Past projects 13
Foster A Love For Current Events
Funded Aug 3, 2014I want to give you a heartfelt thanks from my students and I for the Scholastic News Weekly Readers. My students have enjoyed them immeasurably. They look forward to the issues every Friday! They immediately open them up to scan the articles that they will get to enjoy over the weekend.
Every Friday, my students receive their Scholastic News. They preview the articles over the weekend and then receive a packet on Monday that is specific to the articles in the reader. The questions in this packet target their reading comprehension skills as well as writing skills. During the week, many of the students visit the Scholastic website that offers many interactive activities. We wouldn't have access to this website without your generosity! At the end of the week, the students take a quiz that helps prepare them for assessments that we give them throughout the year. Practice is a running theme in our classroom.
Your generosity has made it possible for our students to have access to quality resources that not only broaden their thinking, but also provides them with the essential practice that they need in reading to be successful in school and life. You have my sincerest thanks, I am humbled by your generosity. Your donation has made an impact in my students' lives, their education and their ability to think critically.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nelms
Let's Meet Them Where They Are At: Technology for Success
Funded Feb 3, 2014I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations that have made it possible for our classroom to have access to IPads. I wish that you could have seen the looks of awe and excitement when they saw the IPads! My co-teacher and I have created a reading center with the IPads and each student is so excited when it is their turn on them. Our students get very disappointed if for any reason our schedule does not allow for reading center time on that particular day. They are so excited to read now!
We have used the IPads in so many ways now and are constantly learning about new ways to implement them in our lessons and classroom. We have students that are just learning their sight words and use the IPads to identify their sight words while learning how to pronounce them. In our reading center, students are reading high interest reading passages on their reading level, which has caused some reading levels to progress nicely this year. We also have the students work on an amazing app called Sushi Monster which practices having that automatic number sense that is crucial in math. Recently, we used the IPads in a group jigsaw project where student groups researched how the American Revolution affected Native Americans, African Americans, Women and Colonist. The students were so excited to share their research!
Having IPads in the classroom has positively impacted our classroom in immeasurable ways. Our students are motivated in their reading centers and so engaged during other projects using technology. Our class has access to technology in a time when we don't always have the resources needed to do meaningful class projects. We are able to reach students at their level and give them practice at skills they so desperately need while still teaching fourth grade curriculum. We have a few end of year projects that we are excited about and the IPads will certainly be at the center of them. Your extreme generosity has made it possible for our wonderful students to have access to technology that they may not otherwise have access to. It has allowed us to begin teaching them the skills they will need in middle school, high school and beyond. You have our heartfelt thanks and that of our students for caring that they have access to an equitable education and the resources that go with it.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nelms
Inspire Me!
Funded Jun 6, 2013I cannot express to you the gratitude and joy that our students and we felt when we received all the wonderful materials that you made possible through your generosity. Our students were amazed by all the materials that were sent. They selected each marker, crayon, craft supply and adornment for their book carefully. I can personally attest that they enjoyed every moment of personalizing their own book of quotes.
Each week our students are exposed to a inspiring and motivational quote. They are asked to reflect on the quote and think about what it means, how it applies to their life (or someone they know) and what they have learned from it. The connections that our students make each week inspire us! Your generosity has it made it possible for our students to now write the quotes that really speak to them in their personalized book of quotes. They are able to use all the materials to truly make it their own, many of them include fanciful borders and illustrations to express the meaning of the quote through their eyes. You have given our students a wonderful opportunity to express their creativity by funding our project.
Every week our class comes together and truly reflects on what inspires and motivates us. This common thread is essential in a classroom of truly diverse learners. Our students may not recognize the impact of this project right now and this is why we wanted them to have an opportunity to have something tangible that they could reflect on and be inspired by in times of struggle. We wanted them to learn through quotes from people that have persevered despite adversity, so that they will continue to persevere as well. I know that this project has challenged our students to think in ways they haven't before about what they read. It has made us as teachers truly be mindful of the message we want our students to leave our classroom with. Thanks to your generosity, we hope that our students will leave our classroom knowing that they matter and that no matter what life hands them, the possibilities for them are limitless with the right attitude. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Nelms