Past projects 10
3-K Needs to Print!
Funded Feb 10, 2022This year I was very fortunate to teach 3-K for All for the first time. I walked into an empty classroom. Furniture and supplies started to be delivered. There was still much work to do in order to personalize the classroom. I was able to personalize the classroom using the printer and laminator. Birthdays signs were posted. Family pictures were displayed. An unlimited amount of signs and charts were posted which helped the two and three year olds students remember and follow classroom routines and expectations. They were printed in color and laminated. These signs assisted students in becoming independent members of the classroom community.
Most of the resources in the classroom are laminated. This is done in order to have the resources last longer in the hands of two and three year olds. Every object in the classroom has to be labeled. This assists students in finding and returning the objects. The laminator allowed me to label the room, making it a text or literacy rich environment. Many different activities were also printed and laminated throughout the year. Each activity was related to the monthly theme. Students were able to learn through these activities. Sorting activities were very popular in the classroom. For example, students sorted land, air, and water animal pictures when we studied growth and change. Many similar sorting activities were printed and laminated throughout the year.
Parental engagement is very critical, especially in 3-K. Weekly, caregivers received a newsletter letting them know the happenings in the classroom. They were informed about the current unit of study, how to extend and support the learning at home, and any special announcements or upcoming events. Caregivers loved receiving the color printed newsletters each week.
Songs, nursery rhymes, and fingerplays are very important in early childhood settings. I was able to print and laminate sets of songs, nursery rhymes, and fingerplays for use in the classroom. They were bonded and then made accessible to the students. Students also loved making their own classroom books. We made many books throughout the year- name book, shapes book, colors books, classroom expectations, and letters book among many others. Each book was laminated and then placed in the "Books made with love by 3-K" basket. Students loved to "read" the books during centers. Lastly, I was able to create a memory book for each family to keep at the end of the year. I printed collages of pictures from September to June. This documented the year in 3-K for All. The families were beyond grateful for this keepsake.
I am beyond grateful to you for allowing this great work to happen in my classroom. Your generosity has had a great impact in my little people's first school experience. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
3-K Needs a Dollhouse.
Funded Mar 11, 2022Thank you so much for your generosity. I can't wait to receive our dollhouse. My students are going to love it. They will learn so much through their play- one of the major goals of preschool. I am excited to witness the endless open-ended and role-playing that will occur in our 3K classroom. Thank you for making this happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Valhalla Foundation and 5 other donors.3-K Needs Basic Supplies!
Funded Oct 29, 2021We were beyond excited when the boxes arrived with the much-needed supplies. The major priority this year was keeping students and staff safe. We needed cleaning supplies and masks. Three year olds use many masks throughout the day. We are constantly changing someone's mask. Surfaces, toys, and materials must be disinfected on a regular basis. We used the paper towels to do so.
Most of the resources in the classroom are laminated. This is done in order to have the resources last longer in the hands of three year olds. Every object in the classroom has to be labeled. This assists students in finding and returning the objects. The paper and laminating sheets allowed me to label the room. I also use the paper to send weekly newsletters and monthly activity calendars home.
The most eye-catching material in the classroom is always students' work. Lots and lots of tape and Velcro is used to display the great work students create. They love to see their work posted throughout the classroom. It gives them such a sense of pride. At the beginning of each month, students draw a self- portrait. This portrait is displayed in the classroom. Students compare and contrast their portraits throughout the year. They notice the changes. Another ongoing project is the class books that we create. We create different books depending on the current unit and students' interests. The books are laminated and displayed in a special bin for students to enjoy throughout the day.
I am beyond grateful to you for allowing this great work to happen in my classroom. Your generosity has had a great impact in my little people. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Clorox and 3 other donors.Books for 3-K students!
Funded Oct 21, 2021When the boxes filled with books arrived, the students in my 3K for All classroom gathered around excitedly. They could not wait to reveal the contents inside the boxes. Their faces lit up as I showed them book after book. Little hands reached out eager to receive one of the books. They immediately chose a reading spot and began "reading" the books. It truly brings joy to the heart to see three year olds so happy to read.
