Past projects 7
Playing & Learning...After the Fires
Funded Mar 4, 2025From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful for your kindness and generosity. This has been such a traumatic experience for my students, their families, and my school staff. We will make great use of these items! There is something for everyone - indoor, outdoor, tech, and stuff for the teachers, etc.
We've received so much already, but these were some items that will really complete our new classroom and yard. Thanks to you, we will overcome this tragedy and move forward with playing and learning. You really made our day/week!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
Teachers Love to Monitor Student Engagement!
Funded Mar 29, 2021To use a much-used phrase, receiving a second computer monitor was a "game-changer." I only wish that I'd applied to receive one sooner! I taught Kindergarten on Zoom for a full year from March 2020 through April 2021. At this time, my students are at school in person. However, I am continuing to use the second monitor to meet with students and their families for activities that would happen in person during normal times, but that are happening on Zoom during the ongoing pandemic.
For example, I have used the second monitor as a moderator for our school's Town Hall meetings and for my class Back to School Night. Even though we are at school on campus, we have to be prepared to go back to Distance Learning at any time if there is a positive Covid-19 case in our classroom.
When using the second monitor for Zoom meetings, it means that I can view all of my students on one of the screens and I can see my shared screen materials on the other screen. Before receiving the second screen, I could only see about 6 of my students at a time. If a child physically raised their hand, I might not see them. I could not see facial expressions and whether a child was engaged in the lesson without scrolling through the various list of students. Now, I can see everyone! The students have a greater opportunity to participate actively.
Another thing to be grateful for is that as an educator, I've learned and grown so much with my use of technology over the past year and a half. My approach to classroom teaching includes more technology such as Google Slides and digital lessons. The second monitor can also be utilized during my regular classroom teaching because it provides me with a larger screen along with my laptop to better navigate lessons for my students.
Overall, receiving the second monitor has opened up new opportunities for me to learn and grow my knowledge and abilities with technology. This makes me a better teacher who can meet the diverse needs of my little learners. For this, I am thankful and very appreciative.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
This classroom project was brought to life by Two Screens for Teachers and one other donor.Need a Slide Deck? Teachers Pay Teachers to the Rescue!
Funded Feb 3, 2021The past year has been an incredible learning experience for teachers and students. Prior to the pandemic, I was a novice with Google Drive and Google Slides. Being able to purchase pre-made Google products from experienced educators on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) has helped me to become more knowledgable and confident in using Google Drive and Slides. I'm even hoping to become Google certified in the future!
I spent most of the year teaching online via Zoom and my Kindergarteners were always excited to see the images and information presented in kid-friendly formats during screen sharing the Google Slides and while doing interactive assignments on Seesaw. For example, all students, even the shyest or quietest ones, could participate using their choice of tools on Seesaw - photo, audio, or video!
We transitioned back to the classroom with a hybrid model in April. Some of my students are in person now and we still use the Google Slides and other TPT products both in the classroom and during asynchronous assignments. A few students are still 100% online, so they continue with that format. My students and I can't thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
Why Reinvent the Wheel? Distance Learning Lessons Ready to Go!
Funded Sep 3, 2020Distance Learning has been in full swing since March 2020 and it will continue here in Los Angeles into 2021. I am so grateful to be safely teaching Kindergarten 100% virtual during this challenging time.
Having the tools necessary to "Rock Kindergarten" online is critical. My Teachers Pay Teachers Wish List is constantly growing, but I pick and choose wisely to meet the needs of my students and my budget. Receiving this TPT gift card through Donors Choose has allowed me to do so much wonderful work with my students and families. The TPT activities have saved me valuable time by providing ready-made, teacher-created activities that are fun and engaging!
For example:
Back to School Night Google Slides - Easy to edit and personalize! Screen-shared on Zoom with Parents and sent them a PDF copy.
October included learning about our skeletons and we connected that to a Skeleton Bone math lesson. Students "cut and pasted" the matching pieces (numbers and tally marks) for a Seesaw activity.
Halloween included the sequel to Bono Goes to Zoom! Bono's Halloween at Virtual Zoom was a big hit with the students. The author is a colleague here in my district.
November's Election brought out a favorite book, Duck for President. I used a TPT purchase that allowed the students to demonstrate their Reading Comprehension. Plus, they got to vote for either Duck or their teacher for president. Then, they did a recoding to explain why they would be a good president.
In addition, I was able to purchase Google Slides to go with my Language Arts curriculum. My assistant and I are using them to provide differentiated instruction during small group time.
All in all, I loved receiving the Teachers Pay Teachers gift card so much that I created a new project requesting another TPT gift card before my current one runs out! HUGE thank you!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
Take Home Backpacks - Ready for Distance Learning...Anytime!
