Past projects 9
Bringing Light to Learning: Enhancing Creativity with a Light Table
Funded May 10, 2024There is no better way to start a Friday than by having your project funded! (Insert happy dance!) I am already dreaming about all the ways that I will use it in my classroom.
I want to extend my warmest gratitude for your incredibly generous donations towards our new light table. Your support means the world to me, and I am truly touched by your kindness.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 4 other donors.Cube Chairs for Safety and Learning
Funded Nov 29, 2022Thank you for purchasing two new cube chairs for my classroom. While the two chairs were purchased to support two students who need a little extra assistance in keeping their bodies still while sitting, they benefit the whole classroom because everyone feels safe and their is more room to sit and spread out on the rug.
When the students entered the room for the first time, everyone was excited to see the chairs sitting on the perimeter of the classroom rug. Everyone was hoping that they be the one selected to sit on one of the new chairs. Some were initially disappointed, but everyone has settled in well to their carpet spots and all are happy.
In the final trimester of the school year, we are continuing to work on our social-emotional skills, letter sounds, numbers and enjoying time outside in the fresh air. Kindergarten will bring new challenges and we want to sure that we are prepared for them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 3 other donors.Outdoor Classroom: Comfortable and Functional!
Funded Aug 12, 2020This past year was like no other year that I have every had while teaching. My original vision for chairs was to use them as an outdoor classroom, which we did for a bit, but they became so much more. They were used to sit and eat as well as read books outside on nice days.
There were students' favorite place to read books and it helped us keep them 6 feet apart. They enjoyed novelty of reading books in their own cozy spot.
At the end of the year, when the weather was hot, we were happy to use the tables and chairs as a place to eat and keep the mess off of our laps.
This year, I intend to continue using them to give students a special place to read and comfortable place to eat outside.
Thank you so much for your on-going support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 10 other donors.Let's Shop!
Funded Dec 3, 2019I want to thank you most sincerely for your donation to purchase a play market for my classroom. The market was used a grocery store where students were able to play the parts of the cashier, customers or stocker. They had to take turns (which is hard when you're 4) in each of the roles & had to figure out to work together to make their little store function.
After several months of having the area set up as a kitchen, it was clear that the students were bored. I was able to set up the store on a Friday afternoon so that when the students returned on Monday, they found a whole new area. When they walked in, they ran over & everyone began talking all at once. Later that morning as we "toured" the new classroom area, it was clear that everyone was excited to go play.
Given the current COVID pandemic, I am unsure of how educating our littlest citizens will look in the upcoming months & years, but I continue to dream of how to encourage cooperative play. The market was going to be repurposed as a taco stand and I am hoping to have other creative play scenarios for them soon.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by An anonymous classroom supporter and 3 other donors.Feeling All Right: 180 Days of Sensory Table Activities
Funded Nov 6, 2019The amazing thing about this project is that it is the gift that keeps giving because each month I bring out new materials to support our learning at the sensory tables. As a first-year 4K teacher, I have been amazed that by tweaking something just a little bit, it becomes a whole new learning experience for students. Last month, for example, at the water table, we had pom poms with small measuring cups. This month, I switched them out for beads with the larger measuring cups along with some pipettes from my classroom and the students are re-engaged with the table.
I would say that the "coolest" and most unique experience was the "dry table" with the fake snow, which is made of the polymers found in disposable diapers. The students used the figurines that I ordered to create snowscapes and hours of imaginary play.
Each month I am grateful that I have a wide selection of materials from which to draw to my sensory tables engaging and developmentally appropriate. I have seen my students' grow in their ability to work with one another and to negotiate working together around a small table. Thank you for your support in this endeavor.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by PNC Grow Up Great® and 4 other donors.Comfy Seating for Kindergartners
Funded Jan 11, 2019The new armchairs have been a hit in our classroom. When the chairs first arrived, we had a mini-lesson on how to use the chairs and then got to take turns sitting in them so that everyone had chance because we were SO excited!
We still have a daily schedule for our who gets to sit in the chairs during our math and reading blocks because they are so popular. Students like to use them during reading time with books and during math time when they are working independently on their I-pads.
I can hardly believe that we only 2 months left of school. We are busily working on our reading and math skills to make sure that we are ready for first grade. We are also enjoying the days that we have left at our school as our site is being consolidated due to low in enrollment and we will be moving to a new building in the fall.
We are hoping for warmer, sunnier days ahead as we head into May.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
Level Up: Guided Reading Books for Young Readers
Funded Feb 22, 2017We are closing in on the end of the school year and we are in those days we are assessing our students to see the gains that they have made in reading. At the time that my project was funded, There were 12 students who were using books at the lower level, which were primarily funded by my Donor's Choose project. This meant that I had 12 students who would not reach the benchmark for end of year expectations if they continued at the same rate. Well, I am happy to report that today it looks like nearly all of my students will reach the grade-level goal that the school district sets for them.
How did your books help? By being able to use high-quality, engaging texts, my students were able to stay focused on their work during guided instruction. Each day, I worked with three small groups of readers who worked hard at their reading. The books were colorful with high quality photographs that invited students to ask questions and engage with the text.
Thank you for your support and helping 28 kindergarten students make their reading goal as well learn awful lot about the world around them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
Get the Wiggles Out: Classroom Seating to Maximize Learning
Funded Sep 6, 2016We have been so happy to have our new stools. Students use them every day during math and readers workshop when students work in small groups with the teacher. As kindergartners, many of them are still wiggly during instruction and the stools give them the chance to move while learning.
When the students first saw the stools, they were very excited to sit on them. Many of them were a little bit too enthusiastic in their rocking and moving, and we may have had a few spills. Now a month into using them, we are demonstrating a lot more control over bodies and how we use the stools. One thing is certain, everyone wants to sit on the blue stools. Apparently, they are more comfortable.
As we approach the end of the year, we are studying the weather; each day we record the weather in our science journals. Nearly, all of us are reading and we going to begin a math unit on addition and subtraction right after winter break.
I am proud of my students and the growth that they have shown since the beginning of the year. Your contribution toward our stools has made our learning much more productive.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Let's Write Some More
Funded Nov 7, 2009This letter is a small token of my appreciation for your generous donations to my classroom. The composition notebooks have been put to daily use. The students use them during read-aloud (we're currently reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963) to jot down down their thinking about the characters and make predictions about what will be happening next. We also use them during our Writer's Workshop, where students just began to work on composing personal narratives.
Being able to write and not worry about running out of space, frees us up from limiting our writing to the number of pages we have left until the end of our notebooks. Every day I am impressed by their thinking about literature and their abilities to capture how they see the world. Without your generous support, I would not have been given so many opportunities to do so.
If you have not read, The Watsons I would encourage you to do so. It is a fun read for adults and students alike.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Turnbull