Throughout the next few weeks, the books were introduced to the students during morning meeting. The books were read aloud a few times across various days. On the first day, students took a picture walk. This is when you preview the book by showing each page without reading yet. After, students listen to the book from beginning to end. On another day, the book is reread with a focus on certain parts of the book. Students have the opportunity to share their ideas and questions about the book. This is my favorite part of the process. I love to listen to everything the students have to say. They talk about their favorite part, a character, or notice aspects of the book that I had not noticed.
After the books have been introduced, they are placed in a bin for students to access. They read the books during center time or during naptime. There are nine centers in the room. One of the centers they love the most is library center. They sit on the couch or chair and read the books. They flip page after page mouthing the words that they believe match each illustration. Even after reading the book five times, the excitement in their eyes does not fade. Many times, they seek out one of the teachers and say, "read it please". Sometimes the reading starts with one child and quickly turns into a group of students huddled together to listen to the same book for what seems like the 100th time.
We made use of many of the books to talk and teach about Social Emotional Learning (SEL). At three years old, students are beginning to recognize emotions within themselves and others. We made a feelings chart and created some emotions monsters. The students refer to these resources when identifying and regulating their "big feelings". They are able to connect to the feelings different characters have in various books. "He is mad because... I was mad when... She is happy. My mommy makes me happy when..."
I am beyond grateful to you for allowing this great work to happen in my classroom. Your generosity has had a great impact in my little people. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and one other donor.Ink, Ink and More Ink!
Funded Jul 8, 2014This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to our classroom. There are so many documents that need to be printed and copied on a daily basis in order to conduct reading, writing, math, word study, science, and social studies lessons for 32 students. Ink and paper are in high demand. Luckily, there are donors like you which make teaching possible.
We have taken full advantage of the ink that you donated. We have printed and copied many items. Most recently, we were involved in a book review unit of study. During this time students read book reviews from various online educational sources. They were able to print and take copies of those book reviews in order to share them with their family members. They kept these book reviews and made noticings. They later used this information in order to write and publish their own book reviews.
This school year I have a set of triplets in my classroom. They came to our school from the Dominican Republic. They do not command the English language or their native language, Spanish. I have relied on many educational sites in order to meet their needs. I have been able to print many resources to assist in their education. After a couple of months in our school system, they are slowly adjusting. Their faces light up when they see the work printed in color.
Thank you for the ink that you donated to our classroom. You have indeed given my kids the resources they need to enjoy school. For this I am forever grateful. Many blessings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
Ink, Ink, and More Ink!
Funded Jan 22, 2013This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. After we received the funding for our printer, I was a bit concerned- what would happen when the ink finished? There are so many documents that need to be printed and copied on a daily basis in order to conduct reading, writing, math, word study, science, and social studies lessons for 29 students. Ink and paper are in high demand. Luckily, there are donors like you which make teaching possible.
We have taken full advantage of the ink that you donated. We have printed and copied many items. As you can see on the pictures, we printed a lot during our Poetry and Mexico Units of Study. During the poetry unit students read poems by various published authors. They fell in love with many poems. They immediately wanted to have copies of the poems to take home. They wanted to reread the poems over and over again, share them with family members, respond to them, and draw pictures that represent the poems among other things. This was possible. I was also able to print and make copies of various poems by various poets to post around the room. I was able to create poetry centers. My students enjoyed them very much. They recited the poems. They even added rhythm and sang the poems.
This school year I was fortunate to have many students of Mexican heritage. For the culminating social studies unit, we decided to study about this great country. We have been involved in learning about the Aztec and Mayan civilizations and Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. I have been able to print and make copies of many informative articles and captivating pictures. My students are learning so much and truly loving the unit. After our visit to the museum to explore the Mexico and Central America exhibit, we even printed the pictures that we took there.
Thank you for the ink that you donated to our classroom. You have indeed given my kids the resources they need to enjoy school. For this I am forever grateful. Many blessings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Tony and Nanar Yoseloff and 4 other donors.Status-Printing Job is Pending...
Funded Dec 29, 2012This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. My kids and I are very grateful for what you did for us. When the printer arrived they all gathered around to open the box. They were so excited. They knew that from now on they would be able to print and make copies of documents needed for classroom and home use.
