Mrs. Schenkelberg's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 24

• Bringing Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia to Life for Sixth Graders

  Funded Feb 20, 2023

  I wanted to take a moment to express my sincerest gratitude for your generous contribution to our Donors Choose project. Your support has had an incredible impact on my 6th-grade students, and I cannot thank you enough.

  Since receiving the books on ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, my students have been extremely excited to read them and have been thoroughly engaged in their studies. The books have not only brought the history of these ancient civilizations to life in a way that is engaging and accessible to them, but they have also provided valuable skills and lessons for my students. For instance, the books have helped them develop their critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation skills, as well as their ability to write thoughtfully and articulately about historical events and ideas.

  Reading in my classroom has taken on a new life since receiving these books. The students are eager to discuss what they have read, and the discussions are lively and engaging. Many students have been contributing knowledge to the group discussions from what they have read in these books, and it has been inspiring to see their enthusiasm and engagement with the material.

  There are particular students who are especially enjoying the new books, and they are the ones who have a natural curiosity and passion for history. They have been devouring the books and are eager to learn more. The books have also helped to draw in students who were not previously as interested in history, and it has been wonderful to see them develop a newfound appreciation for the subject.

  Once again, thank you for your support and generosity. The impact of your contribution will be felt by my students for years to come, and I am so grateful for your help in creating a love of learning that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• "Class Pet" for 6th Graders

  Funded Sep 24, 2021

  Thank you so much for the bird feeders and seed!

  It was such an exciting day when our supplies arrived! We sat in a circle and unboxed the packages and the students wondered what in the world we had been sent. I explained the project to them and they were super excited to get the feeders up and fill them!

  This project has definitely been a fun science experiment. It has been exciting to watch the feeders and wait for visitors. I attached a picture of our favorite visitor- a squirrel who just stands up and looks at the feeders and thinks about how he can access them. Haha!

  Thanks again for sending the feeders to us! We love them!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• We Need Diverse Books!

  Funded May 6, 2021

  Thank you SO MUCH for sending the diverse books my way! The books have fabulous stories and it has been so fun to see kids gravitate to books that represent them in my class. My class loves and appreciates the books!

  On the day our books all arrived, we had an unboxing ceremony! We came up to the circle, read the back covers, and passed all of the books around. There were only two books left by the end of that activity! The books are being passed from student and student because they are so engaging and fun to read, so thanks again for sending them our way!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.

• We need Diverse Books!

  Funded Sep 15, 2019

  Thank you so much for helping us get exciting, diverse books! My class was buzzing with energy and joy on our unboxing day and the books have hardly touched the bookshelves since we opened them!

  It was especially heartwarming to see kids whose families weren't represented in our library before to see a mirror of their lives in the books! They were just beaming with excitement and there were tons of exclamations "oh, WOW!" and "Yay!" as I described each book to them.

  This set of books really brought a new energy to my readers. I have had the same class for three years and my library was really due for a refresh. Thanks for making that happen!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Aquaponics Tank

  Funded Jun 19, 2017

  Thank you again for helping us get our aquaponics tank! It has been such an enriching part of our classroom.

  On the day I filled the tank and added the fish, I snuck the tank into the science area and didn't tell the class when they arrived for breakfast. They were just eating and going about their morning when suddenly one of the boys noticed the fish.

  "HEY! There's a FISH TANK!!" he blurted.

  The whole class swarmed over with excitement and were buzzing about our new pet. After that, we planted the seeds and illustrated the daily progress of the plants. The kids were amazed at how fast the plants grew. One girl proclaimed that she thought she could see it growing when she looked at it! :)

  We have done one of the built in lessons so far- an introduction to aquaponics. However, we connect back to the tank almost every day when we are learning life science! We have connected our learning about ecosystems, habitats, producers and consumers and more to our fish tank. One day during reading, we read about symbiosis and one girl goes, "HEY! That's just like our fish tank!!" It was so awesome- and you all helped these learning connections be possible!!

  Thanks again!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Hands-On Tools for Eager Learners

  Funded Oct 18, 2016

  Thank you again for providing these hands-on tools for my students. They absolutely love using all of the materials and they have already learned a lot from having self-guided, hands-on thinking and learning time.

  When the materials first arrived, the class was so excited! They were itching to work with the science kits and geography puzzles, but they had to wait until science time. When they finally got to work with them, they were so fired up, that many kids struggled to choose work because so many of the options were exciting!

