, directly aligned to the newly adopted Common Core Standards, make it so much easier for me to differentiate in my classroom. Having a combination class is a challenge in and of itself, but these materials have allowed me to easily adjust my differentiation to directly align with the Common Core. My partner and group work activities hit all the students' levels without the extra work of changing the problems or reading passages to each student's learning level.

  The small blank books, which were part of the project, have been a huge hit with my 2nd graders as they are truly able to let their creativity flow. Watching them share their Narrative books with their classmates, using an actual "book" format, is exciting and enlightening. They've commented that they feel like real authors.

  Thank you for your generous donation to this project. People don't often realize that it's the little things that count. This project has truly counted in my classroom and for that I am truly thankful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles

• Connecting to the Core

  Funded Jan 19, 2013

  It is with warmth in my heart that I thank you all for donating to this project. Social Studies is one of the most enjoyable subjects to teach, yet so many students struggle with the details. By helping to provide them with hands on materials and vividly descriptive books, you gave them the leg up they needed to understand our National Landmarks and Land-forms. Watching their eyes light up as they played the games, assembled the puzzles, and devoured the books was nothing compared to their ability to share with me and each other what they had learned. There was such pride in their voices, like it all finally made sense.

  There are many people in the world who understand the importance of supplementing the materials teachers receive so that all students can be reached, and you are but a few of those special people. I thank you with all of my heart for your generosity. I am proud to be a public school teacher, but I am even more proud to have the support of those who are so willing to assist with a good cause. People, such as yourselves, will forever amaze me.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles

• Celebrating Young Authors

  Funded Nov 27, 2012

  There is no way to truly thank you for your generous donation to my "Celebrating Young Authors" project. It has always been my dream to start an On-line newspaper at my school. Your kindness has given me the tool to do just that. Using the iPad (with the heavy duty case) that was part of my project, I'm able to check out the iPad to students who think of article ideas that require pictures or videos outside of the classroom. For instance, when I extended the invitation to participate in the newspaper to the entire third grade at my school, several of the most timid students came up with great article ideas. Two bashful young ladies, wanted to photograph and film some of our talent show and write little blurbs to go with the pictures. Their teacher couldn't believe their enthusiasm. Writers are blossoming all over third grade.

  As my class has been able to use the iPad to do whole class editing through the connection to our SMART Board, they have become stronger, more conscientious writers. They are eager to show off their work to the class, even when we're looking for editing errors. Developing confident writers is a main focus every year I teach, and your help has contributed to ensuring that they become just that.

  Without your generous donation, I don't believe I would've had the courage or motivation to start the newspaper this year. It has made the whole process so much easier than I imagined. You will forever have my heartfelt appreciation.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Shattles