Past projects 22
Help Us Become Rockin' Readers!
Funded Apr 11, 2015Thank you so much for choosing my project to donate to. The students you have donated to are a very special bunch, most of whom don't have a lot in this world. Many are in shelters and look to the school and myself as a home and family structure. I am so thrilled I am able to enrich my classroom with the books and provide one of the key tools my students' need to be academically successful.
The books have been a wonderful addition to our classroom. The students love looking through them and they are the first books the children choose to take out of the library. I love watching them gather in small groups to read the books together and discuss what's going on in the books. They enjoy exploring the books together and learning about a topic from one another. It is truly wonderful to see them so excited about books and reading. Additionally, the books have been a great resource and have come in very handy when I teach lessons as well as when I am conducting a small guided reading group.
Once again I want to thank you for choosing my project to donate to. In order for my students to be successful, they had to have the right materials and you helped make that happen! Thank you for helping to make my classroom a better place to learn and grow as well as making my classroom library spectacular!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Make our Classroom Our Home Away From Home
Funded Feb 27, 2015Thank you so much for choosing my project to donate to. The rug has been such a nice addition to the classroom and the children are in love with it. The space in the back corner before the rug looked old and unwelcoming. Now with the new rug there (and I have added some pillows, little chairs and stuffed animals that are characters from books), the space is warm, inviting, and cozy. The students ask me every day when it will be reading time and if it will be their turn to sit on the rug in the library corner.
The rug has also given me a nice space to provide small group instruction and provide different areas for the students to work who require more space or a space that is less distracting away from peers.
Once again I want to thank you for your generosity and turning my proposal into a reality. You have helped to make my classroom a better place to learn and grow.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Help us Start the Year Off Right!
Funded Sep 1, 2012Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to donate supplies to a very deserving class. As you have probably guessed the Smart Board games are their favorite supply that you donated. They love playing the games and what's great is they are learning at the same time. The students are so engaged and focused they don't even realize their learning and solving problems. The games provide an opportunity for the children to work together and learn how to be part of a team. A skill they will certainly need throughout their school years.
The journals you have donated have become the student's weekend journal. They take their journal home on Thursday and have certain requirements to complete before they bring it back on Monday. They love being able to share their journal on Monday with their classmates. When I read through their journals I write the children notes containing comments and feedback on ways to improve. I recently decided to have them write comments to each other. I was shocked because they gave each other wonderful feedback and I had to laugh because the comments were written in a similar style to my own. I could tell they were reading my notes to them and taking them to heart.
I can tell these journals have had such a powerful impact on the children because when I look back at their entries from September I already see a big difference. There is a big difference with letter formation, grammar usage, sentence fluidity, word choice, etc. Not to mention they are able to receive immediate feedback from both myself and their peers on ways to improve their writing.
I want to thank you again for choosing my project to donate to. The supplies have been a wonderful addition to the classroom. On behalf of myself and my students we want to thank you for making our class a better place to learn and grow!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 4 other donors.Rockin' Readers!
Funded Feb 8, 2012Thank you for taking time out of your day to donate books to a very deserving class. We really appreciate you donating books to our class, and adding to our resources. I am really thankful you could help me and my students by further enriching our classroom. The books have been a wonderful addition to our classroom. The students love looking through them and they are the first books the students choose to take out of the library. I love watching the students gather in small groups to read the books together and discuss what's going on in the books. They enjoy exploring the books together and learning about a topic from one another.
The books have been a great resource and have come in very handy when I teach lessons as well as when I am conducting a small guided reading group. Since the books are nonfiction and topics they enjoy, they are learning a lot from them. They have come at the perfect time because the books correspond well with our current science program and our science fair is coming up (these books cover topics we will be studying during the science fair).
Once again I want to thank you for choosing my project to donate to. In order for my students to be successful, they had to have the right materials and you helped make that happen! Thank you for helping to make my classroom a better place to learn and grow as well as making my classroom library spectacular! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Technology At Our Fingertips!
Funded Oct 23, 2011I can't thank you enough for your generous donations to turn my dream for a computer center into a reality. It has been such a wonderful addition to the classroom and the kids have been having a ball with them (they are having so much fun they don't even know they are learning)! It has been such a powerful tool for learning and instruction. While a group of students are on the computer learning at their own pace, I can work individually or in small groups with the other students and maximize student learning because they are getting individualized instruction and a lot of my attention and focus. It is also a highly motivating tool, because in order to use the computer they have had to try their best on their work and have good classroom behavior. It also has enticed them to finish their work in a more timely fashion, so they can sneak in some computer time before we movie on to our next activity.
The computer center has also made things more efficient for my teaching and planning. I am able to write and print IEPs with ease now (the old computers were so slow I would only be able to write a small portion at a time). The printer has also come in very handy! I am able to scan and print materials I need for the students right in my classroom. It has also come in handy because when a student does awesome work, I can scan it, print it, and send it home that day for the parents to see!
I am thankful everyday for the addition of a computer center to my classroom. It has made my life easier, more efficient, and most importantly it is helping my students become expert readers! Thank you for choosing my project to donate to and making my classroom a better place to learn and grow! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Help Us Start The Year Off Right!
Funded Sep 23, 2011Thank you for taking time out of your day to donate supplies to a very deserving class. The supplies have been a wonderful addition to the classroom and the kids are really enjoying them. The students love writing in their new journals and look forward to it every day. They actually get upset when it is time to put the journals away! They write about various topics such as school, their family, super heroes, Halloween, the park, etc.
