Past projects 40
Flexible Seating Options for Fabulous Young Learners!
Funded Aug 28, 2019Thank you for your truly generous contributions in support of flexible seating in our classroom. This year I have 34 inquisitive students in my class, and the new seating options will allow them to make important decisions regarding their own learning styles and preferences. Our new lap desk and seats will allow us to have even more flexibility as students find spaces in the classroom where they have do their best work while working independently and in collaboration with their peers!
Students were absolutely thrilled to see the new lap desks and seats in our classroom. We have a large meeting area, and many learners prefer sitting on the floor while working, the lap desks allow them to do this comfortably while still being organized.
Students have opportunities to choose their seats throughout the school day and across content areas. From tackling complex math problems to writing personal narratives, they are given opportunities to make a lot of choices as learners, and your donations have helped provide students with one more important choice, where to sit to complete their very best work!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and 3 other donors.If You Give a Teacher an iPad...
Funded Jul 14, 2019Thank you for your most generous contributions in support of our 5th grade classroom. Our iPad arrived last week and I was thrilled to set it up. Students will be so excited to get started using our classroom iPad to support partner work and to catalog their classwork on our online school portal.
In order to best prepare students for the technological expectations they will encounter in middle school and beyond, access to an iPad in the classroom starts building their digital literacy and confidence.
In addition to taking photos and managing digital portfolios, I plan to integrate the use of the iPad into learning experiences with my students who are designated English Language Learners as well as to support individuals with special needs.
I am so truly grateful for your support and we are very excited for a wonderful school year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 6 other donors.Basic Classroom Supplies for an Exceptional School Year
Funded Jun 13, 2019Thank you for your generosity and kindness in support of our 5th grade classroom. Your contributions will reach 34 students in a Title 1 school during the 2019-2020 school year.
As we prepare for the first week of school, access to basic classroom materials can help ensure organization and materials to set us up for success. Student mailboxes will promote independence and responsibility, which are key as students prepare to transition to middle school next year. Markers are a seemingly simple supply, yet students will be able to use them as they create individual and group projects. Access to chart paper will allow me to create anchor charts that students can access throughout the year.
When students enter the classroom, these materials will be immediately available to learners. These are materials that blend into our classroom environment and will be central to our class organization over the year. This was made possible due to your contributions!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 5 other donors.5th Graders Designing Their Dream Playgrounds
Funded Feb 9, 2019Thank you for the very generous contributions in support of our fifth grade class. Students were ecstatic to have the opportunity to construct their dream playgrounds. They experienced firsthand the struggles engineers and scientists face developing and then building structures. Each student encountered obstacles and gained a deeper appreciation for the role of scientists and engineers. This valuable experience was made possible by your most thoughtful donations.
Building dream playgrounds allowed students to envision a project and see it through to completion. Having this hands-on experience sparked a love of building and curiosity in students as they became immersed in the task. Thank you for this unbelievable opportunity to delve into this fantastic project.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
5th Grade Camp Burned Down In The Woolsey Fire!
Funded Dec 10, 2018Thank you for your exceeding generosity in support of our upcoming 5th Grade Camping Trip. When the news of The Woolsey Fire spread, we were devastated to learn of all the losses. This news was compounded by word that the camp we attend in spring also burned down. We were able to identify another camp, a little farther away and a little more expensive, for our 5th graders to attend so that they are able to participate in this unique, immersion in nature.
Our trip will take place later this spring, but our 5th graders are already excited and talking about the experiences they will have and how we will come together even more as a community at the end of this very important school year. Our fifth graders are preparing to transition to middle school, and the opportunity to attend overnight camp with their classmates, many of whom have been together since kindergarten, is something they are very much looking forward to.
We will engage in activities around science, engineering and nature. We will also have a chance to interact with one another in a completely new and exciting setting. All of this is possible because of your generous support.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 4 other donors.A Touching Read Aloud About Immigration and Hope
Funded Oct 25, 2018Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your truly generous donation in support of our class!
We are so excited to have class copies of Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate. This is such a touching chapter book about a young boy who is trying to establish a new home in Minnesota after experiencing devastating amounts of loss in his home in Sudan. There is one part of the story that hooks my learners each year. The main character Kek, in an effort to help his aunt with the dishes, accidentally puts them in a washing machine. It's a simple example of something being lost in translation, but the students find it hilarious and they cannot wait to hear more about Kek and what happens to him in the book.
Read alouds are an important part of our classroom community. It provides me an opportunity to engage my students in listening to a shared text and we participate in whole-class conversations during which we lift our level of thinking about the books we read. Having class copies of the book allows students to cite specific evidence during our conversations and in their reading response notebooks. Not to mention growing up in California, many of my students have direct experience making big moves in their lives and they can relate to Kek and his experiences in many ways.
