Past projects 18
Lost Without Books
Funded Sep 5, 2018My students have been gobbling up the new books. The variety that came in the fiction and nonfiction sets have allowed all types of readers to find something to enjoy. The impact of this gift is clear: you have provided the tools to engage nearly 80 kids in new reading experiences.
You may wonder why classroom libraries are so important when most public schools have libraries. Similarly, most towns have public libraries. My sixth graders are at a stage of life that brings many challenges in relationships, academics, and life in general. During this phase, many are often forgetful and disorganized. When this happens, one of the first things we notice as teachers is lost student identification cards. Without that, students are not allowed to check books out from the school library. :-( By having a classroom library, books are still accessible to these kiddos.
Because of the poverty in many of their lives, these students do not live in homes where reading and public libraries are a priority. Many working parents don't have time to take kids to the library; many parents in poverty don't have reliable transportation.
Your gift has helped to simplify the lives of kids when it comes to school reading requirements. My classroom library allows them to meet the goal of reading 120 minutes per week.
Of course I don't even touch on the proven benefits of daily reading, but you know about that! I can tell because you clearly value books since you gifted us with these sets!
Thank you so much for seeing the importance of this gift and making it happen. We are very grateful.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Hear Me! Hear Me!
Funded Jan 8, 2017Thank you so very much for supporting this project for my students. We so desperately needed decent headphones since a lot of our work happens online now. In our blended learning classroom, a portion of every day each student receives direct instruction through an online learning management system. They listen to videos I've created, or they interact with adaptive software for reading and math. Beyond the core learning, we also use our headphones with microphones to create photo stories and reports, as well as create online sticky notes at padlet.com and voicethread.com. Students can record and listen to other students' work as well.
It is amazing how good technology can make such a difference in attitudes toward learning too. These headphones are comfortable for the students, and they block out surrounding (ambient) noise so that they're focused on the learning at hand. The kids each have their own to use, and they have a sense of pride in taking care of their own special equipment. Who could have guessed that something as unexciting as headphones could make such a difference in student learning!
We thank you very much for supporting our learning in this way. Having your support means a lot to each child who is benefiting.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Brainzy for Brainy Kids
Funded Feb 19, 2017Here is what my students have to say (with a little help from me): "We all thank you with cheers and applause for providing us with this Brainzy software. It will help with math and reading skills in a fun way that keeps us interested in our learning and helps us stay focused and on task. You are very kind to see our need and to take part in providing for us by helping to fund this project." I look forward to sharing thank you letters with you and photographs of students engaged with Brainzy! Once again, thank you very much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Shhh! I'm Working!
Funded Mar 7, 2016We are such a busy classroom, using the Station Rotation model of Blended Learning. It is SUCH a lifesaver for my students to have the option of wearing ear muffs to block out noises when they need to. By nature, a station rotation classroom is noisy. Well that fits second graders too! They learn best by doing! Yet there are some kiddos who need more quiet when they work... or sometimes certain stations are noisy while others are for reading or writing, which requires a more quiet learning environment.
These well-fitting, child-sized noise reducing muffs are cute and comfortable, and have proven to be quite durable too. They are making a positive difference in my classroom--allowing students to work on different tasks as they move through the learning stations all day.
We all thank you for your donations that made these possible. We are in our second school year with them already (since they arrived last spring), so you can see the impact will last for years. Many thanks!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
No Oops Please! Protect our New Tablets!
Funded Nov 22, 2015The best classroom environment isn't like my grandmother's living room, where a young child must not touch, must sit gingerly, and must watch elbows and knees at all times! No, not at all! A sure sign of a healthy classroom environment is one in which the students feel at ease to explore, move about, and learn together. I went from Grandmother back to Mrs. Ray when the covers for our Amazon tablets arrived! I suited those pads up immediately and let out a sigh of relief! The students knew that the tablets still needed respect - just like a book - but they, too exhaled a little when we could all lighten up a bit when using them. What a great impact this has had. Now student focus isn't on the tablet itself but on the activity happening on the tablet. They use them for reading, math skills, taking pictures or video, and even recording their reading. Because the tablets are "safe," it is now students' responsibility to pass them out and put them away! So thank you very much for understanding the difference it would make to protect our investment!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Fire Behind Our Learning
Funded Nov 10, 2015We are so thankful that you funded this amazing project for our class, and we feel especially lucky to have enough tablets to be 1:1. We are able to practice math fluency through Kahoot!, progress monitor our reading through Literably, log on to our learning management system called CANVAS to do school work, play math games on Sumdog, take online spelling tests, read e-books, and so much more!
This has made such an impact on our learning. We are now part of the Blended Learning Universe as our class participates in a model of blended learning called station rotation. That means that part of our learning is delivered online through videos, quizzes, and other materials. Plus this technology has lessened the amount of grading the teacher does, since several of the online programs automatically grade student work and prepare it in a spreadsheet.
Some students who are gifted learners appreciate using the tablets for extended learning when classwork is completed early. Students who struggle in reading are able to use software that helps them learn to read. These tablets have brought fun learning and complete engagement to our classroom.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Every second grader should have the opportunities that we have been given.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Dirty Little Hands Come Clean!
