Past projects 23
Poetry For Students With Special Needs
Funded Oct 24, 2010Thank you very much for your generous donation. My students truly enjoyed reading poetry because of your donation. They have developed an appreciation for poetry and even published their own poetry magazine, inspired by your donation. The Tupac book allowed them to learn higher level skills such as recognizing literary elements (simile, metaphor, etc.) and understanding the author's purpose for using these literary elements. This book was perfect for my students because not only did it increase their higher order thinking, it was an extremely accessible and engaging text for them.
Thank you very much for donating such an enjoyable book for my students. Your donation helped my students realize that there are people in this world who care about their education! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and one other donor.Literature for Students with Special Needs
Funded Oct 20, 2010Thank you all so much for your generous donations! I cannot express to you how valuable your donation is to my students. We just finished reading A Streetcar Named Desire and it was amazing to see my students invested in such rich literature. Next, we are going to read Catcher in the Rye and I am truly looking forward to seeing how my students can relate to this book.
We are in the process of preparing for the New York State English Regents coming up in several weeks. My students will be required to write an essay using two books that they have read in class and we have been practicing these essays for weeks. Even though my students are labeled as "special ed," I believe that they should be held to grade-level standards as much as possible. Your donations have made it possible to maintain high expectations for my students. Thank you very much for believing in them!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.Arts and Crafts for Students with Learning Disabilities
Funded Dec 9, 2009Thank you very much for all of the wonderful supplies! My students and I appreciate your generosity.
We have been using the highlighters and markers in class frequently to color-code and annotate text. It really helps my students to better understand the material. This week, we are writing essays about The Diary of Anne Frank. I asked students to color-code their paragraphs. We also created index cards with literary elements such as theme, characterization, and setting. They were able to use the supplies you donated to create their flashcards and color-code their essays.
I have many visual learners in my classroom. Something as simple as color-coding makes a big difference for these students. Thank you for helping my students to become successful in English class! Your donation is being used with a wonderful group of students! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
Classic Literature for Special Needs Students
Funded Oct 20, 2009Thank you so much for donating classic literature to my classroom. My 10th grade students just finished reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck last week. As I read the ending of the book aloud, all of my students were on the edges of their seats. Every time I paused, they begged me to continue. They were so engaged and captured by the book. We were able to discuss the many controversial issues posed by the text.
Thanks to your donation, my students are able to keep these books. Throughout the unit, they highlighted important quotes, summarized passages, and wrote notes in the margins. Because of your generosity, my students were able to interact with a text in a way that would not have been possible with borrowed books. Writing in the books provided them with a sense of pride and ownership. Thank you for giving this wonderful gift to my class! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Laptop for Special Education Students
Funded Jun 9, 2009Thank you very much for your extremely generous donations. The laptop you donated has made a tremendous difference in my classroom. So far, we have been able to listen to books on tape, conduct research more efficiently, and type final drafts of essays. It has enhanced the learning of all of my students and we use it on a regular basis.
As a special education teacher, it is important to me that I have the technology and resources to help make learning fun for all of my students. Your donation helped make this possible.
Thank you once again. You have chosen to help a great group of kids and I know that they are also very grateful for your donations.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 2 other donors.Non-fiction Unit for Special Education Students
Funded Apr 15, 2009Thank you for your generous donation! I now have a class set of Gunstories, an engaging text that I can continue to use during my non-fiction unit. My students from last year already read excerpts of the text and truly enjoyed the book. They were able to read about differing perspectives on gun control in this country. These perspectives are written by other teenagers, which makes the book relatable. The unit culminated in a persuasive writing project in which they had to pick a side regarding gun control. This writing task allowed them to practice critical thinking skills.
I truly appreciate your donation. Please know that you are making a significant difference in my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 4 other donors.Materials for Special Education Students
Funded Apr 27, 2009Thank you for donating the money to fund my project entitled "Materials for Supplies for Special Education Students." As soon as I heard that the project had been funded, I was eager to inform my students of the good news. When I told my students that we would be receiving art supplies due to a generous donation, they instantly became excited. I asked the students if they were looking forward to doing more artwork in class and many of them nodded emphatically. They said they wanted to start using the supplies right away! Of course, I had to remind them that we would have to wait a couple of weeks until the supplies arrived. My students are in the process of writing poems using sensory detail to describe where they are from. Students are currently working on their final drafts of these projects. Students are decorating their poetry using the materials you provided.
I am so far very impressed with the quality of my students' projects. The materials certainly enhance the quality of their work because my students are more excited to work on their projects. They no longer need to share materials—each student is able to use their own. Thank you for making a significant difference in my classroom. My students and I are looking forward to doing more artwork in class. I know that this artwork will improve their learning and understanding of the curriculum. Your donation is greatly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 9 other donors.Darkness Before Dawn for Special Ed Students
Funded Feb 10, 2009Thank you for donating the money to fund my project entitled "Darkness Before Dawn for Special Education Students." As soon as I heard that the project had been funded, I was eager to inform my students of the good news. When I told my students that we would be receiving copies of Darkness Before Dawn due to a generous donation, they instantly became excited. I asked the students if they were looking forward to continuing our study of Sharon Draper's Hazelwood High Series and many of them nodded emphatically. They said they wanted to start reading the book right away! Of course, I had to remind them that we would have to wait a couple of weeks until the books arrived. I ordered enough copies of the book so that all of my students would be able to keep a copy. My students were shocked when they realized that they would not have to return these books at the end of class. Many of them proudly wrote their names on the inside cover. I offered to store students' books in my classroom but most of my students refused this offer—they wanted to carry the books around with them and take them home. My students are clearly not used to receiving brand new books that they are able to keep. I could see how happy they were to finally have a book to call their own. I am very thankful that you were able to provide my students with this invaluable gift. I believe that it will instill a love of learning and reading in all of my students. Thank you for making a significant difference in my classroom. My students and I are looking forward to reading Darkness Before Dawn. Your donation is greatly appreciated.
”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Poetry Project for Special Ed Students
Funded Dec 9, 2008Thank you for your very generous donation! I am extremely excited to start these projects with my students. I know they will appreciate the materials. They always enjoy working on creative and engaging activities. Thank you for making a difference in my classroom”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.Educational Games For Special Education Students
Funded Nov 30, 2008Thank you for your generous donation! I am very excited to begin playing these games with my students. I know that my classes will have lots of fun playing and they will learn important grammatical concepts at the same time. Thanks to you, I can incorporate fun, engaging, educational activities in my classroom. Thank you for making a difference in my students' lives”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birchard
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 4 other donors.