Past projects 10
Flexible Seating for First Graders!
Funded Aug 14, 2019I am so grateful to you for your donation. These Hokki stools are high quality, durable, and perfect for my active first graders. The students were so excited to see them, and enjoy using them for work and play!
The stools are arranged around my teacher table. We had a class meeting to discuss what they were and how they were designed to help us. Students were also told that they had the choice to sit in the stools or to choose a different option. Some students discovered that the stools did not work best for them so they opt for a regular chair. It is wonderful to see students so empowered and able to advocate for their needs.
My quest for flexible seating is continuing as my students evolve. I am constantly trying to find what works best for each student in each situation. I look forward to using these stools in a variety of ways to meet my students' needs. We are so appreciative that you took the time to think of us and your desire to help my students grow. Thank you very much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Learning Math With Tiny Polka Dots!
Funded Jan 18, 2019Thank you so much for your generous donation! With your gift, we were able to purchase a Tiny Polka Dots box for each kindergarten, first and second grade classroom, plus a few extras to use as small group intervention. The kids love playing the games and the variety of choices. One student even told me she asked her mother to purchase it for her at home! Because of the different levels of skills covered in the games, everyone is able to participate and practice what they need. Their current favorites are 15 Go Fish and 21 or Bust! These have also been helpful in practicing social skills like taking turns, being a good sport, and helping one another. Thank you again from all of us!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
Exploring the World With Time for Kids and Scholastic News!
Funded Oct 21, 2018We are so thankful to have these Scholastic and Time for Kids magazines in our classroom. Our science and social studies curriculum is limited; we have no specific text books. All resources we have are things that we find or make. It can be difficult to teach about current events in a way that is age-appropriate for our young ones.
These magazines have beautiful photos, reading-level appropriate language, and interesting comprehension questions so we know our kids get what they are reading. The online components have more videos and photos and games. The kids are very excited to explore our science and social studies topics. It is also nice to have the extra issues that are not exactly tied to our standards but are interesting to our kids!
Thank you very much for thinking of these students and helping us to purchase these magazines. We can already see a difference in the level of excitement and engagement among our kids. They have really brought us more joy in teaching social studies and science!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
Making STEM K'Nnections with K'NEX!
Funded Sep 20, 2017My students are thrilled to now call themselves "engineers." They are exploring and being creative in ways I never could have imagined. Using our new engineering skills, my students were able to design boats to save the Gingerbread Man! As a teacher, having these tools to reinforce skills has allowed me to be more bold and creative in the challenges I issue to my students. They love using the K'Nex to build, and we are about to use the K'Nex geometry kits in our upcoming shape unit. I look forward to watching their skills and confidence grow throughout the year. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
Going Wild for Science in Grade One!
Funded Mar 9, 2017My budding young scientists were thrilled with the new science centers and activities! These centers really enhanced their learning about animals and adaptations. Students loved the different options that the games gave them, and loved working together to solve the puzzles. The interactive notebooks were a big hit as well! We put all of these things, plus our artwork, on display for parents to see. Parents loved our exhibit and how many hands-on things we had for our guests to see. Students loved being the teachers and explaining each center and all their work. These activities have been a great addition to our unit and we are so very grateful for all our donors! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and 3 other donors.Hokki Stools for High Achievers!
Funded Oct 29, 2016I am thrilled to have these Hokki stools in my classroom. When they arrived, we had a class discussion about what they were for, where they came from, and how to use them. I told the students that each person would get to try it out, and that they could decide if it was the right choice for them. The students were empowered to make their own choices and evaluate their own needs. Many students tried it and enjoyed the stool. Some tried it and decided a traditional chair was better suited for them. Regardless of their choice, it was so powerful to see these students make the decision for themselves! The Hokki stools have really helped a few students in particular with their movement needs throughout the day. The stools are an incredible quality and I know that they will last for years to come. I am so grateful to all who donated. They are excited to have them! Thank you again for helping me making a difference in my students' lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
Leaping Into First Grade with LeapFrog Headphones!
Funded Aug 30, 2016Dear Donors,
I cannot thank you enough for providing us with these headphones. To know that my students have these high-quality tools is a stress reliever for me. I can run literacy and math centers knowing that the tools I have given my students won't break. And just in case they do, I can quickly and easily replace the headphones with an extra pair to keep our day moving forward.
The students are also thrilled to use the headphones as they are more comfortable and have better sound quality than the previous ones. They are excited to visit the iPad and listening centers! It also means that they can share a book at the listening center with one another, fostering a sense of community in our class.
