Past projects 32
Coding in Action - STEM Learning With Robots
Funded Nov 13, 2024Once again, I am so grateful for the kind and generous donations received for this project.
My students are looking forward to working with these robots to learn how coding and robotics intertwine. We look forward to posting some great photos of these materials in use.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by Young Sheldon and 34 other donors.Getting Rid of Clutter
Funded Nov 22, 2022Imagine sitting at a table with nowhere to store your textbooks, writing implements, supplies, etc. We have no cubbies, storage shelves or lockers, and my class is too small to have students sit with their belongings in their book bags. That's why having seat sacks were so invaluable. My students were ecstatic when I opened up the box and revealed our nice new sacks that fit perfectly over their chairs.
All of a sudden, the tables went from a cluttered mess to an open space where they could easily collaborate on projects - spreading out posters to work on, board games to play, laptops to share. It made all the difference. No one complained that some else's "stuff" was in their space.
Thank you for donating to this project - not only did you help clean up the clutter, but you restored harmony to my class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
I Rest My Case!
Funded Nov 30, 2022The Young Debaters program has been a valuable experience for my students. The program teaches them how to communicate and collaborate effectively, not just for a competition but for any avenue of life. The case studies the students are exposed to are real life scenarios that help them to understand how our legal system works.
Without funding, this program would be non-existent in our school, and that is why I am so grateful for the support of donors like you. Our students will forever carry this experience with them and we look forward to having this program return again and again for future generations. Thank you for all of your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 38 other donors.Staying Ahead of Technology!
Funded Jul 1, 2020Little did we know how much technology would be needed in the past two years. The knowledge I gained through programs like Trinio, Stop Motion, Slack and Morphi, gave me the confidence to lead my remote students through a variety of special projects.
As every teacher experienced, remote learning was an extreme challenge. Keeping students present and actively involved required a lot of imagination. Through the knowledge I acquired, I was able to assign group work where students could collaborate and communicate remotely in Google Classroom. For instance, the students made stop motion videos to highlight topics they were learning. The results were quite astonishing, e.g. animating everyday objects they could find at home - such as eggs, spoons, pencils to connect science-related themes. All students showcased their part as they created storylines, scripts, slide presentations, etc. In iMovie, every student was able to work to his or her strengths to add sound effects, speech and music.
As their go-to technical advisor, I was able to help them navigate through technical hiccups, something I could never dream of doing before. Thank you for your support in funding this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
Arguing for a Cause
Funded Dec 3, 2019I can't thank everyone enough for supporting this wonderful project.
My students are so excited to have been given the opportunity to learn these debating skills. We cannot wait to complete this project, and go onto the the final competition.
This would not be possible without the funding and support of people like you. Thank you once again.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 44 other donors.Respect for All - Debate Club Program
Funded Dec 3, 2018"Should robots replace teachers?"... this was the topic up for debate this year. I am happy to report that the majority vote was "no". However, the research, time, effort, and arguments were outstanding on both sides.
Through this program, students were able to improve their public speaking skills, expand their vocabulary, and increase their knowledge on how to effectively research and argue a topic. One student even went so far as to reach out to an A.I. professor at Columbia University, who was so impressed with the topic, she invited the student to visit her lab for an interview. The culminating event at CUNY Law School was an amazing experience. As one student stated, "Before the program I hated giving speeches in front of crowds. Now, I make eye contact, speak clearly, and use expression." Unanimously, the students loved every moment of the Young Debaters program.
Without your help and funds, we would not have been able to pay for this program. Thank you once again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by Staples and 27 other donors.We Are Young Debaters!
Funded Dec 13, 2017Thank you for funding our Debate Program. The program was very enriching - the students learned how to make great arguments against their opponents without expressing too much emotion, and also learned how to see things from both sides. They learned about how laws work and the importance of freedom of speech.
They especially enjoyed our guest visitor, Richard Celestin who explained the role of lawyers and how the legal system works. His visits prepared our students for the Debate Competition at CUNY Law School. To show how eager the students were, they were willing to forgo recess to prepare for the competition. The experience at CUNY Law was incredible. The students were so prepared, and looked the part - dressed for success. As one of my students claimed, "I felt like a real lawyer".
The students would not have had the benefit of this program without your support. Thank you once again.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
Computer Programming with Raspberry Pi
Funded Dec 30, 2017We are having so much fun learning to program with our Raspberry Pi systems. We thought that we knew all we needed to know about computers, but we had only just scratched the surface.
My students have know learned how to hook up the components of a computer, formatted their own Micro SD Cards, and started to tinker with programming through Python. They can't wait to start making computer-based projects and models with suggestions from our "Raspberry Pi For Kids" handbook. They are also enjoying our robot, who never ceases to entertain.
My students have gained so much insight into using computers, and I know that their curiosity will keep them wanting to learn more about computer science in the future. In fact, four of my students say they want to be programmers when the grow up.
Their passion for computer science could not have been possible without your generous donations. We thank you again for your support of this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by 3M and one other donor.Reading Leads to Writing
Funded Oct 19, 2017It never fails, at the start of a new school year, when I even mention the words "Writing Notebooks" I will often get a handful of students who start to moan and complain, "I don't know what to write about." Ralph Fletcher's books have helped me to get students excited and inspired to write - about their lives and world around them.
This year has been a record for inspiration - we have entered several writing competitions, and have had students' essays and poems published in professional publications. My students have been so excited to try out the strategies outlined in Mr. Fletcher's books. The main reason for this is because he showcases elementary students' writing samples in his handbooks. This helped my students to see that you don't have to be a "grown up" to be a writer.
I thank all the donors who supported this project. Without your funding, my efforts to grow and nurture writers would have been ten times harder.
Thank you once again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 14 other donors.We Will Agree to Disagree Without Insulting Our Opponents
Funded Dec 28, 2016Thank you for supporting this very important project. The Debate Program was a huge success for all. There is not one student in the 5th Grade that regrets taking part in it.
According to my students, the Debate Program taught them many valuable lessons. They especially liked playing "Devil's Advocate." As one student put it, "If I could go back in time, I would go to the time we started debating. The Debate Program taught me how to be assertive. In the end, I will never forget this program."
Even though this program was taught to the entire 5th grade, 30 students were selected to represent our school in a competition held at the CUNY School of Law. These students were dedicated enough to give up their lunch periods in order to prepare for this event and attended the competition on a Saturday. Their hard work paid off, three of our students came back with trophies. However, every student involved said that they loved the experience. The skills they learned through this program will prepare them for life. They learned negotiating skills, how to hold a constructive argument, overcoming the fear of public speaking and having composure in front of a crowd. These are skills that cannot be learned from a textbook, you need hands-on experience - the Debate Program provides that experience.
I thank you once again for funding the Debate Club. Without your support, this program could not exist in our school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Russell