Funded Sep 3, 2020Wow! The students and families love the Lakeshore "Take Home Backpacks!" They are coming in handier than expected. In March when we left school on a moment's notice, I used paper grocery bags to send items home (can you say broken handles?). When Distance Learning continued in August, Lakeshore was kind enough to donate plastic shopping bags to my class. However, once I received these sturdy backpacks in October, it's been a game-changer!
Here in Los Angeles, we soon realized that we would not be returning to the classroom any time soon. The Kindergarten Team at my school decided to send home monthly supplies. In addition to workbooks and journals, little learners need hands on craft projects to improve fine motor skills such as cutting and gluing. Each month I am sending items to "refill" their backpacks. Some families bring their backpacks to the pickup site, making it much easier to take their items home. Plus, the backpacks help keep students organized with materials easy to find on a daily basis!
The surprise benefit to the backpacks has been that many of my students are using them to take their materials "on the go." For example, two of my students have parents who work at preschools, so each day the students work from learning pods. They do some assignments at home and other activities at the preschool site. Also, a number of my families have gone out of town for various reasons. They've used the backpacks to take the necessary assignments and school supplies to their destination.
Overall, these items have been a huge success! Thank you, Donors!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 4 other donors.Inspire Creativity with Drawing and Writing Journals!
Funded Jul 17, 2020It's truly a time for Thanksgiving! My kindergarten students and I are so grateful for your generosity. During the pandemic, we are 100% Distance Learning. My kindergarteners are required to be on Zoom 90 minutes a day and are assigned another 90 minutes a day of asynchronous assignments to complete at home. Teaching has drastically changed. Thanks to your kindness and generosity, my students have the materials they need at home to become young writers.
The Drawing and Writing Journals are such a great way to get young students excited about sharing their thoughts and ideas through illustrations and beginning writing skills. My students range in age from the youngest 5 year olds to students already turning 6. Their writing abilities vary from those who are just gaining confidence to write a beginning letter sound or a three-letter CVC word (cat, dog, pig), to those who are already using phonetic spelling and sight words to write simple words and sentences.
In our virtual classroom, we have a variety of writing opportunities. Students write teacher-directed Letter of the Week and Sight Word sentences. However, the kids really want to express themselves and make choices in what they draw and write. Their Daily Writing Journal assignment gives them a structure to follow, but allows for their creativity and imagination to shine!
I'm using the Drawing and Writing Journals in multiple ways. I preview the daily prompt with the students during Zoom time so students can brainstorm with peers. Later, students can access the Activity assignment on Seesaw during independent work time. Students work on fine motor skills, printing practice, and expressing their knowledge by drawing and writing in their journal based on the prompt given. My Kindergarteners are then able to upload a photo of their work each day of the week! Their Daily Writing Journal assignments go into an online Seesaw Journal (digital portfolio) so that I can share their growth with parents/guardians throughout the year.
These are challenging times. My students are rising to the occasion! Thank you for making this possible with your generous support. Be safe and well.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and 4 other donors.It's "TIME for KIDS" to Read!
Funded Sep 3, 2019It's truly a time for Thanksgiving! My kindergarten students and I are so grateful for your generosity. The Time for Kids Magazines are such a great way to get young students excited about reading. My students range in age from the youngest 5 year olds to students already turning 6. Their reading abilities vary from those who are just gaining confidence to sound out a short CVC word like cat or fox, to those who are already reading at a 1st Grade level.
In our classroom, we have a variety of opportunities to read. I read books to the children during rug time and parents come in as Mystery Readers regularly. However, the kids really want to read on their own or with peers. When they're finished with classwork, they often ask to read with a friend.
I'm using Time for Kids in multiple ways. I preview the magazine during rug time. During small group time, I can do choral reading with my young learners (I read with them following along or reading with me). My advanced reading group can do "popcorn" reading (taking turns reading a sentence or paragraph) with my support. Then, I can pair up students to read it together. This allows the students to become familiar with the material with teacher support and then read independently or with a peer. Another fun activity has been to use the magazines during Book Buddy time with one of the 2nd Grade classes. This allows my students to build relationships with older students at our school.
By the way, the Amazing Apples edition was a wonderful review of the Seasons of the Apple Tree and Johnny Appleseed's birthday celebration. Children learn through repetition and gain confidence in their knowledge. We shared the Robots at Work edition with our Book Buddies. Everyone was amazed to learn about the Robot Chef! I was surprised to learn about the Robot Teacher. Yikes! Luckily, I'm not that far from retirement. ; )
Finally, the best way for students to learn is by exploring the world around them. Time for Kids brings that world into our classroom. Thank you for making this possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Bazan