Most importantly, they have learned that there are people in the world (whom they do not even know) that are cheering them on and wanting them to succeed. That feeling is the best gift that I can give to my students. Once again, I thank you all for your generosity and kindness!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
First Grade is Dino-rific!
Funded Mar 10, 2016The supplies that I asked for may seem simple but they were the bare necessities needed for us to start our work. Our students were unaware of the budget challenges that threatened to cut back our project this year. When I told them that we received these supplies they were thrilled! Paper and toner may not be exciting to them, but knowing that someone cared and wanted to help them learn is a gift unto itself.
Receiving these supplies took a burden off of our shoulders and allowed us to truly dive into our dinosaur unit. Using the paper and toner and the report covers, we created a dinosaur portfolio for each student. The work that we completed over the course of two months is now preserved for students to treasure! We were able to write stories about pet dinosaurs, write research reports on a dinosaur of their choosing, study herbivores and carnivores, and much, much more. The books and activity packet gave us new directions in our lessons. The oak tag was used by our art teacher to create three-dimensional dinosaur models and accordion books. We also used some paper to create our own q-tip dinosaur skeletons which the students loved! They were completely immersed in learning.
With these supplies we were able to take our students back in time to the world of dinosaurs. Our project based learning exhibit was tonight, and students were proud to share their work with their families. Parents were amazed by the effort and dedication that went into this unit. We are thankful to all the donors who helped us make today a truly special experience for our students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 2 other donors.First Grade Fossil Fanatics, Starring Mr. Kornell Nash!
Funded Mar 24, 2016Today was spectacular! Our visit from Mr. Nash, the local dinosaur expert, was the highlight of our entire project based learning unit on dinosaurs. We have been studying dinosaurs and paleontology for two months and today's visit was a culmination of all their knowledge and hard work. Students have been thinking of questions for him for weeks!
Mr. Nash brought dinosaur tracks that he excavated from his site in the Connecticut River Valley. These dinosaur footprints dated over 200 million years old! Students were engaged in his hands-on presentation, and learned how to measure the samples he brought to determine the real life height of these creatures. They learned how to tell if a dinosaur was a carnivore or an herbivore just by analyzing the footprint. He also showed us how he makes molds of dinosaur footprints and gifted one to our class. Mr. Nash answered all of their questions and encouraged them to think of even more. Everyone left with a smile on their face and dinosaurs on the brain.
The impact of his visit goes beyond today. He showed these students that a career in science is not only possible, but exciting! He has inspired them to ask questions about what they see in the world. The critical thinking skills they activated today will stay with them no matter what curriculum area we study next. Mr. Nash traveled a long way to visit our school and they now know that there are people in the world who are dedicated to helping them learn as much as possible. A very special thank you to all of our donors for making this visit possible. We had a blast!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.
Growing Our Library
Funded Aug 14, 2014On the first day of school, I told my students that our classroom had a Fairy Godmother. I told them that, very soon, our virtually empty little library would be full of incredible books that could take them anywhere they could imagine. Five days into our school year, the books you donated to my class arrived. I spent a long time that afternoon, trying to create a library system that these books and my students deserved.
The next day they came into the classroom, and one of my boys ran up to me and said "Ms. G! THE LIBRARY!" with such enthusiasm and excitement. They were so eager to get in there and explore and fill their book bags. During literacy centers that day I was able to sit with small groups in the library and talk about their interests and how to choose just right books, and how to keep our library organized and functioning. My students were so excited to show me what they found. Their eyes lit up when they found a book about something they are interested in. I have one student who is just about done reading every animal book in the library! One of my girls, an ELL student, has read all of the Biscuit the dog books in the library and asked for more. They have given me amazing feedback about what they want to see added to our library, and I have been searching for books to fit their needs and interests. We switch our books from our book bags once a week during centers, and I encourage the kids to talk to one another and make recommendations for each other. I tell them that the Read to Self center, as we call it, is a chance for them to read what they want to read and not what I am telling them to read. It's a chance to have freedom and ownership in their learning.
This gift is more than the books themselves. This gift is an opportunity for my students to explore new worlds and discover new interests. I love when they share something they learned with the class. I love seeing even my more reluctant readers use the sight-word readers to help them read aloud a story. I love seeing the kids analyze the photographs in the science books, studying every detail for more information. They are growing confident in their own skin as people and as readers. As the year progresses, I look forward to seeing these skills translate further to our creative writing, our science and social studies lessons, and our class discussions. My ultimate goal was to create a love of reading, and we are well on our way in Room 110 - and we have you to thank!”
With gratitude,
Ms. G.