Mrs. Williams' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 114

• 3-D STEAM Engineers - Empowering Students

  Funded May 20, 2016

  Thank you so much for your help in funding this project! When the ZOOB kits arrived in our classroom, my students could not wait to begin working together to design their creations. Their eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning all over again.

  At first, my students wanted to create the photographs that were on the front of the boxes. They worked together and communicated to recreate the structures that caught their eye. Some of my girls drove right in and grabbed a STEM challenge card! They were building steps out of the ZOOBs to get the ball from one place to another. I had students snapping together robots and zooming them across the room. They would then quickly draw up another design and get started engineering! There were also students designing their own cars with the ZOOB Car Kit. They were figuring out how to connect their cars to form a caravan around the room.

  The joy that you have brought to my students can clearly be seen on their faces in the pictures. They were thrilled to be able to take a break from the stresses of testing and just be kids again. Many of my students realized they had unknown skills! You have made a huge impact on their lives.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by an anonymous donor and 8 other donors.

• Robots Are Taking Over Our Classroom! Ahhh!

  Funded Apr 22, 2016

  I cannot begin to describe my students' faces when they walked through the door and saw the boxes of robots on my table. It felt like an eternity (in all actuality it was two days) by the time they reached our school between the students excitement and me counting the number of times I was asked when they would arrive!

  We finally began playing with our Dot robots this week after borrowing a few teacher's iPad minis. My students absolutely LOVED them! They were challenged, engaged and some of the teachers even got in on the action! Although all the students were extremely excited, I had a few students who showed genuine interest in the robots. They picked up on controlling Dot right away and never had any interaction with a Dot robot before.

  I want to genuinely say thank you for making this possible. To see the joy and interest these robots have sparked in my classroom brought warmth to my heart.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by Infosys Foundation USA and 5 other donors.

• Do You Hear What I Hear?

  Funded Mar 20, 2016

  Thank you so much for donating to our listening center! We are now able to have multiple listening centers in our classroom. All of my readers are at different levels and the personal CD players give my lower readers and ESL learners the freedom to listen to different books during centers. This has helped my students, who are below grade level, grow in their fluency and reading comprehension. Having these CD players has also helped my students who are above grade level. Right now they are getting ready for next year and beginning to read novels to compete in the Battle of the Books competition that is held in our county.

  My kids were also excited to receive their whiteboard erasers and anchor chart box. My kids no longer have dirty hands and all of their classroom charts they have made are neatly and safely stored until we break them out for a review! My students and I thank you. You have made a big difference in our classroom and all of your generosity is greatly appreciated.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 13 other donors.

• Math Manipulatives in Action! - Title 1

  Funded Mar 9, 2016

  Thank you so much for your donation towards our math manipulatives. I am so glad you value education, student encouragement and interaction as much as I do. When the package arrived the kids could not wait to get their hands on the new materials. They especially loved the fraction magnets and large magnetic graph chart.

  The children and I were so excited to receive them a few days before we went out on spring break! Before we left, a few students got a chance to play with and learn with the materials. They were so eager to move and manipulate the fraction bars and circles. We have yet to begin fractions, but I challenged a few students to create one whole with different fraction sizes. I also had a few students review the perimeter and area strategies, by using the magnetic graph chart. You have helped create a "fraction hype" in my classroom. All the materials you have helped provide are going to make a large difference in my teaching, and the students ability to understand fraction concepts.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Journey into Literacy! - Title 1

  Funded Mar 5, 2016

  Thank you so much for donating to our literacy project! It is important to me that my 3rd grade students who struggle with reading have quality texts to read at the listening center. It is necessary they are exposed to higher level texts where they can make inferences, use context clues, and look for multiple themes.

  Every morning, we have literacy whole group; where we sit together, read a portion of a text for that day and discuss it as a class. We work on specific skills weeks at a time, for example, main idea/theme, author's purpose and asking and answering questions. After we work on our skill with our whole group text, we have centers. During centers, students work individually on their activities that are based on their reading level. During this time, students are now listening to a grade appropriate text and are able to complete activities based on the skills we are working on.

  You have helped my students be able to listen and read along with a text without the added stress of fluency, and accuracy. They are able to focus on comprehending what is being read to them, so they are able to work on grade appropriate skills with a great text.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Wiggle and Wobble to Learn--Title 1

  Funded Mar 9, 2016

  I cannot thank you enough for helping fund our Wiggle and Wobble to Learn project! My students absolutely love the Wobble Chairs. To make sure everyone gets a turn, they are set up at our Reading Counts station in our classroom. Setting the chairs up at that station has really encouraged the students to read and take Reading Counts tests! Being able to watch the students on the wobble chairs at the RC station, has allowed me to see which students would really benefit from having a wobble chair. I realized I would love for all of my students to have a wobble chair! My students have been using the beanbags at the listening center. Students can relax, listen to, and read along with a story. My students cannot wait until it is their turn to go to the listening center. They have also been using the beanbags to sit and see the board if they are unable to see it from their seat. My students are loving the optional seating arrangements!