My fifth graders are delighted to be able to read Home of the Brave along with me, and that is all thanks to you and your thoughtful contribution!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and one other donor.High-Interest STEM Themed Non-Fiction Books for Classroom Library
Funded Oct 25, 2018Thank you so much for your exceedingly generous contributions in support of our class. The new STEM themed books provided my fifth graders with exciting, high-interest books in order to cultivate not only a love of reading but an appreciation for non-fiction texts.
Today I unveiled the non-fiction library and highlighted these exciting new additions to our classroom library. Students were eager to explore the books about inventors, sports, extreme and interesting animals, and even coding. Students quickly claimed these books to read and quietly brokered arrangements to pass them along when finished. We will be delving into important reading strategies including identifying main idea and text structure work as well as examining author craft moves and purpose.
The Scholastic News subscription will provide us with a steady stream of current as well as historical events and important issues that impact the world. Being able to share age-appropriate, non-fiction texts with fifth graders helps them better understand the complex issues at work today, from animal rights and environmentalist, to political issues in the U.S. and abroad.
High-quality, interesting non-fiction texts are key to preparing our students to become contributing global citizen. We are ever grateful for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 2 other donors.Help Make Our Classroom Feel More Like Home
Funded Sep 5, 2018Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for our most generous donations! The classroom pillows, easel and chart paper have made a huge transformation in our classroom setting. The easel is a valuable tool for whole class and small group instruction. It also allows me to welcome students to demonstrate their own thinking and problem solving steps for their peers. The pillows add a wonderful decorative element to our classroom, and make students eager to sit on our wooden bench for independent work times as well as during lessons. The chart paper is an important resource for creating anchor charts with strategies and information to be displayed around the classroom. Students also create their own posters and charts to communicate their ideas with peers. These simple items have made a huge difference in our classroom.
Students were so excited when they first saw the easel and the pillows. As each item arrived, I quickly put it into place. The glass table is the perfect solution to a small sized teacher desk in the meeting area. It has space for my document camera but also serves as a place for students to sit when they want to work independently.
In our classroom, we have been hard at work building our classroom community and making all learners feel at home. Our next steps are building our classroom library to incorporate high-interest books as well as STEM related books. We are excited for the wonderful start the 2018-2019 school year has gotten off to and can't wait to see what's next for this group of 5th graders!
Thank you again for your generosity and support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Help Support Our Ink-Credible Learning
Funded Dec 5, 2017Thank you so very much for your generous contribution in support of class 4-416! We are so grateful for all of your efforts and dedication in support of our school and the students of 416! Though computer toner may seem like a simple purchase, it is a vital one that keeps our classroom running.
Access to technology within the classroom, including laptops and a functioning printer, allows us, the classroom teachers, to thoroughly lesson plan and prepare for each day's instruction. We create supplemental materials and modifications to the curricula across content areas in order to ensure access points for all of our learners. This is particularly important in an ICT classroom. We now have the capacity to design and print out differentiated assignments when necessary, for examples graphic organizers to help students plan out their essays in writing.
In 416, we are also teaching our students how to lead their own content-area small groups. They work together to create lessons following a simple lesson plan format and then they create the materials for the participants of their small groups. Access to a printer allows these kids the experience of typing and then printing out assignments and is encouraging them to take an even more active role in their learning and class community.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas
A Colorful Classroom Carpet for Cool, Creative Learning
Funded Sep 11, 2017Thank you for your very generous contribution in support of our classroom community. The classroom rug has become an invaluable item within our 4th grade classroom. Each day we gather in our meeting area and our 24 students have designated spots on the rug during whole-class lessons. Students frequently choose to sit on the rug to complete assignments independently and when working collaboratively with their peers. Before the rug arrived in the classroom, students were sitting directly on the hardwood floor and often times complained that it was uncomfortable. Since the classroom rug has arrived, students are eager to come to the meeting area and participate during all types of learning activities.
When we received word that the "Colorful Classroom Carpet for Cool, Creative Learning" had been fully funded we let the kids know right away. During Meet the Teacher Night, grownups commented that it would be great to get a classroom rug and we were able to tell them that thanks to the generous contributions of friends, family and even strangers, a fantastic carpet was on the way!
The morning when the rug was finally installed in our classroom was full of excitement. The children and adults were wowed by the bold colors and many commented that it was so beautiful they didn't even want to step foot on it. Once students sat on the rug, they kept commenting about how comfortable it is. We have received compliments from everyone, including other students, service providers, teachers within the school community and even the school's administrators.
We are extremely grateful that you decided to support this classroom project. There are 24 students and 4 adults currently benefiting from it each day and the rug will serve many many more students in the years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Minas