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Mr. McDougall's Classroom

  • PS 8 Luis Belliard
  • New York, NY
  • Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Past projects 77

  • Microsoft Surface Go - Complete Performance at 1/2 the Cost!

    Funded Feb 27, 2019

    WOW! I cannot tell you how completely excited the kiddos were to see the new technology arrive. Their faces when they opened the box was worth everything to me. They wanted to know what it was, how to use it, all that fun stuff.

    I told them... FIRST, I have to figure it out but it is going to enable us to do 21st century projects now. That means we can use digital recording, video manipulation, PowerPoint, make movies, etc, etc, etc.... the possibilities literally just opened up.

    Thank you for allowing my students to be able to compete with kids who have technology that is current, reliable, and now, in their hands. I can't wait to see what they will create. Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by Microsoft Corporation and one other donor.
  • File Folder Fun For Fourth Graders!

    Funded Jan 8, 2019

    When I came into my room today, I had two big boxes from Lakeshore Learning in my room. I had NO IDEA what could be in these big boxes. I made sure they were for me and then I remembered that I just got my project funded on Donorschoose.

    I decided to wait until the kids arrived to have them open it. The kiddos were so excited to open the boxes and find all the file folder practice kits and games. They were excited because they know they will have "FUN" learning ahead of them. File Folders are great "FUN" ways to practice real skills. They are transportable so kids can take them around the room, the school, and yes, even home or to the shelters to practice. The impact means that others (even parents, siblings, or other children at the shelter) will get the benefit of these kits.

    Thank you so much. Now I have a new problem to solve... WHERE TO STORE THEM ALL! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

  • 4th Graders Need Math Fluency

    Funded Sep 25, 2018

    I have such a unique group of kids this year. My first year back in fourth grade in 5 years, I had given most of my materials to other teachers because I thought I would be staying as the fifth grade ELA teacher for the remainder of my time. Best laid plans right!

    Well, the first thing I noticed is these students enjoy math, but don't understand numbers. They simply have learned the process of solving but don't understand the why or how. They just do it. They have no fluency when it comes to numbers.

    When I saw the offer I was like.. YES! This is what my kiddos need. We already do similar activities and strategies that are in the kit to increase fluency, but now I have it all in one place and it is oh so pretty and fun.

    The kids were so excited to open the box today and start looking at the materials. They were like, are we getting new number talks and center materials. I smiled and said YEP!

    Thank you! Your generosity is going to do wonders to help my kiddos understand and do math with more fluency and precision.”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by ETA hand2mind and 2 other donors.
  • Didn't You Love Your Weekly Readers?

    Funded Aug 9, 2018

    Thank you so much for donating to our classroom. Having high quality high interest grade appropriate non-fiction text, aimed at students is an amazing thing. Half of my job, just getting them interested. Once you get a student interested in reading, your job is easy. Now I just have to teach them to think about what they are reading.

    I loved having Weekly Readers when I was a kid, and now my students will have that same chance to fall in love with their Weekly Time for Kids and Scholastic News. I can't wait to see what the social studies scholastic looks like when it comes in.

    My kids already found articles they want to read on Friday so THANK YOU! We will have a great time LEARNING on our Weekly Reader Guided Reading Fridays. Your donation really mean a world of difference to my students. I know it is so easy to say, but I really mean it. Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by The Home Shows Coalition and 4 other donors.
  • Harry Potter Reading Challenge

    Funded Sep 12, 2018

    Thank you so much for supporting my classroom by funding this project to purchase Class Sets of the Harry Potter Books. There is an exhibit at the New York Historical Society on Harry Potter and I want to take my kids to see it.

    They have to read ONE Harry Potter book a piece to get the trip. If they read 3 books before November, then we can go see the new Fantastic Beasts movie that is a Harry Potter Prequel.

    So thank you so much for helping my students find a love for reading. Harry Potter is a great series that teaches them many valuable lessons and also to love reading.

    Once again, thank you so much!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

  • In Need of a Better Presentation Option

    Funded Jan 25, 2018

    I cannot tell you how excited my little ones were this morning when the custodian wheeled in the brand new presentation board. They used to bump into the old presentation board that literally took 1/4 of the room up. It was this big triangle board with an old whiteboard that had old writing I could never get off on one side, and the other side had a place to hang chart paper, but it had these two turning screws you had to undo, then by some miracle balance the chart paper so the holes lined up while you screwed the holder back in. It was NOT the best situation AT ALL.

    Now, they have this new, sleek, easy to move around the room presentation board where the surface has no stains, there is an actual space to put whiteboard markers and an eraser, and a simple lift up and clip place to attach chart paper.

