Mrs. Granger's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 18

• Hey! That Character Looks Like Me!

  Funded May 13, 2021

  My classroom is full of students from different cultures, backgrounds, heritages and places. In an age where the public feels like it is okay to tell these students that they don't deserve to have a main character in a fictional movie that looks like them, it is even more critical that they see characters in books that look, think and act the way they do.

  These books didn't just impact my class that first year. Students in every year since have enjoyed these books, noticed the characters and shared how much they appreciated seeing themselves in our classroom library.

  Thank you for considering donating to our class. Thank you for seeing the importance of projects like this one. Your donation is making an impact.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 8 other donors.

• Having a Ball at Recess!

  Funded Jun 25, 2019

  This generation of students spends more and more time on devices and sedentary activities than any of the previous ones did. It is so important for them to get opportunities to run off some of their pent-up energy and work on gross motor skills and real life problem solving. The materials that we received as a result of your generous donations made it possible for our students to have cooperative, structured activities provided for them at recess. They were so excited to be able to replace our flat, lifeless leftovers from the past few years with new equipment. We received enough that we were even able to hold some back to replenish as some things start to wear out midyear (which, as much as they are being used, I know they will). When I told my students that people donated money for our team to be able to have good quality recess equipment, they were blown away by your generosity. Thank you for showing my students that there is still good in the world. We genuinely appreciate your kindness.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

• Who Is Excited About Nonfiction?

  Funded Sep 22, 2018

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to our project! I waited to reveal the books until right before our Winter Break to help break the tension of our Science Fair unit. Their eyes lit up and they were all a twitter about the different people, what they already knew about them and who they were interested in learning more about! We had a "book tasting" complete with snacks so students could decide which book they want to read first on their own, and which one they want to read together as a whole class. Barack and Michelle Obama were tied with J.K. Rowling so they want to read all three together before the end of the year!

  I chose these books intentionally because I serve a diverse population. I wanted representations of different genders, races and cultures because that is what my classroom looks like. I am hoping that these books help my students see what they can aspire to be because they all have greatness inside of them, just like the figures we will be reading about.

  In our classroom, we start together with a shared reading connected to the new concept for the day. Students then branch out into independent and small group stations. These books will serve as a tool in all three of these arenas. We will enjoy the stories together as a whole class, then students will analyze the text in small groups and can always choose to read them independently as well. Thank you again for helping us receive these wonderful resources!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pike Township Educational Foundation and 4 other donors.

• Sparking Kindness With "Wonder"

  Funded Oct 2, 2017

  Thank you so much for your generosity! When these books arrived, my students couldn't wait to dig into them! This book was perfect for teaching text structure, perspective, point of view, character development and more! But, more importantly, it was the perfect vehicle for starting discussions about kindness and compassion for others. This upcoming generation has grown up in the Internet era, which can sometimes give students the illusion that it is possible to say things through the mask of the internet without having to take accountability for them. This book brought up some serious social issues, like bullying, that led to some very critical conversations. I can attest to the fact that I saw some true care for others rise out of the reading of this book. Thank you for bringing this opportunity to my students!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pike Township Educational Foundation and 3 other donors.

• That Character Looks Just Like Me! Building a Diverse Library

  Funded Nov 5, 2016

  Thank you so much for your generous donation that made this project come to life! My students were SO excited to receive these books, and the excitement has been contagious. Many of the other third grade teachers in my building have asked to borrow these books to share with their classes as well. Nothing does more for encouraging a love for reading than having great, pertinent literature at the fingertips of students. My only regret is not having ordered multiple copies of them, because every time I share one with the class, there is a line of people waiting to borrow it for independent reading. I know that many of my students have been inspired by the characters in these stories, and the fact that many of them are real people is even better! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pike Township Educational Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Princesses Aren't Just Blondes: Folk Tales From Around the World

  Funded Nov 7, 2016

  Folk tales are a big focus for us in reading in third grade. I love how much our students get into the stories, but I've always hated how so much of the curriculum can revolve mostly around European folk tales. This project has allowed my students to get just as excited about folk tales, but also had some unforeseen benefits as well. As we were reading these stories, they started asking great questions about the countries in which the stories were set. They wanted to know where they were located on maps. They wanted to see if there were people in our school who knew more about these countries. These things never happened when our curriculum focused on European tales. So, thank you for bringing the world into my classroom through literature and allowing my students to see how stories fit into culture everywhere.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pike Township Educational Foundation and 4 other donors.

• Life, Liberty and Happiness: Democratic Principles Through Literature

  Funded Sep 3, 2016

  This was an historic election year, and having these books to explain the history behind the election process made it so much more clear for my students! In this day of constant information through social media, it is sometimes difficult for students to filter what is real and important from a flood of untrustworthy sources. Having these grade level appropriate books with accurate historical information made it so much easier to teach my students the importance of voting, elections and government. They now know the names of many of the people who made voting rights possible for so many people. The only complaint they had was that they believe the voting age should be 8, not 18! Thank you again for donating to our room. This gift will impact classes for many more years to come!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

  This classroom project was brought to life by Pike Township Educational Foundation and one other donor.

• Voting Is a Right and Responsibility: Government Through Literature

  Funded Jul 12, 2016

  In our classroom, students have free choice to select books about topics that are interesting them and that they can read independently. With all of the news coverage of the upcoming election, students have lots of opinions of what is going on in our world but few of them know the history behind how we all got the right to vote. They love the books that we received from this project and are now even more passionate about encouraging their parents to use their right to vote. As the election approaches, we are going to do a mock election in our classroom as well as school-wide. Knowing how people like Lillian Allen, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many others fought for us to all have this very important right will help these students have a passion for government from now on. Thank you so, so much for bringing democracy to life through literature!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

• These Lights Make My Brain Fuzzy!

  Funded Mar 9, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  We received our light filters right before spring break last year and my class was dumbfounded when they walked in the door the following week. The school counselor walked in while they were finishing their morning business and said, "What happened to your class? They are so quiet and calm!" This year, I'm known as the "green room" and my students have noticed a difference as well. One student said the filters help him read better. Another student said it makes her feel like she is at home or in the rainforest and the room down the hall with blue filters feel like they are swimming in the ocean, outer space or the sky. Many students agreed that it helps them feel more calm. When I asked what made the feel of our classroom different than areas without the filters, they said the regular lights made their eyes hurt, gave them a headache and makes it more difficult to read and see because they are so bright. With so many students struggling with attention and coming from homes with lots of stimuli, this is so important! Thank you so much for this gift!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger

• Putting Prehistory in the Hands of Students

  Funded Sep 10, 2015

  Our geology unit has come to an end for the year. This was the most fun I have ever seen my students have while studying this branch of science. Our school is in an urban area, and most of my students have only ever seen rocks from gravel, concrete and asphalt. So, my favorite questions during this unit was, "Are those real rocks?" and, "Are those real fossils?" They were fascinated by how many different types of rocks there are, how different they are, and the fact that they could actually touch a fossil of something that lived so long ago.

  One of their favorite activities was a sink/float lab they did. They had several rock samples and had to predict whether the rocks would sink or float. Of course, they all predicted they would all sink. I loved waiting for the group to get to the pumice and hearing the whoops and hollers of disbelief when the biggest of all the rock samples floated! They also loved the rock testing kit. They were very surprised that some of the rock samples were magnetic, and testing for streak surprised them too.

  I truly feel that my students were able to better appreciate geology and all it has to offer thanks to the materials we were able to purchase with your donation. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Granger