Past projects 27
Fun Activities to Promote Strong Learning Goals
Funded May 19, 2018This project has actually ended up being one of my absolute favorite so far. I love that we run an activity that helps teach children the benefits of teamwork, the maturity that comes from respecting authority, and the good health that comes from physical activity. 40% of our student population has chosen to participate in our football program and these new supplies have been invaluable in supporting the initiative. We now have enough flags and belts for every child that wishes to participate, and the new jerseys are bright and fresh! It has been great seeing the different level of respect our teacher-referees get now that they have an official referee uniform. It is clear to the students to whom they need to show respect. I even caught the PE teacher sneaking a peak at our practice the other day with a smile on his face. Any extra physical activity during school hours is a huge bonus in this day and age. Thank you again so much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
Supplies to Keep Us Learning
Funded Mar 27, 2018Very few things are more stressful for a student during the first week of school than wondering if they have the right supplies for class. It's a silly thing, really, to worry about that but in this day and age with decreased funding at schools it's almost a guessing game as to what the teacher will and won't have for you as you walk through that door. To be able to have enough supplies for my classes, and for them to not have to ever worry about having what they need, is a huge burden that's lifted off their chest. You can't overstate just how important it is that we take these types of pressures off children so they can just come to school and focus on their learning. I once asked my pool cleaning service what I had to do on the days they weren't there. Their answer was, "just swim." I'm glad that I'm able to take that philosophy into my classroom and tell the kids to "just learn" every day. Thank you for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.Let's Make Social Studies More Interesting
Funded Aug 9, 2017I love Social Studies. I think it's a great way to teach students about non-fiction text. Being able to enhance these lessons with the Social Studies boxes has been outstanding. Instead of searching the web for materials that relate to my topics, students are now able to go into centers and work through these boxes at their own pace. The kids have found this to be both fun and effective. I've received many donations throughout the years but have never gotten anything quite like this to help with Social Studies instruction. This is a gift that will keep on giving with all the reproducables and manipulatives found in the box. Thank you so much for making such a difference in the lives of my students.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 2 other donors.Awesome Activities to Promote Achievement!
Funded Aug 7, 2017The impact of this project is already being felt in my classroom, despite it being early in the year. The fluency cards have helped my struggling readers close the gap from where they are to where they should be. They are a fun way to get kids to sit down and practice their reading; no coaxing has been necessary. The Reader's Theater scripts have been great at it's given my high flier students an outlet for their creativity, while still giving them a fun way to practice reading with expression. The rest of the class has enjoyed this as well because the plays the students are putting on have been a nice brain break for the group. Thank you again so much for your continued support of my classroom. These words that I write will never be enough to show you the true impact you've made in these young lives.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 5 other donors.Math Is Hard, But It Doesn't Have To Be
Funded Aug 25, 2017Thank you again so much for your generous donations. These new math center manipulatives have made a huge impact for my students. As we speak I am sitting with a couple of students who are using the Power of 10 sliders to help them understand what happens when you move the decimal point in a number. This is a very hard concept to visualize, so to have a tool for the kids to use has been huge. Once we get to fractions I expect the same kinds of "a-ha" moments that I've been getting with the decimals. As I said in the heading, math is hard but it doesn't have to be. Now that kids can actually see this to be true, they are going to be less hesitant about coming to small groups and working through some of the more challenging problems. The more we can push these kids mathematically the better they are going to be. Thank you again so much for your generous donations.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 3 other donors.Let's Keep the Small Group Fun Rolling
Funded Jul 30, 2017The impact that this project has had on my classroom has been so much more than I imagined when I first set it up over the summer. I assumed that my students would enjoy coming to small group and working with the electronic white boards, but never did I think they'd want to use them all the time to pre-write and do their math work. When my students have choice time in the room, they all flock to these electronic white boards to write about math problems to give each other. That's an incredible feeling, to see these children so excited about their learning. Thank you so much for all that you've done, you will never know just how much of an impact you are making on these kids (and that makes it all the more special that you continue to step up an give).”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
Let's Start the School Year Off Right!
Funded Jul 24, 2017I cannot tell you have excited my class was when they came to school on the first day and they saw that we were already fully supplied. I have done this project every year and it never gets old seeing how happy the kids are to have a desk full of supplies to start the year. This year was extra special because we got sharpened pencils so we didn't even have to waste class time sharpening ours. I know it seems like small things, but it's the little things that add up to big things; and I plan on doing very big things this year year. Thank you so much for continuing to support our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
Fun Components for Small Group Success!
Funded May 25, 2017I have never had a project that made an impact as immediately as this one. The students are loving the option to sit on a yoga ball instead of a chair in class. They are legitimately excited to be at their desks working on their academics. Those balls, as silly as it may seem, have totally motivated this group to be in school and work their best. For example, I assigned a research project on the second day of school. The kids couldn't wait to be at their desk and work on it. The balls played no small part in that. I also have briefly shown them the electronic white boards and they are begging me to start with small group instruction already. I love watching kids smile at school, and I love it more when they are smiling about their academics. You have helped give these kids another reason to want to come to school.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
Great Health Leads to Great Minds!
Funded Apr 15, 2017The impact that this project has had had on my class is exactly as it was intended. We have been able to make sure that we are not passing germs around as every child has their own personal hand sanitizer, there is always a fresh supply of tissues, and we are far from running out of soap. All of these items have tied in nicely with our recent lessons on disease prevention and will correlate even better with a presentation my class will be seeing on personal health and care next week. One added bonus of having all of these health care supplies at the ready has been a decrease on missed class time for kids who need to go to the nurse to replenish our supply of tissues and soap. You wouldn't think it would be a big deal but there are those habitual time-wasters that now have one less scheme in their arsenal. It was also very gratifying for these children to know that there are people out there, people they never have and never will meet, that cared enough about them to donate their money to support this classroom. That has definitely improved my students' sense of self-worth (which may very well be the greatest gift of all).”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by Life Essentials Supporters and 3 other donors.Let's Start this School Year off RIght!
Funded Aug 25, 2016Thank you all so much for your generous donations. You have no idea how impactful these donations are to my classroom. It's only two weeks into the school year and the kids are already "fighting" over who gets to use the Math Whiz electronic flash cards. Kids NEVER want to practice their math facts and now it's a battle royal to everyday to see who gets to practice. That's a teacher's dream right there. I love seeing how motivated my kids are to learn because they know that they are going to have fun in the process. With the board games you've helped purchased we can now practice our social skill in a more fun way than we were previously able. None of that could have been possible without your help. Motivation is such an issue with kids these days and I always feel like I'm competing with Minecraft, Instagram, and Iphones for my students' attention. Anything I can do to grab that attention is a huge win. With two kids of my own, it's very hard to afford the materials necessary to capture that attention from my students. Your generosity makes all the difference in the world. What's best is that you can never actually know how much you've influenced these lives, yet you donate anyway. You are true heroes and my students and I are forever grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Shain
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.