Funded May 7, 2015I hope you've had a chance to look at the photographs we uploaded to Donors Choose, as they tell such a great story! I never imagined someone would see the importance of providing nail brushes to our class, and I am thankful you did! Second graders are typically not very good at hand washing, and year after year we battle colds and the flu. I'm hoping to make an impression on them about how to really get those "boogers" out from under their fingernails! I start the unit off without telling them what my purpose is while I let them all play in buckets of dirt (in the classroom). After a while, I ask them to go in the bathrooms and wash their hands. When they return, then I let them know my purpose - hand washing! Students examine their hands and nails and are typically horrified to notice the amount of dirt still under their nails! Then we talk about how to really wash hands well, and why it's so important! We watch a cool video about germs. And them I send them all back to the bathroom with their very own, brand new nail brush. They are so proud of their clean hands afterward! It's so cute to see them so happy about it!
In addition to the nail brushes, you rounded out our heath learning by providing a grow lamp - a mini greenhouse of sorts. This is great since we get so dark in Alaska in the winter. We are able to grow plants year round. Most recently, we grew grass for an erosion experiment. Next up, we'll be growing a variety of small seeds to create mini gardens. Later in the year, we will sprout some vegetable plants for a health and nutrition unit. We really appreciate having this for our classroom.
Finally, the human body game is a hoot! After kids got over their initial reaction of "eww gross" and learned to play the game, they really started digging it. I really try to emphasize life-long healthy habits in my classroom. Everything you gifted us makes learning about health engaging and enjoyable for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
Up With Tech
Funded Jan 21, 2015Dear Code.org,
All of the teachers here at William H. Seward Elementary School are so thankful for the tools you provided to our school and our students! These tools are making a huge impact on how students engage with their learning, and this will have far-reaching positive results for them. Let me give you some examples.
The 3D printer has sparked a greater interest in STEM in our school. In fact, the librarian and one of the teachers are planning a Maker Club to begin soon, and one of the features of the club will be 3D printing challenges. Our Gifted/Talented Lead Teacher has a student who is working on an architectural design that she'll be printing soon. What doors this is opening for our kids!
The mp3 players have enriched the Title 1 Preschool's pre-reading program. It's so important for kids to listen to stories, and just look at the smile on the little guy who is using one of the mp3 players!
The webcams have taken student learning beyond the classroom walls to connect to classrooms in other states. For example, one teacher is having regular Skype sessions using the webcam with a classroom in Massachusetts to discuss a book both classrooms are reading simultaneously!
Our school's computer lab has been transformed with the addition of the spiffy, new projector. Teachers can now guide student learning by projecting onto the wall, allowing students to follow along with the teacher on their computers.
The document cameras make it so easy for students to give reports or share their work. Additionally, teachers in our school are using less paper now because they can share a fact sheet or chart or photograph with the students over the document camera. Primary teachers read story books using the document camera, which allows all students to easily view the pages in a book up on the SmartBoard.
Finally, the Chromebooks have brought 1:1 computing to our third graders! This is very exciting to teachers and students alike, especially since our school district is moving toward digital textbooks in the near future.
We are so grateful to have these tools to enhance how we teach and how our students receive information. Your gift has made a lasting contribution to the culture of our school. Onward and upward with student learning in the 21st century! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
A Picture Is Worth Millions of Activated Braincells
Funded Dec 19, 2014Thanks so much for the cameras for our classroom! The students have applied them to their learning in many useful ways. Most recently, as shown in the photos, they photographed geometric shapes on the playground. These photos will be turned into a book after students label each shape. Also, they've used the cameras for storytelling. In that unit, students created their own stories applying all they've learned this year about story elements (setting, characters, plot, etc.). They started by drawing storyboards. Then they used various objects from the classroom to tell the story - setting the items up against a backdrop and photographing them following their team's storyboard. These final projects will be put together in a narrated movie!
During the winter, students used the cameras during writing class. They photographed objects that were their favorite color, then wrote an opinion piece explaining why that color was their favorite! Students also used the cameras to photograph their art, which we uploaded to the classroom blog.
Finally, most students learned about file structure on a computer when they had to upload photos from the cameras, save them in an appropriate folder, locate the photos in that folder later, and then insert photos into documents. It's been a wonderful learning experience for them that has increased their opportunities and engaged them in new ways.
I thank you for your support of these students and the ones to come in the years to follow. We are blessed to have these extra special opportunities in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray
A Deep Reading Program
Funded Sep 20, 2014My students are truly blessed with the books and book programs available to them in my classroom. When the Jr. Great Books program arrived this school year, and I shared the contents of the box with my students, they were a little ho-hum about it, but only to begin with. When I explained that the stories were about friendship and bravery, their interest perked. When they did a picture walk through the books, interest levels rose more. Finally, when we began the stories, their interest and remarks proved that having great stories to read makes learning to read engaging and pleasant. Bottom line, the kids love the stories!
To top it off, each story has a Reader's Journal to go with it. Students are guided through activities that require deep thinking, drawing, and writing. It's a proud journal that goes home at the end of each week to share with parents.
I knew when I asked for funding for this project that it would be excellent, and I assure you it is worth every dime! I am very delighted. In fact, when I had an observation last week for my teacher evaluation, I invited my principal to watch us during the shared inquiry process. I have that much faith in the program and its results, and he was impressed.
When I started the program with my students, we spent the first several weeks in the program learning the shared inquiry method, which teaches the children to really dig into a story themselves, followed by active listening and discussion to see beyond their own ideas. Their comprehension improves with each discussion, and so does their teamwork skills!
As a teacher who has used "canned" reading programs for the last several years, which typically contain way too much to cover in any lesson, I find the uncluttered and shared inquiry method of teaching reading that Great Books uses an uplifting teaching experience for me. I am a better teacher with this program. You see, I love the stories too, and my enthusiasm is one more piece to improve student learning.
Thank you so much for your kindness and for funding this project. It will have a lasting impact on students for years to come!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ray