Past projects 5
Flexible Seating for Engaging STEM Learning!
Funded Sep 19, 2017Thank you for your incredibly generous donations to our flexible seating and stem learning project. My students were overjoyed when our new boxes of materials arrived. We started implementing the new flexible seating options right away. We couldn't open the boxes fast enough! There were screams of joy, lots of clapping, and tremendous cheers! Many of my students had never seen so many 'gifts' all at once, and were completely in awe that they were for them!
It has been an interesting experience watching the students tryout different seating options. Some students were certain that they were going to love the stools, however ended up loving the wobble seats instead, or vice versa. Each child now has the option of how he or she would like to work. We are using high tables, low tables, no tables - wobble seats and clip boards, or standing tables. By allowing the students to have a choice, they have begun to show a more vested interest in how they prefer to complete assignments. Implementing flexible seating in my classroom has really changed the way my students approach their work.
We absolutely our new stem tools as well! I love to watch the students collaborating and sharing ideas about what to build and how to build it. There is a lot of trial and error, sharing of ideas, and collaborative communication. The students have worked together to engineer cars, buildings, towers, 3-dimensional shapes, and an abundance of other creative designs. By allowing the students time to work together in collaborative teams, we have really been able to create a classroom of innovators where everyone is able to participate and have shared success. We are incredibly grateful to have received such wonderful learning tools. We thank you for your generosity and for supporting our classroom, as well as public education.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoder
Savvy First Graders Love Learning with iPads!
Funded Jan 8, 2015I cannot fully express my deep gratitude to each of you for helping to support my classroom and students with this generous gift of two iPads. Many of my students do not have iPads at home and have always wanted to have the opportunity to learn, play, and explore using this type of technology. My first grade students were thrilled when our new iPads arrived. They couldn't wait to get their hands on them!
I've loaded our new iPads with a variety of learning applications that cover basic and advanced math skills, reading and comprehension activities, spelling, phonics, science skills, and social studies. Having recently finish a social studies unit on U.S. symbols and presidents, my students are absolutely obsessed with an application called, Stack the States, in which they are learning state and presidential facts. My students have also learned how to take photos and make a basic slide show. The integration of iPads has also become a tool of motivation for some students. For example, when students complete their work in a timely manner, they may have additional iPad time. The use of iPads has also encouraged and supported peer cooperation and respecting space.
Thank you for taking a vested interest in our classroom and student learning. Your generosity has brightened the little faces of my students. We have enjoyed utilizing our iPads in a variety of ways, as learning with iPads is a special treat. Without your generous support, I would not have been able to provide these new learning tools to my students. Our new iPads will continue to be enjoyed not only by my current students, but also my future students for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoder
Cozy Up and Read...Literacy Technology
Funded Oct 18, 2013Thank you for the generous donations to our classroom project, Cozy Up and Read! My students are overjoyed with the gift of new listening centers, books, and CDs. Listening to books aloud promotes literacy. During listening center time, students practice one-to-one correspondence, listen to a variety of stories, learn new vocabulary, practice reading skills, and most importantly, listen to a fantastic selection of literature.
Students may visit the listening center posts during instructional center time and when they have completed their classroom writing assignments. There is one main listening center located at the front of the classroom, equipped with 6 headsets to accommodate up to six students that want to listen to the same story. There are four additional listening posts set up along the perimeter of the classroom for students that would like to listen to a story independently. Having multiple listening posts gives my students the opportunity to move around the classroom and find a location that works best for his/her needs and interests.
My students are excited about reading! They have all demonstrated tremendous reading growth this school year. It is important to have a broad selection of reading material, picture books, and technology available to students in order to keep them engaged and continually learning. Thank you for supporting our literacy technology project and for your donation of books, headsets, and CD players. Your kindness and generosity has touched the hearts and minds of my students and myself.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoder
First Graders Hungry for Technology Software
Funded Nov 2, 2012I cannot fully express my gratitude for your generosity in funding our class project, First Graders Hungry for Technology Software. My students and I are very grateful to have been funded for this project. Technology plays an important roll in education today and it is my responsibility, as an educator, to help my students gain knowledge about technology, how it works, and how it can support their learning experience.
When our box arrived from Lakeshore Learning, you could feel the excitement in the air! My students cheered and clapped every time I pulled a new software CD-R from the box. We have played nearly all of the 'games' (multi-media learning and curriculum enhancing technologies). My students have enjoyed learning with these interactive tools both individually and as a team.
Currently, our class is learning about coins: values and combinations. The money and cents software is a favorite among all of my students. We have also explored several CD-Rs that have supported rhyming, vocabulary, and spelling skills. In the next few weeks, we will move on to science: life cycles. I have the All About Life Science Activities CD-R sitting next to the SmartBoard and it is creating a lot of anticipation. My students cannot wait to experience our next learning tool.
Thank you for taking a vested interest in public education and specifically my classroom and students. Your generosity has touched their hearts and mine. My first graders could not believe that someone that they have never met cared enough to send them all of these tools to help and encourage their learning experience in first grade. Without your generosity and donations, I would not have been able to provide my students with these fantastic, fun, and educational tools.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoder
Imagine, Explore, Create!
Funded Oct 22, 2012My students and I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations to our Imagine, Create, Explore art project. We have had a wonderful time exploring all of the materials and have been busy creating beautiful works of art.
It was truly as amazing sight when I brought in the boxes of materials generously donated by you. My students' little faces were lit with excitement and anticipation as I pulled one exciting new art tool after another from the boxes of supplies. I wish that I could have recorded their reactions for you to see first hand how your donations have touched the little hearts of my first graders. We created beautiful scarecrow oil pastel and watercolor art and wrote stories about how we imagined a scarecrow would spend his/her day. My students wrote darling stories with wonderful details about their scarecrows.
It is very rewarding to see my students blossom and grow when they are given the time to create and use their imaginations with visual arts. Thank you for the art supplies and for encouraging my students to be creative.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Yoder