Past projects 13
Read Alouds With A Twist Of Song
Funded Mar 11, 2011Wow! Since receiving these books two weeks ago, we have been having a ball! The kids LOVE all of the musical, rhythmic accompaniments! So far, their favorite is "Waking Up is Hard to Do" a Neil Sedaka remake. He wrote this song for children and had it illustrated with very fun pictures of how a dinosaur goes through his daily routine. Neil Sedaka sings this new song and the teachers dance around with his original song "Breaking up is Hard to Do"...Oh what fun!
The kids cannot get enough of any of these books! The love the John Denver book "Take Me Home, Country Road." Of course it is really a song and not a book but yes it is a book because someone illustrated this and other John Denver songs for students! Our kiddos are now learning all about John Denver and his music. As very young children, they are open to all sorts of music so this is a great time to expose them to these tunes.
I could go on and on about all the fun we are having but I would not know where to stop. They want to do many of the books/songs in one day. This is a very unique project because I am not sure that most people are aware of how many books are on the market that come with accompanying music. There is a whole industry dedicated to this sort of thing. Barefoot Books is one company that produces a lot of books with lively sounds and music to teach children about the world they live in as well as lots of other individual titles. Kids need music in their lives to help them grow and with all the music programs being cut, this sort of activity is not only fun, but it also helps fill a void. Thanks for helping us to have TONS OF FUN in the library!!! I recommend this sort of project to anyone working with young children. Thanks again!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 8 other donors.Flipping for a Flip Camera
Funded Jan 5, 2011It has been a while and perhaps this note should have been posted sooner but I wanted to give the students a significant period of time to use the FLIP video camera. At this point, the students have had a chance to really get experience using the FLIP video camera and it has been an amazing experience for them! One of the biggest highlights of this video camera was when it was used to film a chroma-key video that led to one of my students winning first place in a regional technology competition. This could not have been possible had we not had the FLIP video camera. The project needed to be student created and it was no problem at all for another student to do the filming.
Also, since getting this camera, the students have taken video of various special events at our school and uploaded the footage to a school website. Additionally, one of the students served as a cameraman while another student interviewed our principal about our health and fitness initiatives. This video will be placed on a prominent wellness website.
The students love being involved in projects that are shared with the world. They like to know that their work has a purpose and they enjoy working in a collaborative manner. The FLIP video camera has enabled our students to reach out and touch others. They are currently working on a video which will be a 90 second commercial as a part of a competition sponsored by a major retailer. There is no end in sight for the things my students will accomplish with the FLIP video camera and it's all thanks to each of you. Thank you very much for your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine
Storytime without a Rug is Like a Theater with No Seats
Funded Feb 7, 2010Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
The students have had a chance to use this amazing rug! When they sit down on their respective spots, it is easy to see the excitement in their eyes! The kiddos are very attentive as they hang on to every word they during a read aloud. They look so cute as they focus in on storytime while sitting nicely in a semi-circle on the beautifully designed rug that all of the donors from this site so generously contributed to.
Each student is able to have a "great spot" on the rug and feel like they are "part of the action." The attentive listeners are now able to focus on what the story, lesson, or discussion is about and not waste time at arguing over "not being able to see" or "being too close to another kid" and so on.
Thank you for allowing my students to gain more time on task by helping me acquire a simple, yet important and effective learning tool, a semi-circle rug for the library! Without the generous support of the contributors to donorschoose.org, I don't know how I would provide a fun storytime for the kids. Using "an invisible, make-believe rug" could have only worked for a little while longer!!!
Please be assured that each and every day your contribution makes a big difference in the lives of 550 students in an economically challenged school. Also, I vacuum the rug at the end of each day!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Levine