Past projects 39
Reading Corner Needs Comfy Chairs!
Funded Dec 27, 2019My students LOVED those chairs.
I had to take them out of the box immediately, and place them in the corner. They were used that day!
They did just what they were supposed to. Lured my students into the corner, so that they could sit in the chair, read a book, play a game, collaborate with their classmates, or work on an assignment.
The power of those chairs is in the fact that you had to be working to sit on them. Therefore, any student that sat on those chairs knew they had to work.
What a great motivator!
Unfortunately, we are out due to COVID19, but I know the chairs are there waiting for the next group of kids to enjoy!
Your generosity has added a little bit of home to our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 16 other donors.It's the Little Things!
Funded Oct 24, 2019When I said, "the little things", I did mean little. But these "little things", make a huge difference in our classroom.
The pencil sharpener saves us the trip next door to another teacher's classroom to use her sharpener, which can be a pain.
Scisscors. You know we have to cut, whether it's a project or a worksheet, we needed those scissors. Now, I have enough for every student, no more waiting around for someone else to finish with theirs.
What would a classroom be without dry erase markers and erasers? When you pair them up with an easel, it is perfect for small group work. The students enjoy being the "teacher" and demonstrating their work, or posting the homework for the day.
I think the stress balls were their favorite! You should have seen the rush for those Smiley face balls!:) They give my students something to hold in order to reduce stress. Because, yes, my little ones do suffer from stress. The Post-It notes are a great way for our class to share opinons and thoughts during Morning Meeting.
Thank you so much for giving us "little things" that made a big impact on our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 2 other donors.My Robot Can Beat Your Robot! Preparing for LEGO League Competition!
Funded Apr 8, 2019As always, thank you for your generous donations! This especially means a lot because it gives my FIRST LEGO League team the resources they need to compete.
The team was very excited when they realized they had a new EV3 robot to work with! Of coures,over the years, as is expected, pieces are missing, things are damaged. It was time for a new robot!
We are starting our afterschool program next week to get ready for the competition and they are so excited! They not only have to build this robot, but program it as well, in order to complete the missions required during the competition.What a wonderful way to incorporate STEM in their lives!
You all have given them a key component, the EV3 robot, to help them get ready for the FIRST LEGO league competition this year, and it will be used for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by Bosch and Qualcomm FIRST Projects and one other donor.Creating Engaged Readers One Book at a Time!
Funded Sep 23, 2019The great part about the books selected during Global Read Aloud,(When students all around the world read the same book), is that they are an excellent and engaging way to teach the required skills.
It's a delight to read a book, and have students talk about how characters have changed from the beginning of the story, have deep discussions about the themes, (immigration, racism, bullying, etc...), and recognize figurative language. The book you have donated towards, "Front Desk",does this and so much more.
In this case, my students sit on our carpet, with their very own copy, while I, or our "Guest Reader" (It's one of the students), reads aloud. Some of the students are way ahead, some have finished the book, but they still enjoy listening to it, and joining the discussions.
I have one student who is way ahead of me who approaches me every day, and says with a sly grin, "Mrs.Mims, can I please tell you something that happened?" Can I spoil it for you a little bit?"
And my answer is always a resounding no!:)
They are all enjoying their book and I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to donate so that they each have a book of their own that they could enjoy over and over again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 2 other donors.Kids Can Podcast Too! Giving Our Classroom A Global Voice!
Funded May 14, 2019This was my dream this year, my goal for my students, that they would create a classroom podcast, and it is happening.
I thought I would have to wait until the next school year, but my kiddos had different plans. With 2 weeks left to the school year, and absolutely no experience, me or them, they are almost done.
I gave them the equipment, got a colleague of mine to sit with them, and they got to work. They developed the content, figured out how to use the Tascam MiniStudio Creator, and created a podcast. They learned how to use the equipment, editing, deleting, and adding sound effects.
They have poems, stories, and interviews, they even included brainteasers.
I am truly amazed at the podcast my students have put together in such a little bit of time. Thanks for making our dream for this year come true!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 6 other donors.A Book of Our Own!
Funded Feb 28, 2019The great part about Global Read Aloud is that they always seem to choose stories my students love. This one was even more special, because not only was I able to teach reading strategies and skills, but in this story, "Amal Unbound", the character was Muslim.
