Past projects 11
Let Tim and Moby from BrainPOP Inspire My Students!
Funded May 6, 2024Thank you so much for bringing BrainPOP to my classroom. This amazing educational site brings short, engaging videos about history, science, math, reading skills, grammar, and social-emotional learning skills (SEL) to my students. In addition to the many movies, BrainPOP also includes quizzes to check student understanding, games to practice skills, and even tools to create graphic organizers!
BrainPOP's diverse characters capture my students' attention and Moby's antics are always a fun addition, adding humor to all of the learning. The characters are young and diverse, like my own students, so my kids see themselves represented. They also explain concepts in a kid-friendly way while bringing real-world connections. These videos are a great way to start a lesson, review old skills, and provide extra practice.
Thank you again for providing this incredible resource to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and one other donor.Engaging Readers with Scholastic Storyworks Magazine
Funded May 10, 2024Thank you! Scholastic Storyworks magazine is a reading supplement that brings joy to my classroom and engages even my most reluctant readers. When a brand new issue is unwrapped from its plastic mailing sleeve, even I get excited! What will we learn about this month? Will we act out the play this month? What current topic will be debated among my students? Each month brings something different but always connects to the standards that I need to teach.
My students enjoy reading each text, sometimes independently, sometimes in partners, and sometimes together as a whole class. They are so engaged that they don't even realize that they are learning important literacy skills like characterization, theme, and text structures.
We concluded our school year this year with the May/June issue. I cannot wait to get started in September with my new crew. Developing a love of reading is such an important part of the elementary school years. Thank you for being a part of this!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
Take The Mystery Out Of Fractions!
Funded Aug 8, 2023Thank you so much for supporting our classroom! We are just about to get started with our first fraction unit, and these fraction sticks will be a very helpful tool in helping my students better compare fractions, build equivalent fractions, add and subtract fractions, and multiply fractions. Any learning that can be hands-on is always going to be more powerful. Fractions have always been a challenging concept in fifth grade, but a visual tool can help students make sense of them. No matter the student's ability, my quickest learners or those who need more time, benefit from math manipulatives. Understanding the concept is just as important, if not more, as understanding the algorithm!
Thank you again for helping my students wrap their heads around fractions with greater ease! These tools will be such a help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
Engaging Young Readers With Scholastic Storyworks Magazine
Funded Aug 3, 2023Scholastic Storyworks magazine has been a highlight of my students' week! They look forward to these engaging texts and always learn something new from their reading. Recently we read an article about slime! Did you know that most living things produce slime of some kind to aid in their survival? For example, the mucus that humans produce in their noses helps protect the body from germs! Fifth graders love learning about cool and, yes, gross, things! In addition to the reading, students wrote a summarizing paragraph about the text using the learning activity provided by Storyworks.
These reading selections have been assigned as homework assignments on occasion, partner reads, or whole class reads. The recent article about mammoths from the Ice Age made a great connection to what students were learning in Social Studies class.
I cannot underestimate the engagement factor is this magazine. Thank you for supporting my class with providing a subscription for us to enjoy throughout the year!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Positive Vibes for Our Classroom
Funded May 9, 2023Receiving a box of prizes that my students could earn brought some excitement to our day!
In our classroom, high expectations are a constant. Students are expected to be responsible, hard-working, and kind. Homework completed on time, participation in class discussions, and best efforts in classwork are the regular expectation. Sometimes, though, a small prize can be the perfect motivator!
Receiving these prizes at the end of the year came at a perfect time. The end of the year can be hard, so I try to add extra fun and games to the day. These prizes were the perfect reward! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and one other donor.Building Community Through Morning Meetings
Funded Nov 29, 2022My fifth graders LOVE their new carpet. When they first saw it, they were so excited! There is nothing like the smell of a brand-new carpet and the soft feel to sit upon.
Students utilize the rug daily! My main goal in obtaining a rug for our classroom was for a common space to gather for classroom meetings. A few times a week, students sit in a large circle and we enjoy formally greeting one another, sharing the highlights of our weekends, and listening to books that teach about important character traits like perseverance, kindness, compassion, and empathy.
In addition to enjoying the rug for classroom meetings, the children also love to use it when working in partners or small groups. It allows for time and space to move around the classroom and away from the formal seating of a desk and chair.
