Past projects 8
Seating for Reading
Funded Jan 26, 2023My students enjoy the result of this project every single day. They love having a special area to read, to take a break, or sit in a circle and talk the last five minutes of class. The level of comfort and happiness this has brought to my room is astounding. Students look forward to SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) because they know they get to sit in their favorite places. Also, because I now have more options I am able to have two separate seating areas. This gives students the ability to choose the best place for them and the option to relocate if they are unhappy with anything going on around them. This has truly been an inspiring and useful project that has made an enormous impact on our classroom environment!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
Language Live Tools for Success!
Funded May 3, 2021I want you all to know that we use the items from this project every single day. Every activity we do in class utilizes the items from this project! It's an amazing thing to know that my kids are prepared for everything we do! We use the highlighters on a daily basis for labeling parts of a paragraph, note taking, and highlighting directions. We use the pens and pencils daily for everything from close reads, graphic organizers, to exit tickets and quizzes. The impact of this project has been HUGE. The headphones allowed me to benchmark my kids immediately! I am beyond grateful for this project. A year that started out as chaos has been a lot more manageable thanks to you. It is hard to put the enormity of this impact in words. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
This classroom project was brought to life by Ford Drive 4 UR School and 6 other donors.Sensational Sensory
Funded Jan 24, 2020Thank you so much for supporting this project! I am SO excited to share this with my students and see them experience these tools to help them find ways to experience success with these tools, and find ways to understand the power of sensory. They will appreciate every thing and we will find SO many uses for these awesome materials! I am SO thankful for everyone who has helped me with this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Arts Supporter and 4 other donors.The DNA Project: A Creative Exploration.
Funded Sep 11, 2018It is almost impossible for me to describe the impact of this project. Without your gracious donations we would not have enough supplies to do any projects that we have been able to complete. Our shelves were completely bare with minimal paint, pastels, and chalk but now we are able to create using multiple resources. Though it was extremely disappointing that the project wasn't able to be carried out as I intended, it was an absolute miracle that we now have supplies and we can create cultural art, and meaningful art. Thank you so much for supporting us, and helping us get our feet off the ground. We needed this more than you will ever know, and we appreciate it more than you know.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 14 other donors.Kindling a Love for Reading and Writing!
Funded Mar 27, 2018Thank you so much for your gracious donation. We have loved using out kindle fires and Alexa in our classroom. We have been using Alexa to help us keep time in our class, and she has been great to use for a resource when we don't know the answer to a question. She also plays great music!
The kindle fires have been such a wonderful addition to our classroom. We love to use them a resource when we don't know the answer to something, or as a way to see a visual of something we don't understand. They are also a great art tool. We use them to do art hubs. We love to strengthen our drawing skills and listening skills by using a kindle!
Thanks to this project, my students always have something to look forward to and they always have answers to questions. They love to use our technology and we are so grateful that this project was funded!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Racing Toward Engagement With Ron Clark Academy!
Funded Oct 21, 2017I can't even begin to explain how profound this experience was for me as a teacher and an individual. I learned the answers to all the "tough questions", and not only do I have an understanding of why things are the way they are in education, but I also now have the tools to make changes and improvements in my own classroom. I came with the expectations of bringing back the tools to become a better teacher, but I feel as though I was given the tools to be ultimately a better person, as well. I can't tell you one specific highlight of this event, because every single thing we did was absolutely profound. The atmosphere, the students, the teachers, and the overall excitement of being a part of something so revolutionary was so invigorating and refreshing. As I sat through workshops, and listened I took countless notes of not only practices to take back to my classroom, but strong quotes and words to add to the enormity of the experience. I have totally changed my disciplinary procedures, my way of thinking, and my attitude toward everything in this profession. I have raised my expectations for my students, and myself. I am working on incorporating more and more each week. I am working daily to grow and change, and I can only hope that one day I am lucky enough to have this experience again so that I can exude more, and give more to my students and co-workers.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 7 other donors.The Flexibility Project: Phase II
Funded Nov 16, 2016It's been a struggle to be able to put the impact of this project into words. This room has transformed so much from the beginning of the year, to where we are now. The floor seating options give those who prefer the front row an option of comfort. It gives those who prefer to test on the floor, a way to do that comfortably. It gives us more places to interact in our groups, and it gives the rows that are tired of standing, a way to kneel. It gives us more flexibility- which is why I can't thank the donors enough! It's been truly amazing to watch the children use the flexible seating options. The students were so excited to receive these items, especially since they technically arrived before the wobble chairs! This was the first project we unwrapped and we had so much fun doing so! We still have bumps and hiccups along the way, but we are learning and working and problem solving together, which is what I always hoped would happen with this project! The next phase is still to be decided, but I know that that flexible seating will be carried on in my classes, and I hope that my students always remember the year they were part of "The Flexibility Project."”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk
The Flexibilty Project
Funded Nov 2, 2016Thanks to your amazing contributions our class is "wobbling" our way to to the top! The class is motivated, excited, and determined to keep improving and moving! We have learned how much a wobble chair can improve our focus, and we have learned how much flexible seating can help us grow, academically and as a group! When my students saw the packages arrive, there was no way to contain their excitement. They carried the boxes through the halls with smiles and cheers! They were so excited to put the chairs together! We use our wobble chairs as regular seating for the rows and students that prefer to use them. They are able to move and focus- which has helped improve our test scores and ability to focus on classwork! Students even ask to take the chairs to other places, like the computers, for group work, or the horseshoe table. They have truly enjoyed having this opportunity, and I can't thank you enough for helping me provide them with such a wonderful learning option for this wonderful group of students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Polk