Past projects 6
Headphones for Focusing
Funded May 3, 2022Thank you so much for the headphones. My students are so grateful to have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom. They have a system of picking up the headphones and putting them back where they belong. They use the headphones when working independently and need to watch a video for the class. They can have the silence they need to complete the tasks they are working on. Having headphones allows us to work in centers or groups without disrupting students working silently. We have enough headphones for everyone in the class, so there is no need to wait.
Additionally, some students like to listen to music while working, which is an excellent way to stay focused on their tasks. I have some students who were not happy in class or said how bored they were. They come into class and ask me if they can get headphones to begin their work immediately when they enter the room. I am very grateful for your generosity in providing my students with headphones for the class.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.Seeing Yourself as the Protagonist in the Story
Funded Oct 22, 2021Your donations have caused a buzz in the classroom, where books are talked about as a television program. Students are excited about the titles and eagerly check books out and take them home to read.
The shelves of my classroom library now boast books with characters that my students can relate to. The day the books arrived, my students helped me take them out of the boxes and place them on the shelves. Immediately they started to get excited about reading the books. One of my students took the book "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" and brought it back in two days. She told me she could not put the book down because the character reminded her so much of her own life. She said that the relationship reminded her of her relationship with her mother and everything between them. After that, she took other books out and also said that she wanted to learn about different cultures and the similarities and differences with her culture. This was a great moment for me as a teacher because that is precisely what literature does. We learn about ourselves, but we also learn about others. Students are taking the books home and doing 20 minutes of independent reading. Then in the classroom, they are doing literature circles where they are paired up with students reading the same book or another book with similar themes. Students can then discuss what happens in these stories and the themes that emerge as they read. Another student who comes to mind has a low reading level and does not like reading books with too many words in them. When I showed him one of the graphic novels, he immediately took it and looked at the images throughout the book. I told him to read some of the books, and he did. He said that the pictures in the book helped him understand it. Having the books you donated has helped build my students' reading confidence because they can analyze the characters and know how they develop over the books.
Additionally, many writing assignments come out of these books. Students can do text analysis and determine the universal central ideas that they can also apply to other works of literature. Discussions are also another way for students to deepen their critical thinking skills. By reading these books you donated, students can have rich discussions that give them different perspectives on life events. They have more information and diverse perspectives to use in their conversations. They also discover what issues affecting them and their society they are passionate about and want to get involved in working on in the future. I want to continue to provide my students with a classroom library and foster their love of books for them. I want my students to continue having many options for their reading enjoyment. My students have all these options because of your generous donations. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 4 other donors.The Visual Presenter Assists In Editing Essays
Funded Jan 13, 2010Thank you so much for your generous gift of the visual presenter. This piece of equipment has been so useful in the classes that I teach. I am able to assist the students in essay writing by modeling good editing practices. Then they are able to do it on their own.
My students and I are so grateful that you were so generous with us. You donation of the visual presenter will be used in the coming years with other students. I will continue to work with the students and help them with their writing skills.
Thank you very much.
Ms. R”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Historical Visual Aides
Funded Dec 26, 2009Words cannot express how grateful I am for your donation of the overhead projector. It is so easy to use. I use it almost on a daily basis with my students. I use it to present notes and also to present visual aides to help them understand the lesson. It is such a wonderful tool to use in the classroom. I have all my transparencies ready to use and the students look forward to seeing pictures of what they are learning in the classroom.
Before your generous donation, I would have to ask other teachers to let me borrow their overhead projectors and it was not always guaranteed that I'd be able to use it. The administration told me that I would have one in my classroom but then due to budget cuts they were not able to buy anything for the classrooms.
My students and I are so grateful for your donation. It has made my teaching easier and their learning more interesting.
Sincerely,
Ms. R.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.Let's Make Movies of Our Environment
Funded Dec 1, 2009I am so grateful for your generosity. Your donation of the camcorder has made this semester so interesting for my students. They absolutely love video-taping themselves reading from the memoirs that they have created for a class assignment.
The students that I teach are special education students and they need a hands on approach to learning and using a video camera is great. It is exactly the type of tools that make teaching fun and learning more interesting. The fact that they also look at their creations makes them their own critics and they tell one another how they can make improvements.
Thank you very much. At a time when there is limited funding for schools, you make our dreams come true with your donations.
Sincerely,
Ms. R.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Learning About the World Visually
Funded Dec 11, 2007Thank you so much for the maps. I am so excited to get these gifts from you because it will help me a great deal with my classes. I will be able to show my students where events took place and they will be able to go to the maps and point out different locations. I know that it will motivate them to learn because it will put many things into perspective when we are learning. I no longer will have to draw continents on the board to get a point across because they will have the accurate information before them.
My students and I are very grateful for your generosity.
Sincerely,
Marilyn ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ramirez