During the past couple of months we have taken full advantage of the awesome features that our printer offers. We have printed numerous documents for research during various units of study. We have made copies of things such as math work, other students' works, and favorite poems among other things. During the past couple of weeks, we have been involved in a unit of study on Mexico. We have needed to make many couples and print many sources of information. Thanks to our printer this has been possible. As you can see in the posted pictures we each were able to have copies of the texts used. We also printed the pictures that we took during one of our trips to a museum.
The kids love the fact that they can make color copies. They have really enjoyed making copies of favorite poems to take home during our poetry writing unit. Since the printer is in our room, we don't have to wait to request copies from our copy room. This is all possible because of donors like you. Thank you for this great gift.
Thank you for the printer that you donated to our classroom. But mostly, thank you for believing in the importance of our education. Many blessings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Ham Rove and one other donor.Did You Know...Nonfiction Books
Funded Nov 27, 2012This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. The books that you donated allowed my students to immerse themselves in the world of nonfiction. They were so excited when the books arrived. They couldn't wait to begin the unit so that they could put the books in their book baggies. When the unit began, they read the books during reading workshop. During this time you could see the eagerness among them. They went from basket to basket reading book after book about different categories. Thanks to the variety of books, they were able to read across varies topics and reading levels. This was beneficial to all the students in the classroom. During partner talks, the excitement was evident. They shared what they learned after reading the books. Throughout the nonfiction unit, my students' reading stamina and volume definitely increased.
My kids used the books to assist in writing an informational book about an animal of their choice. They were able to notice text features, the structure selected by various authors, and the ways that these authors elaborate in order to better inform the reader. This is all huge in third grade especially now with the new Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS). Their published books were very informative. They worked very hard to publish great books. They wanted to make the donor (you) proud. I must attest that they indeed accomplished their goal.
This was all possible because of donors like you. Thank you for this great gift. A gift that is mostly impossible to take away from an individual- the love of reading.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
iPad Post Hurricane Sandy
Funded Dec 29, 2012This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. My kids love the iPad. They were beyond excited when it arrived. They all gathered around as we opened the box. Their eyes lit up when the iPad was exposed. During that time, they were engaged in researching topics of interest. They used that research to write informational books. My students used the iPad to navigate through educational sites in order to gather information. They were able to use the iPad since we do not have a computer in the classroom. Their books turned out great.
I downloaded an application that allows the students to read and listen to books on the iPad. It is very interactive. My kids read or listen to the books, building reading stamina and fluency. They read across various genres- poetry, fiction, and biography among others. Many of the books have comprehension questions and follow-up activities. The 27 students take turns using the iPad during the reading workshop. Partnerships use the iPad. This has been a great success. My kids are eager to use the iPad. Their reading stamina has greatly increased. This is great, especially as they prepare for the upcoming ELA and Math tests. This is all possible because of donors like you. Thank you for this great gift.
Thank you for the iPad that you donated to our classroom. But mostly, thank you for helping to foster the love of reading and the love of learning. Many blessings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Ham Rove and one other donor.Books, Books, AND MORE Books!
Funded Nov 18, 2012This is just a small token of my gratitude for your generous donation to my classroom. The books that you donated allowed my students to experience the magic of book clubs. They were able to take the books home and read the chapters or pages that the members of the book club agreed upon. They were so excited to come back the next day and meet with their classmates to hold rich conversations about the books. They talked about the events in the books, the characters, the problems, and resolutions. They shared their thoughts, ideas, and questions with each other. Since they each had a book, they were able to put post-it notes on the pages that they wanted to comment on. This helped them reference the book and thus support their ideas with text evidence. This is a skill that they must become very familiar with for daily reading and when taking the state tests.
My students enjoyed the books so much. Their eyes lit up when we opened the box together and they saw the multiple copies of each book. After the unit was over, they completed written reflections. In those reflections, they made evident how much they enjoyed the unit. Many stated how they looked forward to meeting with their book club members to talk about the books. They loved that they were able to take their very own copy of the book home. Some confessed that the Series Book Club Unit even helped them like reading more. This was all possible because of donors like you. Thank you for this great gift. A gift that is mostly impossible to take away from an individual- the love of reading.
Thank you for the books that you donated to our classroom. But mostly, thank you for helping to foster the love of reading. Many blessings.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Norena
This classroom project was brought to life by Build-a-Bear Workshop Foundation and 4 other donors.