One thing we need to focus on in our classrooms is making sure we have stories that are culturally diverse. This story opened our eyes to many facets of living as a little girl, with no wealth, in Pakistan. The students became vested in each character, and couldn't wait to see what happened next!
While we read the book, sat at my computer so that we could look up the meanings and images of words we were not familiar with.
The students were fascinated with how different their lives were from this little girl.
One thing we began emphasizing this year, is allowing the students to enjoy the book on their own before discussing it. What a difference it made in the quality of our discussions!
In this world where people rarely pick up a book, it was great to see my class enjoying one!:)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 2 other donors.Making Moves With a Mouse!
Funded Feb 28, 2019A box came in the mail the other day.
"Are those the mice?!"
They weren't, but eventually another box came.
I put it down on a table and forgot about it, but not for long.
"Mrs.Mims, open the box!" "Can we use them now?"
Every kid uses the mice. Every single kid.
I keep hearing comments as I wander the room about how great the mouse is. How cool it is to have the mouse.
They each have their own, with their assigned number, which is fantastic in itself because it is so hard to get enough of anything for a class in a public school.
It makes doing their work on the computer so much easier because they can click and manuever with ease. When they are playing educational games, they don't have to use their fingers to guide the game which always made it pretty difficult.
It's the little things that bring great happiness to our classroom.
Thank you for the mice, and not the kind that eat cheese.:)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 6 other donors.Can You Hear Me Now?
Funded Nov 14, 2018Every day a student passes out the headphones to the class, and then they collect them at the end of the day, checking off each name.
A simple thing, being able to give each student a pair of headphones, but really not so simple.
We use computers in our room. A.lot.
Sometimes the kids are listening to videos, or using Nosili.com to hear background noise(like rain) while they work, just wearing the headphones to block out noise, or playing educational games. Imagine a room, which was my room of 23 students, where each child did not have their own headphones. It made it very difficult to create an environment where these things could happen.
My students are excited because they each have their own headphones. Their name is on the bag, their number marked in Sharpie on the side of the headphone. They know they will have them first thing in the morning, until the end of the day, and they don't have to share!
What a difference your generosity has made in our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Robots Just Want to Have Fun!
Funded Mar 27, 2018The Ipads you have so generously donated gave my students access to the apps they needed to program our robots, (Ozobot, Sphero, and our drones.) Unfortunately, the Ipads we had are cracked and/or outdated, BUT, fortunately you came through for us!:)
As soon as the new Ipads came in, my Tech crew, (students), downloaded the necessary apps and the kids were excited to resume the scheduled use of the robots in the hallway.
Although it may look like a bunch of kids in the hallway "playing" with robots, it's not.
One of the first things they learn is responsibility, I have "captains" who are responsible for knowing whose scheduled time it is, educating the other students on how to use them, making sure they are being used correctly, and then putting them away.
The apps on the new Ipads, in correlation with the robots, gave my students the opportunity to participate in a component of STEM that provided skills they can use in the future, programming. In order to make them move, the students had to learn programming. And they learned it! We were even featured in our local paper and television news! :)
I truly appreciate the Ipads, which got all my students back in the hallway with the robots, engaged and preparing for the future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.A Place to Gather: Reinforcing Classroom Community!
Funded Aug 23, 2018That carpet brightens our room. Everyday, I walk in and smile when I see that big, beautiful, bright, colorful, carpet on our floor. It fit perfectly in the space we had saved for it, and the kids love it. They sit, lay, and sprawl on it all day long. During Morning Meeting and Closing Circle, they each have their own spot to sit on.
I sent my Hall Monitors to the office for one thing, and they came back with the carpet. They said, ¨Mrs.Mims, Ms.Cheryl didn´t know whose carpet it was, I told her it was ours!¨ They were so excited. We put it down immediately.
Right now we are working on getting new headphones so that the students could use them when they are working on the computers. It makes a huge difference when every child has a pair of headphones! Many times the students learn through games and videos, so headphones are an integral part of our classroom.
Thank you so much for your donation! It has made a HUGE difference in the look and feel of our classroom community!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 60 other donors.