Past projects 28
A Fighting Chance
Funded Sep 10, 2017When I first heard about the opportunity to acquire Albert for my students, my first thoughts were one of relief. I have been grappling for a few years now on how best to help my kids with the SAT. Every year, I try to add something new to my curriculum that I believe would make a difference, but for the past few years, I still felt as if I couldn't really affect significant change on a student-by-student basis. Then the email from Donors came into my inbox, and an opportunity to truly help my kids individually came along.
We are fifteen weeks into the school year, and my kids have been using Albert for about ten of those weeks. Every week they see progress in how they tackle a reading, how they tackle a question, and how they tackle their insecurities about the SAT. You did that for them, and I am forever grateful. Thank you for giving them a fighting chance.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous donor and 2 other donors.The Sound of Learning
Funded Aug 1, 2017We have finally started to use the headphones in the classroom, and I want you all to know that the sound in the classroom is chilling - silence with a spatter of clicking from the keyboards. When I look around, all I see are engaged kids in different stages of learning. Some are going through the documentary with no problems, while others are stopping and rewinding until they understand the claim of the piece. But the point is, all of them are going to learn the material.
Thank you for bringing this into the classroom. I am excited at the possibilities. I could use the headphones when I give them a project where they have to create a multimedia presentation. I can use them when they need a recap of the lesson the day before, without having to hold back the entire class. I can use them for that student who has a visual impairment and needs the audio of a story to truly understand it. This flexibility will make all the difference in my class.
Again, my heartfelt thanks!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
Out With the Old, In With the New
Funded Feb 23, 2017What a difference a week makes! Truly! Last week, I was constantly moving my old cart back and front to try to calibrate it with the smartboard. The cord refused to catch hold, and I had to pull it out and reinsert it with the hope that it connects my laptop to the projector so I could access the smartboard. But life has changed with the arrival of your two gifts.
The new cart looks great and functional. The best part? It does not wobble and maintains a straight line so the calibration to the smartboard is seamless. Once set at the beginning of the period, I do not have to set it again until the bell. Bliss! The new cord is also making lessons flow at a better pace. The laptop, projector, and board is connected now with no trouble.
I pace my lessons for each period so that I can use the entire class time with fruition. Having to stop for calibration was starting to degrade the level of learning done in the classroom. I want to give you all my deepest thanks for your donation. It is a big relief not to have to worry about technology breaking down during a lesson.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
Got Ink?
Funded Sep 13, 2016First, I would like to thank the donors for their patience; I know this letter took a long time in coming. The printer did indeed arrive a couple of weeks after you funded the project, but when I took it out of the box to install, I discovered that it was broken. Returning the broken printer, getting credit issued, and ordering a new one turned out to be a lengthy process. I am glad to report that I received the new printer at the beginning of this week, and the kids have started to use it in class.
Again, I want to give you all my sincere thanks for funding this project. I am relieved that the kids will have access to it for their assignments, for their essays, and for their projects. I have already had a few kids marvel at the fact that it is a colored printer - when most printers on this campus are the basic black and white. It has given their projects a whole new dimension. I love that the ink, even the colored ink, is affordable enough so I can keep it supplied for the kids. Such a simple gift from you, but a poignant impact on my kids.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
Empower Students Through Art: The Magic of an iPad
Funded Mar 12, 2016It surprises me how much one piece of technology can make such a difference in the classroom. Your generous donation gifted me with one mini iPad. Many would wonder as to just how useful this can be in learning. There are also those who believe that this is meant to be the "teacher's toy." But that is not the case.
I want you all to know that this stays in the classroom, and it never goes home with me. This only has apps downloaded into it that can be used for enrichment, never for social media purposes. This is also being used as a better gateway to parents as a form of communication. I am astounded at how versatile it has become.
I would like to share one of the projects we have already completed. I have been using an app called Plickers in the classroom. It is basically a way for me to ascertain students' knowledge using cards and the iPad. The pictures I sent says it all. First, we learn the material. Then, I hand out the cards to the kids. I can then test them on their understanding of the said material. I post a question, and they hold up the side of the card with their answer. I then scan their answers with the iPad. The results are quick, and I can re-teach a lesson if need be.
This is just one way the iPad has made a difference. I have a few upcoming projects coming up (making a movie trailer of the play) that I am excited about. Thank you for bringing that back into the classroom. Learning can be fun; studying can be fun.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 3 other donors.Enter the World of Huxley
Funded Feb 12, 2016The books arrived last Wednesday and already the class is asking if they can read more. Chapter one was pretty intense, and chapter two began to question their thinking (especially since I pointed out that what Huxley spelled out in his version of utopia has been tried in the world already.) We are about to venture into chapter three, which will make them squirm and question just how perfect this society is.