Your donation of a rug for our classroom has added a feeling of warmth to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 6 other donors.Refresh Our Classroom Library With New Science Books!
Funded May 3, 2022Thank you so much for the updates to our classroom library! The new science texts are all connected to the newest science standards -- both NGSS and the Massachusetts science standards.
Two titles, about Water, were requested with multiple copies so that my students could read in differentiated groups based on their reading level. With a higher level text I already had, I now have 3 different levels to help all of my learners learn about the water cycle, the hydrosphere, and human impact on our water. Students read these books in small groups and then created a poster that included a summary of the book, diagrams, vocabulary, top 5 lists, and plenty of illustrations! They then presented their learning via FlipGrid video! It was an incredibly engaging multi-disciplinary project!
When students finish classwork with time to spare, they are always asked to read a book. The updated science books in the classroom library provide new, colorful, engaging topics to peruse. There is nothing like a brand new book to engage fifth grade readers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.Comfy Alternative Seating Options
Funded Apr 24, 2022When my students saw the alternative seating options ready to use one morning back in May, their eyes lit up! They were excited to have something new in the classroom, and they especially loved the cute faces on the yoga ball seats.
The alternative seating options have been a hit in my classroom! The yoga ball chairs, which I placed in large buckets so they wouldn't roll around so much, are a favorite for students to use while at their desks. The small cushions have been used not only for a comfy floor space but also on top of stools or classroom chairs too! The seating is so popular that I need to draw names for seating choices to keep it fair and allow for more students to access them! The whiteboard clipboards are awesome and such a handy tool for students to use while working in partnerships. Showing math work on a whiteboard is always more fun than a simple piece of paper!
Returning to a more normal routine in our classroom has been so good for all the students! They love working with their peers and being able to move around the classroom. I think I will need to obtain some additional seating options next year!
Thank you so much, donors, for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
Celebrating Diversity in Our World
Funded Oct 9, 2020My students truly enjoyed their first Diverse Book Club! Our school is currently using a Hybrid Model for learning to keep our numbers down in the classroom due to Covid-19, but we did not let that stop us from learning together! Students read the books, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, and Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr in small groups.
Each day they read in Google Meet Breakout Rooms, discussed the text, and completed vocabulary and comprehension activities, purchased through Teacher Pay Teacher. Skills such as reading aloud fluently, stopping and asking questions to clarify understanding, and analyzing story elements were a large focus of our work. Determining the themes in each of the books was also important. The family bond was a common theme throughout the three books, and students were able to make connections to characters who were not so unlike themselves.
One of the most rewarding parts of incorporating diverse books into our classroom is how students can see themselves represented in literature. While reading a book titled Refugee by Alan Gratz, a student told me that like one of the characters, he too is Muslim and turns to Mecca when he prays. While reading Brown Girl Dreaming, one student remarked that she was so excited to be reading this book! All of my students enjoyed their diverse book choices and were able to learn about other cultures and people. I look forward to exposing students to more diverse literature throughout the year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves
Fifth Grade Puzzle Masters
Funded Sep 19, 2019"That's so cool!" "Which puzzle are we going to do first?" "Will everyone get a chance to work on the puzzle?" My fifth graders were beyond excited when they saw our new puzzle table all set up in the classroom. Even my colleagues were coming in just to see everything set up. After students went home and told their parents about our new puzzle table, a couple more puzzle donations were made to the classroom!
Every day and throughout the day, students have an opportunity to visit the puzzle table. When students finish their work, they may choose to go to the puzzle table. Indoor recess has been another popular time for students to visit the table. There is a maximum of four students at a time, one student on each side of the table. This allows for a number of my 20 students to circulate through if they wish but does not overcrowd the table. The first puzzle (500 pieces) was finished in a timely way (on a day I was out of the building), and they broke down the puzzle before I could get a picture! They were so excited to "up their game" with a 1000 piece puzzle!
We are still working on that 1000 piece puzzle, but the kids persevere. They are learning to work together, seeing how a whole puzzle can come together when they work together and build off of each other's work. In a world where so much is about immediate gratification, it is nice to see my students okay with the fact that a puzzle can take a little time to complete. I love seeing the unlikely groups of kids working together at the table too. The little puzzle table is building a sense of community!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Neves