Mrs. Williams' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 13

• Plug into Learning

  Funded Dec 2, 2016

  Thank you so much for your generous donations that have provided our classroom with a new laptop. This laptop is changing the way I am teaching by allowing my students access to real world situations, videos and learning websites. On our old school appointed laptop we would wait for what felt like days for videos to load. Sometimes we would stop to take an activity break with a favorite get active video and the website would fail to load so we would be stuck or have to wait until later. One of my favorite ways the technology is impacting our learning is in conjunction with our UNICEF Kid Power Bands. Our classroom was selected to partner with UNICEF this year by wearing activity tracker bracelets to earn activity points that we can collect and help send nutritious food to children around the world in need. This laptop helps us track our progress, update our bands, and go on "missions" to places like Haiti where we learn about children that are overcoming obstacles to healthy living and being change makers in their community.

  Unfortunately it seems like the provided technology in our building is not keeping up with the current era. By the time my students will graduate from high school and college most jobs will require at least entry level computer programming knowledge. This year I am piloting a computer science curriculum in our building that is laying the foundation for a future in a digital world. Thank you for supporting us and giving me this tool to be a relevant teacher for my students. We so appreciate you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.

• Creative Coders

  Funded Sep 2, 2016

  Thank you so much for supplying these computer science teaching materials for our classroom. My students have learned the basic concepts of computer programming on code.org and with these resources we will move into our computer science unit on robotics. Students will learn about the capabilities of robots in our world and will be able to program their own robots "Dot" and "Dash" to complete missions in our classroom. The robot mouse will allow us to work in centers to engage with different types of robots in small groups. Many of my students are "technology consumers" when they play video games or visit learning websites, but one of our goals in teaching computer science is to help students view themselves as "technologies creators" as we use technology in our classroom to program robots and solve real world problems.

  I am especially proud of my students that are performing below grade level in other subject areas but are flourishing in computer science. Students are articulating their thought processes with complex vocabulary and detail because of their high level of interest in the content. I am seeing their hard work translate into other domains as they learn to be persistent to solve challenges even if it takes multiple attempts to solve a difficult problem. Thank you for investing in our future problem solvers and allowing them the opportunity to learn these complicated skills at such a young age. We so appreciate your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Super Supplies

  Funded Aug 25, 2016

  Dear Donors,

  Thank you so much for contributing these much needed school supplies to our classroom. In the beginning of the school year it is so important that we set up routines for organization in order to maximize our learning time. The class set of plastic folders are used daily to transport homework, notes, and learning website log ins to and from school. Providing the best education for my students requires that I find efficient ways to communicate with families and this folder is an important vessel that helps all of stay informed and allows us to work together towards accomplishing goals. My 3rd graders are able to practice responsibility and take ownership over their learning with this simple tool. We also use the lanyards daily to organize our responsibilities during group work and stay safe in our school as well as out of our building on field trips.

  My students were so excited to receive their new science journal and they are able to record observations about our science experiments. I love seeing them collaborate with each other to discuss their noticings and share the work in their journals with their classmates. I would not be able to do my job with such efficiency without your generosity. Thank you from us all.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.

• Let's Get Organized

  Funded Aug 20, 2015

  My students love their new personalized book baggies and paper organizers. I love investing my students in reading good books at the beginning of the year and these materials helped me to inspire them to visit our classroom, school, and local libraries to collect good books. They loved decorating their bags in class with their favorite words and characters from their favorite stories. The file folders and paper organizer help us to stay organized and locate our classroom materials quickly.

  Many of my students love to read, but are currently reading significantly below their grade level. I view my job as an educator to support them as growing readers, but also to improve their academic behaviors, such as organization, so that they can reach their big ELA goals for the school year. The book bags will both encourage them to find new books as well as keep them protected and organized in their desks and backpacks.