Thank you for bringing this wonderful resource into my classroom! This class needed a challenging piece of literature to sink their teeth into, and this novel is working out great. We are about to be introduced to the couple in the novel, which will ask them to view relationships and what it takes to keep it alive. Then, we will be journeying into an area in this society that bans individualism. I can just imagine the discussions we will have. These are ideas they need to be exposed to, especially as seniors, for the real world is coming sooner than they realize. I am glad to be able to provide a safe place for them to have these discussions. Hopefully, it will result in making them great citizens in the future.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
The Power of the Written Word
Funded Nov 24, 2015Today was a good day in the classroom. Today was the day I checked out the New SAT Power Plus to my 11th graders. Today, they thought they just might have a fighting chance to get through the newly designed SAT.
Let me demonstrate just how motivated my kids are in doing better in their studies. I gave them two options on how to integrate this book into their curriculum. They could either work on the book in between our units of study, which would only give them access to the first five lessons before the end of the year. Their second option was to do the lessons every other week, on top of their existing lessons. That would add an extra 20 words to their vocabulary lists to be tested at the end of the week, as well as give them extra work on grammar and reading four nights a week. They chose the latter!
Students don't take on extra work willingly, but they rise to the occasion when they know that the extra work could only benefit their futures. What your donation has done is to provide them with the materials they need to complete that extra work with rigor and structure.
I am proud of their attitudes and their determination. I hope that they can make you proud as well when they succeed in taking their SAT at the end of the year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
Give the Gift of Reading Great Literature
Funded Aug 19, 2015I started this novel with an introduction to Afghanistan and the religion of Islam. It was a slight introduction, as I wanted them to learn more about the culture through the author's words. And that is just what they did. Chapter after chapter, they started to make the protagonists, Amir and Hassan, part of their circle. They were two boys that we became familiar with - we learned about their religion, about their social classes, their childhood in a country so far removed from the United States. We flew a kite with them, wept with them when tragedy struck, ran from the Taliban with them.
I assigned the readings at home so that we could discuss and analyze those chapters in class the following day. Every day, without fail, the students would trickle in with a comment about last night's reading. "Ms. Serrano, how could he do that to him?" "Ms. Serrano, can we talk about what happened in chapter 6?" "Ms. Serrano, I wanted to read ahead!" We discussed until the bell rang to signal the end of the period; some days we even discussed past the bell because they could not wait to continue the discussion tomorrow. I can honestly say that they have never clung to a novel before. As an English teacher, this is what we live for - kids excited by a book; kids moved emotionally by a book. Thank you for giving us all this gift.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
The Kind of Writing That Counts
Funded Aug 24, 2015We have just completed the first unit in the workbook, and the difference in my students' essays were noticeable. It was such a heartening thing to witness in the classroom. The workbook took them through the entire writing process (focusing on informational essays) - beginning with how to annotate the text, how to pull evidence from it, how to write an effective outline (organizational purposes), and how to move from drafts to the final essay. While I already teach these processes as part of their English curriculum, the change with the workbooks was that a single topic was presented throughout the entire unit. I did not have to create different worksheets; they were already available in the workbook. Even better, when one or two of the kids were absent, they could catch up with the task easier as they could follow the workbook, while I taught the next step to the class.
I also liked that the sources provided were up to date and of high interest to the students. They were definitely more attentive and more engaged in the writing process. When I asked them, at the end of the unit, what they thought of the workbooks, many of them asked why they did not access it before. They felt they obtained more clarity into their own writing after just a single unit.
Needless to say I am excited for the next unit, especially since there is already a "buy-in" from the kids. Thank you so much for making both of our lives more productive. You have helped me become a better teacher, and my students to become better writers.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano
Better Writers for Tomorrow
Funded Nov 23, 2014From the pictures I posted, you can see that my students have started to utilize the materials you all so generously funded. My juniors are filled with images of college in their minds, excited for the future that awaits them. One of the challenges they will come across will be writing - college writing in particular. This set of books, College Career and Readiness in Writing, has helped them improve that aspect of their academic life. Not only does it give information for the essay task to be learned, but it goes through the writing process using actual student writing - from generating ideas, to the outline, to the drafts, and to the final product. They can follow a student's journey and see how that student made their writing more effective with each stage of the writing process. As a teacher I appreciate that it comes with a rubric, so the kids know how a particular essay will be evaluated. There are not many teacher's resources that do that. Overall, this project has helped both my students and me. Thank you so much for your commitment to education!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Michelle Serrano