The new writing folders have also been a wonderful addition to Writer's Workshop. The folders help keep the kids organized and they can really see where they are in the writing process (pre-writing, rough draft, editing/revising, publishing. The folders fold out to four different compartments and describe what the students should be doing during each stage in the writing process). The folders also have writing ideas, suggestions, and high frequency words which has really helped develop the student's writing and overall creativity. A surprise classroom hit is the giant teaching clock! The students will often ask to use it during free choice and math games time, and several of the students will gather together and quiz each other on various times.
Once again I want to thank you for choosing my project to donate to. In order for my students to be successful, they had to have the right materials and you helped make that happen! Thank you for helping to make my classroom a better place to learn and grow!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Rockin' Readers!
Funded Oct 22, 2011When I first entered my classroom in 2009, the classroom library was old, outdated and most of the books were in Spanish. Over the past three years I have made it my mission to have a spectacular classroom library where the children were free to let their imagination sore and be whisked away on an adventure. With your help, the library is now a very special place in the classroom. There are tons of books to choose from, with a wide range of topics and what's the best part is every student can find a book that is on their individual level!
The books have also been wonderful to have on hand when I am conducting a small guided reading group. I have the books at my finger tips, ready to go and I can see the students transforming in front of my eyes. In order for my students to be successful, they had to have the right materials and you helped make that happen! These books are wonderful because there are of topics that interest the kids and they are at a just right level. This reduces frustration and builds their confidence in their reading ability.
Once again I want to thank you for choosing my project to donate to. The books have been a wonderful addition to the classroom library and the kids are really enjoying them. Thank you for helping to make my classroom a better place to learn and grow!
”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Spice Up Our Math Center!
Funded Feb 23, 2011Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to donate math games to a very deserving class. As expected the math games are a huge hit with the children! They love playing the games and they look forward to the math block on Friday's, which is our math games day. It is amazing to see them so excited about math and not wanting the period to be over. I hear sighs and groans when I tell them it is time to put the games away.
Not only have the math games been great to practice and re-enforce math skills, but the games have also been highly motivating. If the children finish with their work early, they are allowed to choose a math game until the rest of their classmates have finished. The children are now highly motivated to complete their work in a timely fashion so they can squeeze in some math games time. It also works out great because I know when the children are finished with their work they will continue to be engaged (which we all know keeps them out of trouble!).
The math games have also allowed for practice of social skills. It is wonderful to see the children interacting with one another in such a positive way. Students have to wait their turn, show good sportsmanship, invite each other (or me) to play the partner games, etc. Not to mention the games have taught them a bit of responsibility as well. Each game comes with several pieces, in which the children are responsible for making sure every piece is accounted for when they return the game. If they do not return all the pieces they first have to go find them, then they have to sit out of math games for that period.
Finally, I hope you enjoyed the pictures I posted of the children enjoying the games. As you can see in the group picture the math center is beautiful and lively. I want to thank you again for your generous donation and supplying materials that make my classroom a better place to learn and grow. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
Springboard for Future Newbery Authors
Funded Dec 31, 2010I want to thank you again for your generous donation of a beautiful piece of furniture. The writing center has been a wonderful addition to my classroom and the students have been thriving not only during Writers Workshop but during other subjects as well with all the wonderful supplies right at their finger tips.
When I introduced the writing center, my students' eyes light up with all the supplies that were there waiting, ready for them to use. The writing center immediately sparked their creativity and interest in writing, which in turn has become highly motivating for my students. They look forward writing and journal time which is amazing because most of my students came to me as reluctant writers.
As I stated before in my short thank you letter, this project was funded at the perfect time because I was introducing the writing process to the kids. Since then they have written a story with a beginning, middle and end (based on the story Where the Wild Things Are) going through the writing process. They are now ready to create their own stories using the hard cover blank books (which were also donated through DonorsChoose). I am thrilled my students are going to have the experience of being an author and have the tools/supplies they need to make it happen.
On behalf of myself and my students I thank you for providing my students with a springboard to inspire creativity and store the tools they need to become a "published" author. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying
This classroom project was brought to life by American Express Members Project and 6 other donors.Express Yourself!
Funded Sep 13, 2010Thank you for taking time out of your day to donate journals and books to a very deserving class. We really appreciate you donating journals/ books to our class, and adding to our resources. I am really thankful you could help me and my students by further enriching our classroom. I'm thrilled you enjoyed the cards my students made for you, they put a lot of love into them.
The journals have been a wonderful addition to our classroom. The students love journal time and look forward to it every day. They actually get upset when it is time to put the journals away! They write about various topics such as princesses, vampires, snowmen, super heroes and one student even wrote a recipe.
I recently began working on the writing process (editing, revising, publishing, etc) with my students so we can begin working on creating our stories in the blank books you donated. The students are excited about creating their own "published" story and being an author. They have been working really hard during writing workshop building their skills so they can write a story with a beginning, middle, and end with an engaging opening and wonderful closing. Soon thanks to the wonderful books you donated, my students will experience what it is like to be an author and experience the process of creating a book.
Because of your generous gift I know my students will have the tools they need to build their skills and continue growing. On behalf of myself and my students we thank you very much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Ying