Past projects 10
Turn Up the Volume With New Headphones
Funded May 5, 2021You would never guess how a simple pair of headphones is such a game changer in the classroom. Our new headphones allow students to block out noises and really focus on the task at hand. And, while some students prefer to bring their own headphones or earbuds, it gives me such a peace of mind that all of my students can have their own pair. This evens out the playing field and just makes our class run so much smoother!
Generally, each computer program we use, is geared specifically to each student. So, even if students are using the same program they may not be working on the same task. And, often times, students aren't even using the same program because a lot of our work is modified to fit their ability. You can't imagine (or maybe you can) how distracting it is to many students when they can hear someone else's computer in the background. The headphones are well-made so only the wearer can hear what's happening on their computer.
Thank you so much for providing my students with a high-quality pair of headphones that will last many years to come. I am always amazed and overwhelmed with the generosity so many of you have shown to my students over the years. And, after all that has happened over the past couple of years, it's heartwarming to know how many individuals in our community are truly looking out for our students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 4 other donors.Hear Ye Hear Ye: We Need More Number Sense
Funded Jul 8, 2019Formative Loop has been an instant success in our classroom! While there is a technology aspect to Formative Loop, students practice their individual topic using paper and pencil. We set a time for 5 minutes, which they love, and they practice their skill for the day. One of the reasons I love Formative Loop is that students practice everyday until they master and then they move on. This means that every student in my class can progress at his/her own pace. And, because this program uses paper and pencil, I can also adjust the time for any students who need that accommodation.
My competitive students love that it's timed and they push themselves to master their skills quickly. This program is great for them! My deep thinkers love that I can adjust the time and they can go at their own pace. This program is great for them as well because they can master their skills at their own pace. I love this program because the grading aspect is easy and the web based portion of Formative Loop easily prints out my students individual skills for the next day.
Most importantly, my students have a daily opportunity to practice their number sense and they are already knocking it out of the park! The areas they are working on everyday are making them more successful math students and they are proud of what they are accomplishing! Thank you so much for being a part of their success!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 13 other donors.Dramatic Play Is Hard Work
Funded Jan 27, 2018My students have been hooked on their new learning toys from the moment the boxes arrived! They are using their new items during center time and begging to get them out anytime we have inside recess. I love that most of these toys go along with the vocabulary we learn about during the day. For example, we've learned about going to the doctor's office and the names of the equipment you see at the doctor's office. When students are playing with the doctor set you can hear them saying, "The doctor is going to give you some medicine now." It's awesome to see them transfer their vocabulary.
I can also see their cooperative learning skills grow. They are learning to take turns and solve their own problems. For example, the other day several students wanted to play with the pizza kit. Instead of running to me to solve the problem one person said, "Why doesn't everyone sit down at a table and we can act like we are in a restaurant!" Then another piped in with, "Oh, and then we can take turns being the waiter!"
My students LOVE their new learning toys and are very appreciative. They were super excited when the boxes arrived and couldn't contain their excitement when they actually opened them up. In fact, we had to do it at the end of the day so I had time to take everything out of the boxes that night! Thank you for giving my students more opportunities to learn, play, and share!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 6 other donors.We Are Engineers!
Funded Nov 27, 2017My students are having a blast with their new STEM activities! They are located in the building and STEM section of our center time. They are typically the most sought after center for the afternoon. When our materials first arrived I knew I couldn't open them until we had time to get everything out and play with them, so it took me two days to open the boxes. By the time I opened the boxes the new building materials were met with cheers and shouts of, "I want to do that one first!" The look of pure joy was amazing!
My students are doing a great job at forming an idea in their mind and trying to make it come alive with their building materials. I can see them planning and then changing their plans if it's not what they want. It's also teaching them how to share as sometimes there isn't enough of one type of building material. The make a roller coaster activity is especially challenging, but my students are learning how to adjust their designs to make it work.
Now that my students have had time to really explore their new materials I would like to start implementing them into our math and writing times. We are also going to do an activity where they have to draw out something they want to create, pick the correct building material, build it and then write about what they did. I'm looking forward to it!
Thank you again for your generous donation! My students are already benefiting from these new building materials and I'm sure my future students will also benefit!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors.Can You Hear It Now?
Funded Sep 19, 2017We live in a world where technology is ever present and changing daily. It's important that educators keep up with the latest technological advances. In our kindergarten classroom, we do our best to balance non-technology lessons with technology lessons. Using technology engages students and allows them to gain experience using different devices in a safe environment.
This year we received quite a few Ipads for our classrooms. This is exciting because they are much easier to use for little fingers. The only bad part is that it's hard to hear when there are 10 others Ipads going. The headphones I had previously were either too tight or too big. Our new headphones are super comfortable and allow my students to really focus on the task at hand without being distracted by their neighbor who me doing something different.
