Past projects 25
Empowered Learners: Visible Learning with Student Tutorials and Digital Portfolios
Funded Mar 27, 2018With your generosity, you've opened so many avenues of creativity for my students. First and foremost, they are planning and executing their own tutorials to help their classmates with difficult math concepts. They are collaborating on the concepts and working as a team to record and publish the tutorials.
Another project, they love to work on is reflecting on their writing pieces and giving each other peer feedback. After they take a picture of the before and after work, students talk through their process with a partner. They discuss what worked well for them and what they need to do better next time. Using the SeeSaw app, students record their feedback conversation as part of their digital portfolio. This gives students who are apprehensive about talking in front of the class an opportunity to have their voices be heard.
Thank you again for all the opportunities made possible through your kindness.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple.Empowering Learning with Student Tutorials
Funded Mar 23, 2018It is amazing the excitement and engagement two iPads can bring to a classroom! My students are working together to describe the process of doing specific tasks and showing what they've learned from the lesson. They are modeling the correct way to conduct themselves in different situations, like in book clubs, partnerships, as well as explaining their learning to students from other classes. The students take pictures and videos of each other doing this work to add to their tutorials and portfolios. It's amazing the work they're doing!
Thank you for giving my students a chance to show what they know in an authentic way. It is truly amazing what they can do when they are given the opportunity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 7 other donors.Students Helping Students
Funded Dec 31, 2017It is amazing the excitement and engagement two iPads and cases can bring to a classroom! My students are having so much fun helping each other! During math class, their learning is coming alive--literally!! First, they plan out a math concept they want to teach to other students on paper by talking and collaborating with other students in the class. When their plan is complete, they take the iPad into a cozy corner and teach their hearts out! The final product is a math tutorial that can be used by other students in our class! The tutorials are posted in Google Classroom and students can access them at home and school!!
Thank you for giving my students a chance to show what they know in an authentic way. It is truly amazing what they can do when they are given the opportunity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Cards Against Humanity and 5 other donors.Keepin' Current: Building Reading Skills One Magazine at a Time
Funded Aug 12, 2017Thank you so much for your generous donations! My students absolutely love their subscriptions to the Time for Kids Magazines! They enjoy looking through them and learning about events that are happening all over the world! They even pick their favorite articles, carefully read through the texts using close reading strategies, and write about them!
We are going to continue to use the magazines for close reading as we move into our non-fiction units by identifying key vocabulary, text features, text structures, and using the main idea and key details to summarize. The students are excited to move into the unit and use the Time for Kids articles as mentor texts for their informative writing pieces!
My students and I truly appreciate all that you have done to help make this project come to life!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Tom's of Maine and 18 other donors.Poppin' Podcasts
Funded May 18, 2016I cannot thank you enough for your generosity to my classroom! It was such a surprise to see that someone would go above and beyond to give us such a wonderful gift! The Mac Book Pro computer and Snowball microphone are helping my students improve their reading and writing! During our last writing piece, I had the students create a podcast of their first version. They used this as a reflection piece. As they listened to themselves on the podcast, they were able to hear where they wanted to improve the writing and their fluency when reading. This project had amazing results--all my students grew in their writing! The daunting task of revising was suddenly brought to life! The tools that we used helped them truly re-envision their pieces in new ways. Your support made all of this happen. I am truly grateful for what you've given my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
Building Responsibilty Through Financial Literacy
Funded Sep 13, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donations! With your donations, my classroom was able to start up its own classroom economy. Each student filled out a job application and chose the jobs of interest to them. Through doing their jobs, the students receive paychecks! They also earn classroom cash by showing that they are ready with their materials, having role model behavior, and receiving compliments from other teachers. The students keep track of their deposits and withdrawals {for fines or to buy items} in their notebooks! The children are learning the value of money, how to earn it, and the importance of keeping track of what you have in order to buy coveted items! Thank you for helping me teach such valuable life lessons!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Experian and 3 other donors.Let's Get Current...Making Connections While Learning
Funded Oct 17, 2015Thank you for your generous donations! With these donations, my class was able to get a yearly subscription to Scholastic News {grade 4 edition} and an all-in-one printer with a copier! My students love reading the Scholastic News articles and learning about the current events happening in the world. They choose an article and complete a current events assignment, which integrates science, social studies, reading, and writing. The students enjoy being able to choose from a variety of high-interest, colorful texts! The copier has added a new level of parental engagement into the classroom. When parents would like copies of their child's work, I'm able to get it to them without hesitation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by ConEdison and 4 other donors.Creating a Collaborative Classroom
Funded Oct 17, 2015Thank you for your generous donations that helped get a brand new carpet and side tables for my classroom library. This area in the classroom has easily become the favorite place to sit! Everyone wants to lounge on the fluffy, gray carpet and spread out to lean on comfortable pillows. During lessons, my students are fully engaged while sitting on the carpet and looking up at the SmartBoard. During small groups, the students collaborate and participate on the tasks at hand. There is a new level of engagement in the room! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
Kickstart Critical Thinking With STEM
Funded Jun 14, 2015Thank you so much for your generous donations! We are loving the new headphones, listening center organizers, and the STEM kits. The students look forward to going on the computer to listen books that match our curriculum, as well as researching new topics that match the activities in the STEM kits.
The STEM kits are great hands-on learning centers. My students love the the project where they can create a structure and see how it withstands an earthquake. They are able to discuss different options for the structures and problem solve when the structure falls down. It has increased engagement and collaboration within the classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 4 other donors.Help Unlock 21st Century Skills with new Chromebooks
Funded Apr 24, 2013The Chromebooks have been an excellent addition to our classroom. When I first showed my students the generous gifts that were given to us, they were in awe at the kindness of others. The climate in the room has changed--they want to help others the way you have helped us!
In the classroom, we've been using the Chromebooks in so many ways! We have technology stations in reading and math (where students can practice the skills taught). We use the Chromebooks to launch our class website, which has lots of resources for the students to use. The students use the Chromebooks to research the topics we are studying in social studies and science. They use the information to create projects, provide evidence for and question the new ideas they're learning about (as linked to the Common Core Standards), as well as work with others to go beyond the curriculum.
One of the keys to student learning is engagement. The Chromebooks bring engagement to a whole new level--the students love to work on them and their excitement permeates throughout the day! They also love that they don't have to wait for or get kicked off the Internet because of old, outdated computers. They enjoy every minute they spend on the Chromebooks--and work doesn't seem like work :)
Thank you, once again, for your kindness and generosity--the Chromebooks have brought a new dimension of teaching and learning within my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Ormsbee