Past projects 8
Shabby to Chic Portable Makeover Project!
Funded Sep 23, 2021First, thank you so much for your contribution and the part you played in getting this project funded. As educators and students continue to navigate school post (and actually current) COVID, it has tested our adaptability and truly shown the resilience that those in the education field have.
Second, this project has provided a warm and welcoming place for students to come and receive additional support, a safe place, and an area to be creative. These materials also allowed me to create a space that I loved and enjoy being in. I strongly feel that the more comfortable you are in a setting, the higher your productivity is (not just myself but students as well!).
Third, as a teacher, this year has been hard. It is my 10th year teaching and without a doubt the hardest so far. This project reminded me how grateful I am to be in a field where little things (most of the time unknowingly) can change a persons day or make an impact that can last a lifetime. Thank you for giving me encouragement in the form of materials that allowed me to create a space that I love going to everyday!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 8 other donors.Readin' Today. Leadin' Tomorrow!
Funded Jul 24, 2018I can't lie a lot of these items made my job a little easier...in the sense, that I didn't have to scour Teachers Pay Teachers for fluency reads and partner activities or roam the Internet for age appropriate games. These items, aside from the timer and storage boxes, are all used by the kids and just the kids. Thankfully, I am able to benefit from the timer and storage boxes to help my slight OCD in having everything organized (like 500 sight word cards!) and my station groups timed with warnings to help the kids get ready for change!
This project impacts kids from grade 2 all the way to 5th grade. The partner reading cards with comprehension questions are loved by the 5th graders that I work with. That activity alone works on engagement, self-monitoring, active listening, and social skills.
My second grade students are big fans of the Interactive Gameshow that focuses on phonics which is one of the foundations for reading. (Secret: even the struggling 5th graders love this game!)
All in all, this was one of my most used and largest reaching projects I have had funded on Donor's Choose. So many grade levels and diverse students benefit from all the items that were able to be purchased thanks to literally 2 donors. To close, thank you from the bottoms of all our hearts for making learning a little more fun!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
Education Express!
Funded Mar 27, 2018The past year of my teaching life has been full of changes!! I moved to a new school and a new position for the 2018-2019 school year. I'm so excited to really get into this new position and the biggest bonus is that this project won't just be helping and supported one grade level but FOUR grade levels. My new position is the ESE resource teacher and I work with second to fifth grade.
This project made the move to a new school so much more organized and it was super exciting to be able to set up all the supplies from the project in my new classroom. Everyday I have students that are able to use working headphones for the computer and the Kindle; where they play games that build their sight word recognition and reading fluency! I am able to provide them an incredibly organized library that is easy for them to use and keep organized!
The sit spots have been classroom management miracles! Each group that comes into my room has already gotten into the routine of going directly to a sit spot to begin our lessons. It keeps them far enough away from each to not play around and it also keeps them in order while I remind them to sit 'Criss, Cross, like a Boss!'.
My trusty Friday Folder routine is still intake with the purchase of the communication folders!! Side note...they are the most sturdy folders I have every had!!! I can't wait to use them for years to come! I'm sure I'm leaving off things but from the bottom of my heart and all my students curious minds, we thank you so much for your generosity and help in make this project happen!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 3 other donors.Let's Vote!
Funded Aug 7, 2016Hello all!
I waited to write this letter until closer to the election and after I had a chance to use all the amazing things that were purchased through this project! Let me tell you, the students LOVED this unit!!
You can always tell how a student's parents or guardians are going to vote because the student comes in and shares 'their' vote with the world! The main purpose of the unit was to explain the process of elections and the importance of taking part in this process. My students learned more than just who our current candidates are and what it means to go vote; they learned the how's and why's of the election process. They learned what candidates have to do to even become candidates. They learned the responsibilities of these government positions that we vote on. They learned how they can become president one day and who they will have to work with in that position. In truth, it was a learning experience for ALL of us; even I learned some facts that I did not know before!!
They love letting their voice be heard and this project really showed them how to get their opinions out their and how important it is to be aware of the responsibility Americans have within voting! Our president might not be eliminating fish tacos from our cafeteria but my students learned that voting is a way to make your voice heard and make changes that they wish to happen actually happen!
This project gave us an amazing opportunity to step back from the rigors and academic pushes and really learn about something that makes America unique and amazing! Don't worry, I also covered about four social studies standards as well :) and in the end my class still voted for their teacher for president!! My opponents were Duck and Grace, so I consider this unit a WIN!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and 3 other donors.Oodles, Noddles, Odds, and Ends!
