Past projects 15
White Board / Gray Chairs!
Funded Aug 16, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you so much for giving to my classroom and my students. These chairs have really made a difference in the room, both with their comfort level, cleanliness, and quietness. The students have been treating them well and have enjoyed sitting in them every day. My former students come and visit and wish they had these chairs last year!
The chairs are roomier and more comfortable than the old chairs. The sophomores, who are on the brink of adulthood, need that extra room! They are clean and graffiti and gum free. The students take pride in how the classroom looks and push them in after every class. Finally, they are practically noiseless which is a marvelous thing when there are 30+ students and desks and chairs. Students can move them around and not be too disruptive.
I am also excited to install the new whiteboard. It has arrived but is awaiting installation with the building crew. I hope to get it up before the year ends.
Thank you so much again! Your donation has transformed the classroom for the better.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. MacIsaac
Carpe Diem - Empowering Students through Art In Latin Class
Funded Jan 5, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you so much for donating to my students and classroom. The camera and accessories were a boon to my classroom. Students were able to get to know how to use the camera while in school, then go out and take pictures in the community, and finally use those pictures in photoshop to create inspirational posters with quotes from the Latin poems they were reading.
Students first got to know the camera in the classroom. They read the instructions and watched youtube videos on how to use it. This made them more comfortable using the controls. Secondly, students borrowed the camera for at least one night and took photos to match their Latin quotes. When they returned to the classroom, they showed their photos to their peers and decided which would be the best one to use for their purpose and quote. Lastly, they saved the photo they chose and worked with it on photoshop. They completed a workshop with the computer teacher and her students. This allowed them to manipulate their photo and add the Latin quote. These will be printed, framed, and hung in the classroom soon!
This project would not have been possible without your generosity! Thank you so much for donating! May your goodwill be returned to you triple!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. MacIsaac
Collaboration & Colored Markers!
Funded Sep 17, 2014Thank you so much for your generosity in funding my project! The students were very excited to receive these materials, the Sharpie markers, the poster boards, & the tape to reuse the boards. They say that they are able to work on their Latin more confidently and creatively with these materials. They love the choice of colors they have to work with. They also appreciate being able to work together on these poster boards.
We use these materials frequently in class. The students will often review a passage using the poster boards. They write out the Latin sentences and they mark them up using the Sharpies. This way they can clearly understand the mechanics of the Latin. Sometimes they even sketch the scene to show that they have understood it fully. Students also use the poster boards to show their analysis of a certain topic. When they were learning about early Christianity and the Roman response to it, students broke up the topic into parts and showed their research and analysis of that research on the poster boards. Each group was able to present their findings on a poster board and everyone was able to learn from each other.
I hope to continue to use these resources in my classroom and come up with new uses for them, too! Next term one project will be to create a "photo booth" background for poems we read in class. I think these poster boards and markers will be of great use for students to show how they have understood the text and be creative with it! Thank you again for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. MacIsaac
Stand up - for learning!
Funded Jul 31, 2014Thank you so much for donating to my classroom project of stand up desks! The desks have become an integral part of our classroom. The students do their work there, present from there, and gather there. They also take pride in the desks and make sure they are being treated with care.
When we first received the desks, students were skeptical. I heard comments such as "I can't stand up for a whole period," and "who is going to want to stand there?" We also had to solve the issue of putting them together. We came to the conclusion that we, myself and the students, would have to put them together ourselves. This sparked something in a few students. There were some that were genuinely excited about using the stand up desks; there were others who just wanted to use their hands and tools and put them together. We started putting them together after school at convenient times. Students would drop by and say, "Is today a good day to put together a desk?" Sometimes it was and we did. Other times I had to send them away with a sad look on their face!
Once we put all six together, it was an amazing sight! They were six pristine stand up desks in a sea of sit down ones! Students were arguing who would get to stand where! They would hurry to class to be able to use a desk! Not only did they like using the desks, they would even take care of them. If the kick stand fell down, they make sure to fix it right away. If there is a loose screw, a few students know where to get the tools and quickly and quietly fix it. There are no complaints about standing for a whole period. In fact, I hear wishes for these desks in other classrooms!
The desks are a place where students can do their everyday assignments. It offers a large area, much larger than the sit-down desks, for them to spread out their work. We generally use a textbook, papers, and perhaps a dictionary or a chromebook. They can comfortably fit everything on the desk. Other times students gather around the desks to work on a large product. We have poster boards in class which students use to present their work. They can then stand the boards up on the desks for a gallery walk.
I have also found that students are indeed more focused while they are standing. Many times I will see them using the foot swing. It's a quiet way for them to stand comfortable and move a bit without disturbing the rest of the class.
Thank you again for your generosity! These desks have made a great difference in the learning that happens in our Latin class. Other teachers have seen the benefits of these desks and are now expressing interest in getting similar desks for their classroom. The students and I thank you greatly - Vobis maximas gratias agimus!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. MacIsaac
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 7 other donors.Chromebooks For 10th Graders
Funded Feb 18, 2013Thank you so much for supporting our classrooms. The students are thrilled to have them as another resource for their learning. With your help we have been able to accomplish so much!
Students have been using the Chromebooks in 3 of their classes so far. In English class students were able to write memoirs, peer edit, and share them with each other during class time. After they read Elie Wiesel's Night, student groups created comprehensive Prezis, a web-based presentation and storytelling tool, on his experiences. During History class students conducted independent research on questions that they created about post-Civil War American history. They were able to access online databases in order to find and analyze evidence. They also were able to type their research paper drafts in class. In Latin class students retold Ovid's story of Daedalus and Icarus focusing on an overall theme using Prezi. They were able to find and link music to their Prezis as part of their theme.
Having the Chromebooks has added another level to our teaching. Now that we have the tools we will continue to find ways to facilitate critical thinking skills. In June students will be working on an inter-disciplinary product on the city of Boston. Students will be using the Chromebooks to research neighborhoods in English and History classes, analyze energy usage in Physics class, create scale drawings of bridges in Geometry class, and create a new city seal incorporating a Latin motto in Latin class.
Thank you for believing in our students and our quest to support them as 21st century learners!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. MacIsaac