Past projects 20
Helping Students Bounce Back
Funded Oct 21, 2021In my library, I want reading to be a fun adventure, but I also wanted the library to be about more than reading. I want my students to think critically about their world. Through the materials we received from your donation, I am able to help my students get there.
The books are helping my students to explore the world around them, and I love watching them respond thoughtfully to books about their social/emotional needs. We also love practicing critical thinking and problem solving through playing games. The kids got these materials at just the right time - once they came back to the classroom, learning to play games and work on critical thinking skills together has helped them interact positively again.
We also have loved using those problem solving and teamwork skills doing different STEM challenges with our new STEM building materials. We're so grateful that we can once again work together and get our hands on things in order to build really valuable skills.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 4 other donors.Back to School With Ease!
Funded Aug 13, 2021When students came back to school, we still had a few needs that would help us get started to stay organized and allow kids to use all the resources in the library - and you helped us get them! A few items, like spiral bracelets, labels makers, and storage bins allowed us to stay organized and help things run our program safely and efficiently. Other items, such as treasure box incentives and stickers, have allowed me to give the kids the gift of positive reinforcement. As I started to roll out each item, I heard so many things such as, "Oh my gosh, Mrs. Rittenhouse, this is so much easier to use now!" (That was because of the label maker labeling items we use all the time). I've been able to teach the kids and the teachers about our systems and procedures, and I couldn't have implemented them efficiently without the items you provided for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us find our groove in this new school, especially after distance learning. Anything we could do to create a streamlined learning environment has been vital this year. Your generosity is so appreciated!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 7 other donors.Resources That Will Last!
Funded May 7, 2021Thank you so much for your generosity in donating to our project to get Teachers Pay Teachers resources. Since TpT allows me to purchase resources and use them over and over again, I'm so excited that these materials will last for many years! $100 goes a long way on TpT, and we've already used quite a few new activities. My students LOVED getting to do a Fact vs Opinion scavenger hunt and sort, the littler students learned about Author vs Illustrator as they sorted through the different jobs each does, we learned about symbols of Hispanic Heritage Month, we played a nonfiction text features game, and there are SO many signs and displays I've been able to print and hang around the room using resources I found on TpT. All of this is thanks to you!! And the best part is, even though these materials are all things I can print out, we are still able to move beyond a typical worksheet and instead we can use these resources to do interactive and active learning. It helps the kids and it saves me a lot of time and money in my planning! Thank you so much for helping me to get materials to meet each one of my class's needs. I'm eager to continue to hunt for even more resources that will help us in the library.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 5 other donors.Organize Our Way Into Learning!
Funded Feb 3, 2021Thank you so much for the donations for my organizational project! Our library not only looks so much nicer than it did before, with matching signs and organizational tools, but it functions so much more smoothly for both me and the students. They all loved seeing the new signs, displays, and visual cues to follow when they came in to the library. The carpet spots give students guides about where to stand when doing various procedures, the labels and sign holders let students see exactly how to find the kinds of books they're looking for, the crayon holders allow students to have/use individual sets of supplies, and the doorbell lets me save my voice while still guiding children through the next transition. Everything is so much easier, more efficient, and smoother in this room, now! I can't thank you enough for your generosity. It has really helped get the library, which is brand new to the staff and the kids, feeling like it flows and functions and it allows the students to be more independent. I appreciate your help in making this happen!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 5 other donors.iPad for Better Distance Learning
Funded Sep 21, 2020I can't thank you enough for your generosity in donating to my iPad for Better Distance Learning project! It immediately has helped out my students and myself! Because the kids are still learning from home during the pandemic, they haven't been able to get their hands on it yet. But I showed it to them via a Google Meeting, explaining what they'd be able to do once we start at school again.
The kids are most excited about having a mobile searching station so they can look up books in our Library Catalog and then take the ipad around to the shelves to find the book they want. No more tiny scraps of paper to write the book information! They also look forward to using the iPad and digital pencil within our learning centers. Literacy apps and games on the iPad are just one more learning tool they can't wait to use.
During distance learning, teachers are teaching from home in my district. That means my technology capabilities are lacking compared to at school. With this iPad, the game is changed! I now have a second screen so I can share my computer screen during live sessions and still see kids' faces (while also seeing what they're seeing). I can use the iPad as a document camera to display a book or worksheet. I've been using apps like Jamboard along with the pencil so I can quickly mark up online slides. Things in our meetings just flow better now that we have the iPad. I am so grateful for your donation during such a trying time in education. Your generosity has helped make it a little easier (and a lot more fun!).”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Loves Southern Nevada Students and one other donor.Fairy Tale STEM Kits - Round 2
Funded Jan 31, 2020My students were SO excited for a new round of STEM Fairy Tale Kits. We got the first set several months ago from Donors Choose friends, and having three new stories to read and do STEM activities with was exciting!
