Past projects 3
Nothing Like A Comfy Spot on the Rug To Learn
Funded Sep 9, 2020Thank you so much for your contributions. I am looking forward to having new rugs in my classroom. Once my students and I get back to school, hopefully sooner than later, we will get to enjoy our new rugs, a remodeled room and seeing all of our friends. Your generosity and support mean a lot to me and the students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martinez
Flexible Seating for Success!
Funded Oct 24, 2019My students were very excited when our school staff delivered our new chairs and desks. They were very curious as to how the chairs worked and what it would be like to sit in them. I had the children sit in a circle around one of the chairs and lap desks to let them see our new furniture. I showed them how to care for the chairs and let each of them take a moment to sit in one. We then talked about how they can use the lap desks with or without the chairs to read books, do classwork or to even play a game with a buddy. I then had the kids brainstorm activities they thought they could do with the chairs and desks. They suggested working on the i-pad, putting two chairs close together for buddy reading or sharing each others writing, working on a math worksheet, taking a spelling test, playing cards and taking them into the coat closet or the hallway for quiet reading.
Soon after, we put the chairs and desks to good use. I had the class break into small groups to read, write and work on i-pads. Each small group (5 students) got a chance during Read-to-Self time to use the chairs and desks. They were great about cooperating and looked forward to their chance to sit somewhere new to enjoy books from their book bags. The chairs did exactly what I had hoped, which is to make learning more fun and to give them a new space to learn in.
The Thanksgiving holiday is over and we are looking forward to starting a new unit on writing How-To Books and reading more non-fiction books. The children will also be decorating their new Reader's Notebooks, where they will write about the books they read, for the next semester. I will also be working on finding a new way to store our new chairs and desks for easy access and saving space. The new furniture is great and my class and I cannot thank you enough for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martinez
Vibrant Classroom Library for First Grade Book Shoppers!
Funded Aug 27, 2018Thank you so much for donating to my class project! Our classroom now has new leveled fiction and non-fiction books, along with a beautiful new bookshelf to hold them. My students were very excited when the new bookcase arrived and even helped me get it into the classroom. I opened the packages of books and shared many of the titles with them. They were excited to see them and quickly pointed out which books they would like to check out and read. For those students not yet at the levels of the books, it gives them something to work towards as they became better readers.
Receiving these books at the beginning of the year is really helpful. My students now have more books to choose from when they go book shopping for their personal book bags. They had such enthusiasm looking at the different titles. Some students were very proud that they were able to read some of the books on their own. As I shared the titles one student yelled out, "Oh, I can't wait to read that book about snakes!" Seeing their reactions was exciting and made me realize how important it is to have a lot of books to choose from.
Having the appropriate books for my students will help all year long, and in the coming years. Classroom libraries need upgrading regularly to keep up with new authors, new topics and quality books. School furniture gets a lot of use, so the new bookshelf is a great addition.
My goal is to have my students love books, and love reading, which will hopefully last them a lifetime. When my students have books at their reading level, they read more books, and enjoy them. They are becoming independent readers who are using their time wisely, and are learning how to look for books at their level which interest them. My students are having a positive experience with books, and having a welcoming library where they can choose books and have a quiet spot to read makes it even better!
Thank you once again for your generosity in helping my first graders be successful!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Martinez
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 12 other donors.