  We are so thankful for your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Organization to Save Hands and Headaches

  Funded Dec 27, 2013

  Thank you so much friends for your gracious support of my classroom and students. This year has been a year full of transitions as we shift to the new Common Core learning standards in an attempt to better prepare our students for the college and career expectations of the future. My students and families have been more than a little shocked by the new sets of standards, however they are rising to the occasion as champions and are demonstrating grit, persistence and resiliency as they practice the critical thinking skills that will ensure their success in their academic futures. I am so proud of them, and we are so thankful for your help.

  The materials you contributed towards in my classroom allowed me to prepare new materials that will last into the future with the laminating machine. I am able to differentiate student materials including student friendly rubrics and centers materials that are more durable, saving me time and creating common materials for all my students to use. Thank you as well for the paper cutter. You have saved me so much time and helped me maintain an organized classroom. The time saved has translated into more instructional time for my students.

  Thank you again for your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Creative Critical Thinking

  Funded Jan 26, 2014

  Thank you so much for the learning games you helped to contribute to my classroom. My students were so excited to use these games on a daily basis, especially towards the end of the school year. It was so fun for me to watch them use the knowledge about math and ELA that they learned this year and then apply it in a fun setting with their peers. My students are learning positive social skills and how to regulate their own behavior through play. They especially love the game Blurt and Battleship. They are learning how to read and follow directions. I am so impressed with their improved vocabulary, and interest in the academic subject matter. They are seeing concepts in new and exciting ways. Thank you again for your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Rockstar Researchers

  Funded Feb 8, 2014

  Thank you so much for sending these exciting microscopes for my little scientists. Our reading curriculum includes a unit that looks closely at the 7 Kingdoms, which was a new topic for most of my 3rd graders this year. These microscopes allowed my students to actively participate in their learning. It brought the material off the pages of our nonfiction books and became alive in our classroom. I am so blessed to work with such bright and creative students, and because of your generosity I am better able to address the many types of learners in my classroom. We are learning so much about science materials and equipment, proper handling, and using language to describe materials on a microscopic level. I cannot thank you enough.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• Leaping Readers

  Funded Dec 7, 2012

  Thank you for your generous donation to our classroom. I am working hard to develop a classroom of differentiated instruction for my students with disabilities, and these learning games allow my students and I to be the most productive with our time. Students are able to spend the appropriate amount of remidial practice time on literacy and math instruction while I work with small groups. Many of my students are curious and creative but struggle to learn new concepts in a whole class setting. For this reason, much of my day is spent in small group and center type instruction. Learning games such as these Leapster games allow us to stay engaged and interested in the content.

  My students love the games themselves because they are fun and the characters are familiar. My students are practicing their math facts as well practicing grade level high frequency words. These skills are important to the content I am teaching them in first grade and speed up their reading and math abilities. When these basic facts become memorized, it allows them more time and energy to learn new content.

  We so appreciate your generosity. Thank you for helping us learn to be curious life long learners.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• You're Never Finished

  Funded Oct 22, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous support of my students and classroom. We are so excited to listen to our new books on tape and practice our phonemic awareness on the Leapsters. Most of my students are unable to read independently and these books on CD will allow my kids to have access to grade level texts. I am excited to see the looks on their faces when we discover new books to add to our growing library.

  My students learn best in small groups and the Leapsers will allow me to move seamlessly between small groups and trust that while students are not working with me they will still be practicing new skills and learning how to work independently.

  I love being a teacher because of the joy my students express every day when they learn new things and your support allows me to be the best teacher that my students deserve.

  Thank you again.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

• My Community Through My Lens

  Funded Sep 1, 2012

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom and my students. These cameras are going to make our social studies unit on communities really come to life for my young learners. I am excited to watch them take responsibility for learning about their community and to document this learning experiences with Polaroid images. Many of my students are language deficient and learn best from hands on experiences and visual cues. These Polaroids will allow me to deliver a unit that students will remember and internalize and hopefully encourage them to take an active role as a member of their community.

  I am so grateful for your support.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Williams

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 4 other donors.