  When I got the call over my Walkie-Talkie, that I had boxes addressed to me at the front office, the students could hardly contain themselves! I opened and quickly assembled the chairs, which took no time at all! I set them at our RC station and suddenly all the students wanted to take an RC test! I wonder why! The beanbags add a comfy, cozy feel to our listening center and make it more inviting. Our next step in our classroom is to decide which students would benefit from the wobble chairs right now, and gradually get more wobble chairs for my students through more projects.

  Know that you have made a difference in my students education. You have offered a solution for all students who would benefit from more movement during the day. My students and I are forever grateful for your generosity!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Full STEM Ahead! Part 2--Title 1

  Funded Mar 5, 2016

  When I created this project, I knew these resources would be beneficial in building upon my students creativity. When students imagine playing, they mostly think of computers and iPads. I wanted to bring manipulatives for engineering back into the classroom; classics like Lincoln Logs and FiddleStix, as well as some newer manipulatives, like Magformers and Zoobs.

  When I opened the packages, my students saw the Lincoln Logs some knew exactly what they were! Letting them explore all of these materials has been amazing to watch. Some students like to build and create their own innovations. Some students show patience while following the blueprints and are able to construct some awesome creations! We have used these manipulatives with math and science content. Students have built a figure with Zoobs and have recorded the weight of their construction in grams. We have used the Magformers to introduce fractions to the 3rd grade by building an object and writing the fractions of colors and shapes used. Another activity the students really enjoy is the Marble Run Coaster. We have used the Marble Run to demonstrate force and motion. When a marble gets stuck or flies off the track, it was great to listen to the students explain why it happened!

  We will continue using these materials to explore and build upon different content areas in the curriculum. My students are so happy when planning and engineering with these materials. They love showing off their creations!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Stay Sharp my Friends! - Title 1 School

  Funded Mar 7, 2016

  Thank you so much for your donation to our pencil sharpeners and WallPop stickers! The students were so excited to get the package on Thursday.

  The pencil sharpeners work so well! Long ago, as a student, I can remember how having a sharp pencil in the morning made you feel like you were ready for the day! The students are surprised how sharp their pencils are and make sure all their pencils are sharpened in the morning. My students have taken very good care of the pencil sharpeners, and are making sure everyone is using them properly. They value the sharpeners and are glad they no longer have to use the manual ones!

  The Wallpop stickers are a big success and hit! The students cannot wait to be able to write their thoughts on the stickers and are excited to share their thinking! Students write down their questions, and are motivated to write using complete sentences! Know that you have made a difference in my students' education and motivation to learn!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Everyone Get Up And Move! - Title I

  Funded Feb 23, 2016

  Thank you so much for your generosity and choosing to donate to our classroom project. As the box arrived to our room, my students could not wait to open them and they knew exactly what was inside those boxes. You have filled such a large need for my students. To see how my kids interact with one another, and learn from each other in a setting out of the classroom warms my heart. The students have been more active than ever at recess - kick ball and basketball games, football launching competitions, a show-off of jump-roping, and ring toss challenges! It has also been wonderful to see the students take responsibility for their newly acquired equipment. They make sure all children are using their equipment appropriately and quickly collect it to put everything back in the mesh bag when recess has finished. It is great to see them take ownership and responsibility for these belongings. Please know that you have made a huge impact in my students' lives and to see the joy on their faces is an amazing reward for me.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by ESPN and 6 other donors.

• Listening Center Materials - Title 1 School

  Funded Feb 15, 2016

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. My students recently received their listening center junction boxes and audio book sets. They were thrilled to see the Magic School Bus audio book sets and happy to learn the junction boxes would allow us to have more than one listening station. By providing these text, not only are some students able to read these texts independently, but others who are reading below grade level can listen to the audio while they are following along with the text. They are able to focus on understanding and comprehending the text without having to worry about decoding unknown words. They are learning about topics appropriate for third graders and the students enjoy listening to the books being read aloud to them by a fluent reader. You have made a difference in their ability to learn. Thank you for choosing my classroom and project. My students and I are extremely grateful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by Orkin and 6 other donors.