Past projects 10
English and Life Skill Engaged Learners
Funded Dec 4, 2024Thank you so much for your generous contribution for my students. I love my job and am so lucky to be a position where I can change students' lives for the better. It is such a pleasure to see their growth from the beginning of the year to the end. These resources will certainly help me give my students the support they need. I couldn't do it without your help. Thank you again so much for your kindness.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.Flexibility Facilitates Engaged English Learners
Funded Sep 18, 2024Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me and my students.
They absolutely love the new floor seats, stools, wobble cushions, and chair bands! When they saw them, they had the biggest smiles on their faces and couldn't wait to use them. I have also noticed an increase in participation when students are using one of these options, rather than sitting at a plain desk and chair. Some of my groups are rather large, so we had to set up a rotating schedule to make sure each student gets their choice of seating. Students love the comfort of the floor seats and use them to read independently, listen to a story being read aloud, doing partner turn and talks, or writing using a clipboard. The stools have been a great addition and allow students to still participate in daily activities and get their wiggles out without disrupting the rest of the class. Many students that do like to sit at desks, like the addition of the wobble cushions and chair bands. They add just enough so that students appreciate the extra flexibility. These additions provide a comfort that many students need that sitting at a plain desk and chair doesn't always give. Students can now have some flexibility in how they want to sit and learn when they come into my room.
We have only had these resources for a short time so far, but I can already see the difference in their focus and engagement. Everyone has the right to learn in an environment that is comfortable, and they can excel in. Thank you again for your generosity. My students and I are truly grateful!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and one other donor.English Learners Explore the World
Funded May 19, 2024Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom and helping to support my students' growth and understanding. We use our new globe and large world map almost daily. They were great to have for the first few weeks of school where we really took the time to get to know each other and share about our backgrounds and our cultures. Many of my students were born in other countries and they had a chance to be the teacher and point out their native country on the globe or world map. It was fun for the other students to see the great distances that many of their peers have traveled to come here.
We have slowly been getting back into our weekly routines and reading new stories. Each week we are whisked away by new characters to other parts of the world and learn about their culture. The students love to come up the world map and label these countries on the map. Students take turns coming up and labeling the country with the title of the story we are reading. They have learned so many similarities and differences between countries around the world.
Finally, the dry erase wipes always come in handy when we need to wipe clean our sentence patterning charts. Each week, our stories introduce hundreds of new words that we read and talk about. Many of these words are categorized by part of speech where we write them on our large charts. Then using the words, we create sentences to write about the stories to show our understanding. Students really enjoy this writing activity and it's a great way for them to work on their grammar and writing skills. A few helpers are chosen at the end of the week to clean the charts and get them ready for the following week.
These resources have only been used by my students for a short time so far, but I can already see the difference in their focus and engagement. They have really helped students make connections to the stories that we read each week. Even at the end of class, students will linger around the globe and world map because they are so interested to see different parts of the world. I am so grateful that your kindness helped create this newfound love for learning.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex and 2 other donors.Materials Make Magic Happen for Multilingual Learners
Funded Dec 4, 2023Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me and my students. They absolutely love the new materials that you so generously donated. We read a lot of culturally diverse text and the students love to come up to the map with the pointer and find the different countries we are reading about. The pointers are such a big hit. Students also love to come up to the board and share their work or read to the class. They feel like they are the teacher for a few minutes and get a big kick out of it. I really think it has helped a few of my shyer students come out of their shell a little bit.
My students also love the added organization that the chairback buddy pockets give. They allow students to put their computer, headset, and binder away, so they don't lose any working space on their desk.
Some more of their favorite additions have also been the flashlights and letter tiles. My students loved the surprise of fun Fridays where they can enjoy reading comfortably around the dark room with a flashlight. They ask all the time when we're going to do it again! My primary students love to practice their new vocabulary and sight words by spelling them out with the letter tiles. The more practice they get making the words, the better they remember them.
I see groups of all different grade levels, so it really helps having materials that I can use for all of them, but also materials that are more geared towards specific grade levels. It makes planning so much more enjoyable knowing that I have more resources to pull from. These may seem like little things, but they make a huge difference to us. We are so grateful for your generosity and will continue to be thankful for people like you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by A family that cares about Boston.EL's Excel with Effective Resources and Therefore Reap the Benefits
Funded Oct 23, 2023Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me and my students. They absolutely love the new binders and are so excited to have all of their materials in one place. When they saw them, they had the biggest smiles on their faces and couldn't wait to use them. They have been taking such good care of the binders and always flipping the pages so carefully so that nothing rips and falls out. The students have also enjoyed using our new cart to keep their books and materials organized. They always argue over who can collect the books and put them away. An extra plus is that the cart is on wheels, so students can help move the cart if we are sitting on the floor in a circle reading a story.
I see groups of all different grade levels, so it really helps manage and organize all of the different grade level materials that I use on a daily basis. These may seem like little things, but they make a huge difference to us. We are so grateful for your generosity and will continue to be thankful for people like you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by A Donor Who Loves Teachers and 2 other donors.Flexibility Floor Seats to Flourish Readers
Funded Oct 23, 2023Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me and my students. They absolutely love the new floor seats! When they saw them, they had the biggest smiles on their faces and couldn't wait to use them. Some of my groups are rather large, so we had to set up a rotating schedule to make sure that each student that wants to gets to use the seats. Students love to sit on them to read with a buddy, read independently, or just participate in our daily activities and lessons. They provide a comfort that many students need that sitting at a desk doesn't always give. Students can now have some flexibility in how they want to sit and learn when they come into my room.