  Now, we use the kits at least on a weekly basis. During science and social studies, they get to choose their work and work with a partner on exploring and discovering what there is to know about the science or social studies standard they are working on. I wish every classroom in my school had these fun, easy, hands on activities to bring science and social studies alive for the students.

  They are truly appreciated!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Magic Carpet for Sharing Space and Stories

  Funded Aug 22, 2015

  Thank you so much for donating to my classroom! We have been using our fabulous rug for about a month and have enjoyed it immensely. When the UPS guy came in with the huge package last month, the kids were SO excited- I unrolled the rug and a chorus of "oohs!" and "ahhs!" filled the room. It really makes the room look much more beautiful and homey.

  This rug has helped a ton with managing whole group work on the floor. We are encouraged to have students gather together for writing instruction because it creates a sense of community and collaboration. Before receiving this rug, there was a lot of wasted time just making sure everyone fit in the space! Now, we transition seamlessly to our spots on the floor.

  Another way this rug has been helpful has been with cooperative learning management. Kids know to sit by their same partner every time on the rug- so when I ask them to turn and talk to their partner, no one gets left out- and we don't have to wait at all for them to figure out who they're working with! The rug has really made my job easier and our room more efficient and inviting.

  Thanks again for helping us get this amazing resource!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Wobble Chairs for Wobbling Kids

  Funded Oct 4, 2014

  Thank you so much for funding my classroom project for wobble chairs! My students were SO excited when we got the huge boxes in the mail. I drew big question marks on the sides so that they would be even more fired up. When we unpacked and set up the chairs, the students were squealing and exclaiming in excitement. We already had smaller versions of these chairs, so they were amazed at the size of these bigger ones.

  We use the wobble chairs constantly throughout the day. There's hardly any time where one of them isn't being used. The students love sitting on the chairs because they were made to accommodate their needs. They can wiggle while they work- which helps them stay focused and concentrate. We use the Mr. Sketch markers on a weekly basis- on anchor charts in the classroom and fundraising posters for outside of the classroom. The kids love volunteering to make signs because they love the smell of the fun markers.

  Since receiving these chairs, the students seem more comfortable at their computer stations. They are proud of their "cool" classroom and work harder than ever! Thanks again for making this happen for my class!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Books!

  Funded Jul 25, 2014

  I just wanted to express my gratefulness again for your donation to my classroom project. My students were so excited to receive the books that you helped contribute to my classroom.

  They were especially excited to get the next books in the Unwanteds series because many had read the previous book last year in their library class. They were exclaiming things like, "I can't believe we have the second book!" and "I want to be the first one to read it!!" when I opened the box.

  The resources you have helped are being enjoyed and used by many students in my classroom. We have already used the Unwanteds books for a four-week long guided novel and genre study. Also, the read aloud books are more amazing than I could have imagined for providing quick practice with the weekly reading focus skills. The kids especially enjoy the African American Folk Tales. Every time I use it for an instructional read aloud, they whisper, "yes!!" Which is always an exciting sign.

  The new books you donated really helped get my students excited about reading at the beginning of the year. Kids just love when they get to read newly published books. Your donation also allowed me to efficiently work read alouds back into my classroom in a way that creates class bonding and promotes a love of reading, but also supports rigorous reading instruction. Thank you so, so much for helping us out!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg

• Book Baskets for our Classroom Library

  Funded Mar 18, 2014

  Thank you so much for helping fund my project! My kids were so excited when they walked in to see our beautiful new library organization last week! They noticed right away when the walked in the room in the morning. Many students exclaimed, "our library looks beautiful!!" upon seeing our new color-coded baskets.

  My library is color-coded by the Guided Reading levels of the books. Students can now quickly and easily find their library color- making it easier than ever for them to find good-fit books to read. The best tool a teacher has is her classroom library- and now my library is more effective and accessible than ever.

  The color-coded baskets have also helped with our overall room organization. Before we had the baskets, students would just leave their finished books lying around the room- because they weren't sure where to return them. This created unneeded clutter and messiness. Now, they just match the book labels to the baskets and can put them where they belong. When it comes to classroom clean up, the easier a system is, the better!

  Thanks again for helping us organize our room and learning. We sincerely appreciate your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Schenkelberg