All of my students were very excited to open their headphones. In fact, they were so excited they wanted to take them home! However, I managed to convince them that they needed to stay at school so they could help them learn. Thank you again for your generous donations for this project and my previous projects! I couldn't do this without my awesome supporters!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
New School, New Books
Funded Nov 28, 2016I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for donating to my latest project. My students are going crazy for their new books! The excitement for a new book in our room is fascinating. One of my favorite things about our new books is that they are on my student's level. During first grade, students go from reading simple books or reading using the pictures to actually reading the text. These books are perfect because they can read them independently and understand what they are reading.
Reading is a family affair in our building. We have the ability to group our kids based on the skills they need to work on. When my students return to the class, as well as throughout the day, they are given many chances to read books that they choose. Most of my kids go to our new releases bucket which now contain all of the books you helped purchased!
One of the ways early learners become better readers is to repeatedly read the same words. Several of my lower level students have picked out a couple of our new books that they will read over and over again! This is exciting to me because they are building their self confidence and they're committing those words to memory.
Once again, thank you so much for helping us take another step to becoming independent readers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
Comfort Is Key: Flexible Seating for All!
Funded Oct 3, 2016First of all, thank you again for supporting my classroom. My students are absolutely thrilled with their new seating options! They love to lay down on the yoga mats or relax in the camping chairs to read their newest book. The seat cushions help some of my students feel more comfortable in their desk chairs. One of our favorites is the trampoline!
Our school has been very interesting this as we were displaced the first semester for renovations on our building. Since we've been back in our building my students have been begging me to break out our flexible seating options! I love that a different seat increases their concentration and makes regular tasks seem more fun. Students engagement is the key to a successful learning environment.
My students and I can not thank you enough for you donation! To say that my students love their new flexible seating is an understatement. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.Play Beyond the Screen
Funded Mar 21, 2016As a first grade teacher, it's been difficult for me to find meaningful technology tools for my students. One of the hardest parts is finding meaningful technology pieces that they can use independently. Our Osmo's have made my job easier and my students are obsessed with them! The best part is that I know they're getting the most out of their time on the Osmo. Without a doubt I know that they are working on their reading and math skills when they use the Osmo. I don't think I can properly describe what a relief this is to me!
My students are always begging me to play the Osmo! They love the word game and I love that I can make my own lists so they're working on the same thing we're working on in class. The numbers game has really challenged them in thinking about numbers in a new way. It's also been a great motivational tool during my small groups. We don't have a lot of time during my small groups, so I challenge them to get their work done quickly, so we can play the Osmo.
Thank you so much for this new piece of technology. My current students love it and it's something that I can continue to use for years! I can't wait to find out what other games Osmo comes out with next. My students and I are very appreciative and can't thank you enough for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
Learning One Game at a Time
Funded Feb 1, 2016My students LOVE our new games! They have completely rejuvenated my small group routines and reading rotations. Every time I put a new game into our Working with Words center my students get really excited. When students get excited they become more engaged and they learn more. These games are having a wonderful impact on my small group time as well. A lot of our games are on a higher level and my kids love competing with each other to see who can come up with the best answer. It's really put some pep back in our step!
One of the reasons I love these games is that they are low tech. While I believe technology is an important part of our lives I also believe that younger children gain so many skills by playing board games. I can't wait to see the long term effects on their problem solving skills! We haven't opened up all of our games, but I already witnessed my students gaining new problem solving skills while playing. It's almost like you can see the wheels turning as they try to figure out where they should move or what word they still need to make when they're playing.
As we approach the end of the school year, we will continue to open up new games and explore all the possibilities! My students and I are very grateful for everyone who donated to our project! We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 10 other donors.Rise and Shine Binders
Funded Jul 14, 2015My students and I are incredibly grateful for your gift! Our Rise and Shine binders are the perfect way to start our morning. The first 15 minutes of a student's day are the most important. Thanks to our Rise and Shine binders we're able to start our morning off in a productive and peaceful manner! As a teacher I feel at ease knowing that they are doing something that is meaningful while I take care of important morning tasks. I have been adding one new activity per week and my student's are constantly asking what their new activity will be!
One of the reasons I love our new Rise and Shine binders is that my student's are able to work on skills that aren't necessarily in our curriculum, but are important skills that they will need to have as they get older! Due to current educational demands, it's hard to fit these skills in to our daily routine. Don't worry, we work on skills that are in our first grade curriculum as well! Right now, our favorite activity is a tally mark matching game!
Just as an example, I've seen a huge improvement in our calendar skills already! Calendar skills are something that we hit on hard in kindergarten and slowly back away from in first grade. As we've been completing our Rise and Shine binders I've noticed that my student's are more confident in their answers while I'm asking questions during our calendar. The best part is that they've learned these skills while I'm taking lunch count and attendance! Another example, is that we had a very low level understanding of tally marks at the beginning of the year. Almost all of my student's now have a competent knowledge of tally marks from 1-10. Once again, all while I'm taking lunch and attendance! I can't wait to see what other skills we can pick up as the year goes on!
I honestly can't say thank you enough for your contribution to my classroom! Please know that you are not only helping my current class grow and learn, but you will be helping many classes to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Kitzman