Past projects 21
News in Our World
Funded Sep 3, 2023Thank you very much for helping provide my class with Scholastic Magazine. My students look forward to learning about the "real world" topics that we read each Wednesday. They love learning about the world outside of the classroom!
Having Scholastic Magazine in my classroom has also helped get students excited about reading and built their vocabulary. Each week we start our magazine by watching the video that comes with the magazine and looking at the key words that we will see in the article. After reading the magazine, we complete a few comprehension activities to make sure we understood what we read.
So far their favorites were the articles about Firefighter Challenge, A Minion Made of Food, and Go For the Goal. Using Scholastic Magazines we have learned about nocturnal animals, lacrosse, how playground equipment has changed over time, and how students get to school across the globe. I can't wait to see what else they will learn and talk about this year! Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
Emotionally Intelligent Second Graders
Funded Aug 19, 2022Thank you very much for helping provide my students with resources that will allow them to process their feelings. These materials will be used daily in our calming corner and for whole class mindfulness activities.
I can't wait to see my students use these materials and learn to independently manage their emotions so that they are able to focus on their learning. I know that the variety of materials will allow each student to find a calming method that works for them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
Growing and Celebrating Ourselves and Others
Funded Oct 3, 2021Thank you very much for your belief in the work we are doing on diversity in our classroom. I can't wait to show my students the new puzzles and books that we are getting to think about our identities and others. I'm sure the kids will be excited to to explore how they are similar and different to people around the world.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
Color Our World
Funded Sep 23, 2021Thank you very much for helping provide my students with crayons, markers, and construction paper in a variety of skin tones. I can’t wait for my students to see these materials and have the ability to color the world the way they see it! I am equally excited to teach my students about the world, diverse leaders, and current events using the Time Magazine for Kids. Thank you for your believe in us and helping ensure that our whole class can feel represented in their work!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
This classroom project was brought to life by The Allstate Foundation and 6 other donors.Zooming Into Book Clubs
Funded Jan 27, 2021Thank you so much for helping make online book clubs a reality for my students. With remote learning and a hybrid model my students have been forced to give up a lot of the typically learning experiences they have for the first time in second grade. Book clubs is not one of those experiences!
I can't wait to see the excitement on my students' faces when I show them the books you helped provide and inform them they are going to do online book clubs! I know they will be even more excited to have the opportunity to choose which realistic fiction and fantasy books they get to read.
Thank you once again for helping turn my vision into a reality for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
Off Screen Reading During Remote Learning
Funded Oct 1, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity. I can't wait to get books into my students hands and allow them to get their eyes off their screens. These reusable book bags will allow me to send home high interest and leveled book during remote learning. Students will be able to use our classroom library again! I can't wait to see how my students grow in reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
Comfortable Reading in 2nd Grade
Funded Sep 25, 2019I can't thank you enough for your generous support in helping making our classroom more reader friendly! My students were beyond excited to try out the new flexible seating furniture when I opened the boxes. In fact, we had to keep a list of who would go next with the floor seats and lap desks!
Having these new resources has opened up the classroom and provided more options for the students. They are reading for longer periods of time as they feel more "at home." It has also allowed students to discover what works best for their learning styles and lets them focus for a longer period of time as a result.
Finally, the bilingual and Spanish books have made a huge impact on our ELL students. This year, they were able to complete their research projects in Spanish and have many options for Reader's Workshop. They have also been able to improve their English vocabulary by reading books in Spanish that also contain the English translations.
Thank you once again for all your support in making our classroom engaging!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
A Calming Place to Sit
Funded Sep 14, 2018Thank you so much for helping our class obtain a new rug to help us focus during lessons. When I first rolled the rug out for the students, they were screaming with excitement as it replaced a darker colored one that was extremely old with stains. They couldn't wait to test it out and practice learning with a calm body.
The addition of the whole class rug in calming coloring has made a huge impact on my students' learning. Each student now has a designated space to sit when learning at the white board, having a discussion, or listening to a read aloud. This has helped student be more focused and engaged. Additionally, when it comes to independent work and learning time, the students love to use the rug with big pillows to relax. It has provided an "at home" feel for the students in the classroom.
Thank you so much for helping to improve our learning environment.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.Stepping Up Our Math and Literacy Game
Funded May 8, 2018Thank you so much for your kindness and support. The math games and supplies that we have received have transformed our math workshop! The students are excited to complete their independent practice so that they can move on to explore concepts on their own or in small groups through the use of the math games. It is also helped students to become teachers and explain their thinking to each other.
Each time I switch out the math center and workshop materials, my students get more and more excited to explore new and harder concepts. The multiplication and division towers were especially big hits as they love when they go crashing down! Additionally, the new materials have allowed the students to explore harder concepts with fractions using the magnetic board and the tile cards.
In a school where resources can be limited, your contributions have really helped to engage students and get them talking about math. It is amazing to see students move from being afraid of concepts to laughing while learning and asking for more time to learn!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 10 other donors.Reading Our World
Funded Dec 5, 2018Thank you so much for helping us learn about our world by providing us with nonfiction books that focus on famous world leaders/role models, countries, and diverse cultures. Students were able to learn about their topics by reading several books. They then took the knowledge they gained to make presentations to teach others about their topics. Some of the assignments that contributed to their ability to present included: making a glossary of words for their topics, labeling and captioning their illustrations about the their topics, identifying key facts to teach, thinking about why they were interested in a particular topic, and reflecting on what questions they still have about their topics. At the end of the unit, they had a gallery walk and invited other classrooms and families to learn from them at gallery walk of their topics.
Using a workshop model, students were able to really explore their topics and dive into the world of nonfiction literature. Reading silently for 30 minutes a day helped the students to be come experts. Often, they would have an additional few minutes to share their learnings and process what they learned about their topic with a reading buddy in the classroom. At times, the even taught me things that I didn't know about topics such as the Navy SEALS, George Washington, Brazil, and the Chinese New Year. It is truly amazing what seven and eight year olds can accomplished when given the proper resources! I can't wait to see what they learn as we add these books to our classroom library and allow students to read about the many topics their classmates studied!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Birnbaum
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 4 other donors.