Past projects 79
STEM-ming From Curiosity
Funded Dec 4, 2022This project has made an incredible impact on our STEM time! The students would generally make boxes and towers with the original set. But the new additions have inspired them to include houses with separate rooms, staircases, bunkers, and more! There are enough magnet blocks that 10-12 students can use them at once, increasing the need for communication, planning, sharing, distributing, and so on. The students are using their verbal skills and making a much bigger effort to be understood by classmates.
Not every project pans out as successfully as predicted, but this one has gone above and beyond my expectations! I can't believe the change in such a short amount of time. I am so truly grateful for your generosity and thoughtfulness. You make learning so much more engaging!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
Showing Pride
Funded Aug 9, 2022Thank you for your help in promoting self-esteem and pride in students. We have the chains hung up in the back of the class. Once per week, we present a tag or bead to students who have earned them. Students love to look at the tags they collected and show them off to friends!
They do not take them home, but we take pictures to send over ClassDojo so parents can see their progress.
Students earn tags for reading sight words, books, and tests. They can earn them for basic life skills such as memorizing phone numbers and addresses or tying shoes. Their successes are clearly visible for reinforcement!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 7 other donors.Keeping Safe
Funded Jul 25, 2022These bins are perfect for student access! They sit on the floor so items don't topple on students when they open them. Plus, since they are individual drawers and not part of a single unit, students are able to take the entire bin to an area that is separate enough for them to interact freely. The drawers are big enough for students to be able to put their items away quickly and with little difficulty.
These drawers give students independence and freedom to access the materials they need. Our school is also creating a "Makers Space" in a separate room so that all of first grade will have access to the STEM materials! That's 150 students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and one other donor.Center of Attention
Funded Jul 10, 2022This project is a raging success! Students love being able to use dry-erase markers and magnets in place of worksheets. It also allows them to move around and adds another station for centers for smaller groups. The smaller groups allows students more practice and opportunities for learning. This is easily scaffolded for different abilities.
Students are able to use this center to practice language arts, math, science, and social emotional learning! I am able to incorporate many of the tools I have received from donors over the years in new and innovative ways. Thank you for all of the support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex® Brand and one other donor.It's Okay
Funded May 17, 2022We received our materials later in the year, so we dedicated the last two weeks of school to social-emotional learning using the puzzles, books, and other materials I had on hand. Students were invested in these lessons because they were all about them!
In addition, I have read and studied the book, Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, Second Edition, about teaching students with trauma. It has changed the way I interpret a student's behavior, and, consequently, how I will respond to it. I feel more prepared to change those challenging behaviors and help students to overcome them using compassion and sensitivity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and one other donor.STEM from Imagination
Funded Apr 25, 2022My students LOVE the new STEM activities! I have let them just explore the materials to see what they do with them so far. They are creating different creatures and structures that have moving parts which was not possible with the other materials we had. The ramps were a big success as students looked around the room to find different objects to use for abutments to watch the different results! Right now, I am formulating some challenges and competitions for the last week of school using the ramps! Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
Library for All
Funded Mar 16, 2022My students are so excited to bring books home to read to their families! I have a few students who are particularly excited because some of the books are available in Spanish. This means that their parents can take part in the reading. Until now, students with Spanish only parents would have to take simple books for the child to read to parents. Now, they can take more engaging books home since their parents can read to them.
The students are practicing more and returning to school excited to read to me.
They are learning to love books!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
Keep Us Growing
Funded Feb 2, 2022Thank you for these covers! They are perfect! The cases are not bulky and still allow us to fit the tablets in the charging area. The students can now retrieve the tablets on their own and I do not have to worry about them being dropped or damaged. Students are able to use the tablets at their desks rather than in a group on the carpet. This is great because they are more focused at their desks. Having a project that is a continuation funded is not always possible, so I am VERY grateful for your continued support of our students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 2 other donors.Technological Tutor
Funded Dec 9, 2021This is a godsend! Thank you so much for making this project possible! The students are actually begging to go on ABC Mouse! The app tracks their progress and I was able to start them very low so they are able to build their confidence and realize that they do know things, and that they can keep learning more.
The application provided by the district is too hard for them and does not "teach" them the skills they need - rather it assesses their progress. But if they aren't making sufficient progress in class, it kills their self esteem.
They are able to use the tablets twice a day in addition to the small group intervention and regular classroom instruction. Thank you again for making such a huge impact on our struggling students!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 4 other donors.Snug As a Bug In a Rug
Funded Nov 15, 2021My students LOVE the carpet! It is much bigger than the usual carpets so bigger kids can still join us rather than having to sit on a chair because they don't fit. It's also much better for brain breaks since students have a little more room to move. The muted colors helped calm the room down as well. The natural tones make the room less busy and much better for autistic students. Since it is large, we can have two separate groups use it at the same time. We get compliments all the time from teachers and other students!
We are all very grateful for this gift and truly appreciate your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Newman
This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and 6 other donors.