Funded Dec 2, 2015Donors Choose and the generosity that is shown through it never ceases to amaze me!! This project was not only for my students but for items that I personally use! At the young age that my students are it is so important for them to be surrounded by a welcoming environment that feels as close to a safe home as I can get it! The things that I have been able to add to my classroom have made my classroom even more stimulating and print-rich! The visuals alone increase students engagement and as they explore the signs and posters they are reading!!! My stations have gotten an adorable overhaul as I have been able to add fun stations that I can print and laminate myself ensuring they will last for many years and be used by countless students!
So my students and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your contribution and the additions you have supplied to our classroom! We love you for your generosity!!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
Bonkers for Books!
Funded Oct 22, 2014I was so excited when this project got funded, and to say my student's were excited when we started receiving the books is an understatement. I was blessed with a class that loves to read and has such a thirst for knowledge. These books have already been used multiple times by me and then more by the students themselves. My entire class is obsessed with I Want My Monster by Amanda Noll and just this week I used it to teach the comprehension skill of inferring. This is such a tricky skill for the younger students to learn but that book contains such vivid words that paint an amazing picture for the reader that the students grasped inferring quicker than I believe they would have using our curriculum series reader. Because of this project, I have not one student complain when library is their station they go to during our reading block. My students that finish their work early no longer color or cause disruptions but instead they go and choose a book (almost always from this project) to read quietly at their seats. As a teacher, and avid reader, this makes my heart happy. Thank you again and again for your generous contributions. They have made such a positive impact in our classroom this year. We love you so much for your generosity!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
We're Here to Learn, Please Make It FUN!
Funded Jan 24, 2014I began to miss my students at the end of spring break and it got me thinking of how much they mean to me and how important their education is; not just to me personally as a job, but to the future of America. Donor's Choose is an amazing resource and I can not say thank you enough for the resources I have received from donors through this wonderful site.
To begin, my students were elated and curious as soon as I informed them of the new materials our class would be receiving. Prior to this Donor's Choose request, my literacy games station consisted mainly of word building and some literacy geared Go Fish games, left in my room by a former teacher! I would say it was mildly boring and I am sure my students would have agreed. It is hard to learn when you are 1. not interested in the activity and 2. not actively engaged. My children were beyond excited to see the new stations as I introduced them and taught them how to use each 'game'. I watch them now and see how much fun they are having playing the games; but even more than that they are LEARNING!!! Sometimes learning is best achieved through indirect instruction...or in this case games!
My students LOVE going to the literacy games station now. Their favorite game is the Word Whiz. As a teacher, I love this game because it can be leveled according to the students personal level and it provides correct feedback immediate. This keeps the child engaged and limits their frustration while allowing success. It also shows them immediately the correct way to form the word using the chunk given. My students work in pairs and they each have a Word Whiz, normally they team up to see how many word they can make! They absolutely love the successful feeling this game provides and I can see the accomplishment and pride in their eyes as they bring me the score from a round.
This project gave me a way to level my literacy stations and allow me to meet all my students needs, instead of just being able to provide for one level. I am able to put out games as they correlate to what we are learning in our curriculum. The games are so student friendly that I find myself spending less time correcting that station and more time focusing on the small group that I normally have at my back table with me. I can see my children learning from all these resources and see their absolute excitement as they bring me a completed literacy puzzle, results from their Word Whiz round, or who won during a game of sight word Popcorn!
Again from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your selfless donation to our fabulous first grade class!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour
We <3 2 Add, We Really Do, And More Supplies Would Help Us 2
Funded Apr 15, 2013To say time got away from me, with the end of the school year, cleaning classrooms, grades, and unexpected illness, is an understatement. So let me go back to when my students first learned we were getting new math stations! Excitement is something that comes so readily to children and they were beyond excited. They had so many questions and one of the very first ones was when do we get to use them! This makes me so happy because they are excited to use these new materials you have so generously provided but it makes me even more happy that they will be learning from these items. Cool, awesome, I LOVE it!, can I try?, can we do math stations all day? were just some of the questions and comments my students expressed.
My students were able to use all the resources since we received them later in the year. The materials solidified concepts they had previously been exposed to; along with providing additional practices for every students- not just the ones that need more practice! I am so excited to introduce and implement these stations and materials next year with my future students! Lucky for my students the end of the year provided more free time that usual for them so I was able to give them more time than usual to explore and use all the materials. It was great!
This project gave me the push I needed to finish the year strong. The enthusiasm my students showed did not just end with them but carried over to my teaching. I was ready to go back to old things we had covered and reteach in a different way, I was excited to show my students how to work at each station and use the new materials! I felt like a kid getting to play with them and show them how to play this really cool game (that secretly was teaching them more math)! Overall, I am so thankful to those who donated to this project. Teaching is so rewarding but sometimes little gifts like this go a long way in more than one life- not just mine but all of my 17 first grades from this year and the tons of future ones I will have over the years and be able to use these resources and materials with. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! You guys are wonderful and we love you ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Obenour