Past projects 13
Center Materials for the Centers of Our Hearts
Funded Jun 13, 2014Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
When all of our brown boxes arrived my students were quick to say that you all were some really nice people! They were shocked that they didn't know any of you and that there were such generous people out there in this world.
I am not sure where to even begin when describing the vast impact these center supplies have had in our classroom this year. For starters, my students are now able to move freely throughout the classroom when working in groups thanks to our brand new pocket-chart stand. There is also no longer a need to fight over dry-erase markers since we now have a class set! I think the most exciting new addition to the classroom for the children has been all of the excellent math center games and activities. My students become so engrossed in the games they are playing with their new first grade friends that they don't want to stop when it is time to go to lunch! The center games have helped me to keep my students practicing important Common Core aligned concepts while allowing my students to stay engaged and have fun.
Thank you so much for your support in my mission to help my students succeed this year. I want to make learning fun for my students and these materials have opened a world of endless possibilities for all of us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
Learning To Read: A Listening Center!
Funded Aug 23, 2014Thank you so much for your donations to our classroom listening center! The morning that our big brown box arrived my students and I excitedly ripped it open. The children all squealed as we opened the big box to see all of our brand headphones, books with accompanying Cd's, and the large wooden center carrier. My students were so excited to be opening something new and special. One of the boys screamed out, "This is better than Christmas!" While laughing at this response, I was overjoyed that a door to a world of opportunities would be opened for my pupils.
The listening center has allowed my students to be actively engaged in learning to read. The smiles on their faces when they recognize a new sight word in one of these enchanting stories is priceless. Moreover, the listening center often acts like a second teacher in the classroom. When I am working with small groups, other students absolutely love listening to a classic stories that they can sing and follow along to in their own books. This has particularly made a world of a difference for my English Language Learners who now have even more repetition and practice.
My students and I are so very lucky that fantastic people like yourselves have helped us to start our school year on the right foot. I am overwhelmed with joy that you have chosen to kindly give your support to my classroom and my students. My students this year and in the years to come will be forever thankful. Thank you so much!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by Gates Foundation Back To School and 6 other donors.Hooked on Reading Centers!
Funded Mar 31, 2014I cannot begin to thank each of you enough for your generous contributions. I am overwhelmed with joy by the support that my students and I have received from each of you. On the day that our big box of goodies arrived, my students were intrigued. I explained to the children that I wrote to a company to tell them all about my wonderful students and how much they would love new materials to make reading and writing fun. I told the children that we were so lucky because nice people decided that they wanted to assist us and sent us lots of games to help us have fun learning! The kids all cheered as we opened the box together and saw all of our new materials. The looks of joy on their faces were priceless. They immediately wanted to begin playing the games and having fun!
The next day, I spend some time explicitly teaching how to play each of the Can Do! Reading Games. The children broke up into groups during our phonics period and were able to play one of the games. They loved it! Now that they know how to play these games, I will have them play these reading games in centers during our additional instructional support time. The children will also have an opportunity to play these games if they finish their work early throughout the day. Next week, we will begin introducing some of the reading and writing center activities to our ReadyGen Curriculum block. The children each took an active role in their learning and were having meaningful conversations while playing these games.
I developed this project to hopefully receive Common Core manipulatives that would simplify abstract tasks, but it has done so much more than just that for my class. Our new reading and writing center materials have boosted my creativity. I have been developing more engaging lessons using different resources thanks to our generous gift. Additionally, it has made my students more motivated and excited to learn. Six-year-old should be having fun learning meaningful and engaging lessons. I can now say that my students absolutely are having fun while they are learning how to read and write! One cannot put a price on this, and I am forever grateful for your charitable support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Young
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 8 other donors.