    Doing small group instruction just became 100% easier! Also, it will be easy to wheel it outside and into the hallway for parent night events. The options are endless. I have a presentation board that is literally 2.0, instead of the original version that I inherited when I arrived in this classroom.

    Thank you! This might sound like a little thing, but the impact in both ease of use, ability to transport and move it, and most of all, take up less space in an already overcrowded room... It is a huge help.

    Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 4 other donors.
  • A Good Problem to Have!

    Funded Dec 17, 2017

    I hope you can see by the look on my kids eyes how excited they are that we have more Kindles in our ELA class. What this means to them is that instead of having just one reading group using Kindles for reading clubs, we can have TWO groups using the Kindles. To use the Kindle, you have to be on grade level or higher. It is a reward for practicing nightly and writing reflections and watching their reading levels (and love of reading) increase.

    It is only with your help and people like you that I can try these innovative and out of the box ideas with my inner city school kids. Technology works with kids in the 21st century. It is just dated and costly, so keeping up with the pace is hard.

    Not only can they use the Kindle for reading groups, they also have the internet so they are handy for when we do research or have to take online tests for reading comprehension and progress.

    Once again, thank you for supporting my classroom and our students. It really does take a village, and I just wanted to personally say THANK YOU for helping this village. Together we can achieve more!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

  • We NEED a Wrinkle This Time!

    Funded Oct 18, 2017

    Thank you so much for your generosity once again. I have to tell you, it has been a little like Christmas morning for my students getting to open the boxes from Amazon as they came in this week. It made my heart grow when the kids excitedly asked "Is this our next book?" Seeing children who come from this neighborhood excited to read is exactly what I am striving to see.

    It is with your help that I am able to make connections for these children. I asked for a class set of Wonder and it was funded to start the school year. The movie comes out in November and the kids are so excited that they are reading the book and can't wait to go see the movie.

    Now they are excited to see our next book "A Wrinkle in Time" and I don't think the advertisements have even started for the upcoming spring movie. They will be so excited to see that they have read yet another book that they made into a movie.

    Real world connections are so important to making sure that students want to read. Once they see that the book is ALWAYS better than the movie, I know they will be hooked on reading just like myself.

    Once again, thank you so much!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and one other donor.
  • eReaders to eCourage Reading in ICT Classroom!

    Funded Aug 2, 2017

    Thank you so much for adding yet another way to engage students in reading. I know that if I were a student growing up in the 21st century, I would want to use technology that was from the 21st century. Now, thanks to you and your donation, my students will be able to use the ereaders as part of their reading and writing education.

    I will allow small groups to work on books together and download books that THEY want to read. Sometimes, we as teachers forget, that choice is the best part of reading. The small groups will have "book clubs" where they read together and discuss books they love.

    Once again, thank you for your support and helping me make reading cool! I am sure the students will learn to love reading even more now that they can use 21st century reading tools! Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

  • Weekly Nonfiction Fun - Time For Kids!

    Funded Aug 30, 2017

    Finding nonfiction articles that are written with students in mind is a very hard task indeed. Luckily, not only does Time for Kids fit the bill, they do it in a teacher friendly manner. Thank you so much for funding both of my fifth grade classrooms so they are able to gain the experience of working with Nonfiction texts.

    I have decided that instead of using it as a whole group or student activity, I am going to use them in small reading groups as a guided reading activity. This way I can see, in small groups, that the students are reading, comprehending, and are able to work well with grade appropriate nonfiction texts.

    Once again, thank you so much for supporting me and my classroom. I can't wait to see how much they love their weekly readers. I know when I was in school, I looked forward to it each week. Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Mr. McDougall

    This classroom project was brought to life by TIME and 3 other donors.
I am a 5th grade teacher in Washington Heights. My students come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them come to school knowing that they will have at least two meals today, the free breakfast and lunch offered at my school. I know it is my job, if only for seven hours, to make them feel smart, empowered, and hopeful. They don't have the easiest lives, but they are working hard and making the best of it. As their teacher, it is my job to give them every advantage, experience, and learning opportunity I can. It isn't easy! Don't get me wrong, it is a tough job, but I absolutely love it!

About my class

I am a 5th grade teacher in Washington Heights. My students come from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them come to school knowing that they will have at least two meals today, the free breakfast and lunch offered at my school. I know it is my job, if only for seven hours, to make them feel smart, empowered, and hopeful. They don't have the easiest lives, but they are working hard and making the best of it. As their teacher, it is my job to give them every advantage, experience, and learning opportunity I can. It isn't easy! Don't get me wrong, it is a tough job, but I absolutely love it!

About my class

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