We are currently reading about the Constitution. Students have been very engaged to read about our country's history and learning how the Bill of Rights gave people more freedom and rights. It seems fitting that we are learning about rights because each child has the right to learn in an environment that is comfortable, and they can excel in.
Thank you again for your generosity. My students and I are truly grateful!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by A Donor Who Loves Teachers and one other donor.Math Games to Make Mathematicians!
Funded May 4, 2022Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me, the teachers, and our students. We have a new problem-based math program that is very hands on and engaging for our students. Many teachers did not have enough tools for their students, but now most teachers have one to one whiteboards, markers, and erasers for their students. Teachers have been able to work with students more frequently in small groups and give them the extra attention they so need and deserve. Our students love using their new white boards and markers. These new math tools have really helped our students improve their proficiency in math. Every time I'm visiting a class where students are using their whiteboards, they are always so engaged and proud to show and explain their work to everyone. They are really helping to improve students' confidence and work habits.
The laminator has also been a huge lifesaver for us. As the STEM Coach I always try to offer my support to teachers and provide materials they may need. Since covid, the gaps have only widened for many of our students. They are really lacking in their fluency skills. With our new laminator I have been able to put together so many fluency games for teachers that will last for years and years. Teachers won't need to worry about wrinkled or ripped papers. It's so nice to see the joy on our students' faces when they are engaged in a meaningful activity where they are learning, but also having fun.
In the short amount of time we have had them, these math resources have already made such a difference. The joy that I've seen on students' faces is all thanks to the kindness you have shown. I will continue to remind students the power of kindness and how it can impact so many people. Thank you again for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 3 other donors.Ducks Do Math Magic
Funded Oct 25, 2021Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me, the teachers, and our students. We have a new problem-based math program this year and with that brings about a lot of change for everyone. Many staff members have had to adjust the way they teach and approach their lessons. However, one constant that we can all agree on, is how impactful lessons are that have real life problems to keep the students engaged. Our students love using their new measuring sticks. They are a welcome addition to the virtual manipulatives that they were forced to use last year. These measuring sticks have really helped our students improve their proficiency in math, especially in the measuring standards which they have missed out on these past two years. In each lesson I have observed with the measuring sticks, students are highly engaged and have great discussions with their partners or groups. It's nice to see that students are able to adjust so easily and get back in great working habits.
The picture books have also been a great addition to our math library. As the STEM Coach I always try to remind everyone reading is important across all content areas and stories help bring math alive. I've had the pleasure of visiting numerous classes throughout our school and reading some of our new books. The students have been so welcoming and loved listening to the new stories.
In the short amount of time we have had them, these math resources have already made such a difference. The joy that I've seen on students' faces is all thanks to the kindness you have shown. I will continue to remind students the power of kindness and how it can impact so many people. Thank you again for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
This classroom project was brought to life by General Motors and 4 other donors.Ducks Do Math Write!
Funded Mar 17, 2021Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me, the teachers, and our students. The whiteboards and markers have been extremely helpful with math instruction since students have been back in the building. It has been a difficult year to say the least, and we really needed to find ways to help improve students' proficiency in math. Each student was able to receive their own whiteboards and markers and their teachers were able to work with them as a whole class, in a small group, or one on one to teach skills that have been severely lacking. While students were learning at home it was really difficult to see how they were doing and assess their skill level. Once they were back in school and they had their own materials it made a world of difference. I was visiting a first-grade classroom and I was amazed at how well they were able to grasp the concept of ten more, ten less, one more, one less by using their hundreds chart. I was so impressed and thankful that they had these whiteboards to allow this to happen.
In a normal school year, students don't typically get their own materials in the classroom. Usually teachers keep things in baskets or bins, and students share them as a class. When our students saw that they were each getting "their own" they couldn't have been more excited. It made my day to see that joy and the fact that it made them so eager to learn. After a very difficult year it was so nice to see our students light up about something.
Teachers are using the remaining days of the school year to finish assessing students and determining their levels. This is a great time for teachers to check in with students one on one and have students show what they can do. While teachers are meeting with students, the rest of the class will be using their whiteboards and markers and do review activities with a partner or small group. This is a great way to keep students engaged, but also make sure they are practicing what they have learned. This also makes planning much easier because teachers don't need to worry about copying a bunch of papers. They may pass out some dice and math manipulatives to use with the whiteboards and markers, and the students are good to go.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock
Ducks Do Math Write!
Funded Jan 3, 2021Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping fund my project. It truly means the world to me, the teachers, and our students. The whiteboards have been extremely helpful with math instruction since students have been back in the building. It has been a difficult year to say the least, and we really needed to find ways to help improve students' proficiency in math. Each student was able to receive their own whiteboard and their teachers were able to work with them as a whole class, in a small group, or one on one to teach skills that have been severely lacking. I was visiting a first-grade classroom and I was amazed at how well they were able to grasp the concept of ten more, ten less, one more, one less by using their hundreds chart. I was so impressed and thankful that they had these whiteboards to allow this to happen.
In a normal school year, students don't typically get their own materials in the classroom. Usually teachers keep things in baskets or bins, and students share them as a class. When our students saw that they were each getting "their own" they couldn't have been more excited. It made my day to see that joy and the fact that it made them so eager to learn. After a very difficult year it was so nice to see our students light up about something.
Teachers are using the remaining days of the school year to finish assessing students and determining their levels. This is a great time for teachers to check in with students one on one and have students show what they can do. While teachers are meeting with students, the rest of the class will be using their whiteboards and do review activities with a partner or small group. This is a great way to keep students engaged, but also make sure they are practicing what they have learned. This also makes planning much easier because teachers don't need to worry about copying a bunch of papers. They may pass out some dice and math manipulatives to use with the whiteboards, and the students are good to go.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Panock