While the students got to open them and spent a bit of time exploring them, we didn't get any pictures from INSIDE the classroom yet. I had planned on getting the best photos of the kids using the kits during an April fairy tale unit. Due to the school closures related to COVID-19, we weren't able to implement the plans I had.
Rather, I took a few pictures of my own kids showing their excitement over the internet pictures of the STEM Fairy Tale Kits along with some thank-you notes. My children are students at my school, so they're excited to use the new materials, along with their classmates, when school finally opens up and they are able to use the Library again. Again, thank you so much for your generosity. Although we aren't in school, we are grateful for these wonderful new materials that are waiting for us to use again.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
This classroom project was brought to life by Endless and 2 other donors.STEM & Literature Make a Great Team!
Funded Dec 6, 2019I can't thank you enough for your generosity! Your donations brought us one of the most engaging items my students have used in a long time. They listened to the fairy tale stories as they always listen to great stories, but the excitement came when I told them it was time to practice being a character in the story.
When I showed them the STEM kits, their eyes lit up! Every student was eager to work together so they could participate, and they collaborated so well to create a bridge for the billy goats to get over, a house strong enough to withstand the wolf's huffing and puffing, and a chair that Goldilocks couldn't break. The teamwork, engineering planning, and engagement was off the charts!
Next, we hope to get the second STEM Fairy Tale Kit, so that we can have even more hands-on literature connections in the library with new stories and challenges. Again, your donations mean the world to us. Thank you SO much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
Sharpen Pencils, Sharpen Skills
Funded May 24, 2019We LOVE our new pencil sharpener! My students were very excited to hear about the new one because they remembered how old our previous one was (and they all remember when I told them it finally died and how we had dull pencils for much longer than we would have liked).
I assigned one student per class to be in charge of sharpening the dull pencils at the end of each class period, and it has become a much-desired job. Everyone wants to get to use the new sharpener! Not only is it fast, but it's also much quieter than our previous one, so it doesn't call as much attention to itself as the old one used to. Winning all around!
We are starting our first research units soon, and then our next goal will be outfitting the library with some STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) materials and exploration activities. Be on the lookout for our next project! And thank you SO much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
Make Learning Visible!
Funded Nov 4, 2018My students have used our new resources over and over again, in even more ways that I had initially planned! The students were VERY excited to see the bins of highlighters and sticky notes available at each table the first time I pulled them out to use. These items are fun to use and provide so much engagement (a lot of bang for your buck!), and the kids were excited that there was enough to go around without having to share or wait their turn.
My 5th graders are using the sticky notes to mark passages in their biography books as they complete research about an important person. My 3rd graders are using them to write down facts and affix them to a poster during the information collection step of research. My 1st graders are highlighting nonfiction text features they know, while my 2nd graders are using highlighters to mark parts of a graphic novel. They kids wouldn't be able to do this, and the activities wouldn't be nearly as fun for them, if it weren't for your gift.
My students are moving into a meaty portion of our year with in-depth research using a lot of different resources. These materials are wonderful tools to help them make their thinking visible to me and for themselves. Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse
Sight Word Centers!
Funded Aug 10, 2018Thank you so much for donating to our classroom to help build our sight word centers. The kindergarten and 1st grade students have had so much fun practicing their sight words and letters in a hands-on, fun, and engaging way. It's so much more engaging than watching videos or practicing with flash cards.
My students first read a book and learn a lesson (social, emotional, reading skills, etc.) through the discussion of our stories. Then we have "center time" so they can choose their sight word or letter center depending on their current instructional level. They get to choose their partners or groups, and in that, they are not only practicing with the reading skills they need, but they're also learning to use effective interpersonal skills and group collaboration. When I first brought them out, one student yelled to his friend, "Hey come here! Mrs. Rittenhouse has new games!" That makes me SO happy to know the kids think of these learning activities as games.
The materials you helped purchase will go well beyond this year's students. Because they are good quality materials, they'll last for years to come, and I'm eager to see students use them in the future. My next goal is to focus on the older students and find some new technology to incorporate into the library.
Thank you so much again for your donation; my students and I are so appreciative.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Rittenhouse