Past projects 4
Resources for Refresh, Review & Enrichment
Funded Dec 17, 2018Thank you so much for the resources for our spring semester. It would have been impossible to continue the type of learning we had begun in August without these materials!
Upon seeing the new paper, highlighters, pens, pencils, and other supplies, the most common reaction I got from my students was "Finally!" We had really begun running low, and it was creating hiccups in our lessons. As you can see from the photos, the simplest things like colored paper and and fresh writing instruments can make an impact in learning. I try my hardest to engage students in a variety of manipulative activities that incite discussion and productive arguments among students over content, which helps develop their critical reasoning and communication skills.
All of this, of course, helps them on the end-of-course state assessment for U.S. History, but what is most important for me is that they have the supports and scaffolding they need to develop essential academic skills. Thank you for helping us achieve this.”
With gratitude,
Ms. V.
Supporting Students Where They’re At: Attending the At-Risk Students Conference
Funded Mar 7, 2019Thank you so much for your donation to this project. I have been to content-specific conferences and seminars in the past, but none that focuses on the specific needs of my students. I am so looking forward to attending the conference and learning about the latest research and strategies to reach them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. V.
Chromebooks for Class Content, College, and Future Careers!
Funded Dec 15, 2016Words cannot describe the impact that this donation has had on my classroom. We use the Chromebooks almost daily to engage in class content, work on differentiated activities to meet student needs, and work on important skills like sending emails, uploading documents and using other cloud-based services.
Before receiving this donation, I was restricted in terms of the curriculum and materials my students had access to. The Chromebooks have opened a new world for both me and my students. In an instant, I can upload an image, website, Google Form, or any other type of resource that I want my students to have access to in groups. This has saved a considerable amount of time for me on the mundane and time-consuming tasks of copying and organizing paper activities on a daily basis. Now I can spend more time planning engaging lessons and focusing on student growth rather than dealing with paper!
The Chromebooks also allow me to target what specific students need. If I have a student who has been out for days or even weeks (yes, it happens, and more regularly than anyone would like), I can have them self-pace and access resources that I have set up just for them. I have even created self-paced modules for students for this reason.
What's most exciting to my students is the gamification aspect of having Chromebooks in the classroom. We regularly use Quizlet for vocabulary development and the students love using the laptops to play the vocabulary games in the program. They also like playing Kahoot and Jeopardy.
The Chromebooks have been particularly helpful in engaging students who are otherwise difficult to engage. I regularly hear "are we using the laptops today?" at the beginning of class, and I am so happy that the students are excited to integrate technology into the classroom.
We are currently reviewing for our end-of-course exam, but when that is over, I will be switching gears and focusing on ACT and SAT prep for my juniors. I know the Chromebooks will be pivotal in this arena as well.
Again, my students and I whole-heartedly thank you for this wonderful donation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. V.
A Picture Says A Thousand Words About U.S. History
Funded Sep 17, 2016The books provided through your generous donation have had a great impact on my classroom. On topics like the experience of minorities (specifically the Chinese building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the subsequent immigration exclusion, the Harlem Renaissance, Japanese internment during WWII, and the Civil Rights Movement), students have gotten vibrant, personal stories that connect them to the content they learn in class. The books we have been able to share as a class have been invaluable to the learning going on in our classroom.
As I have some particularly low readers (both native speakers and ELL students), the document camera has allowed us to do guided readings of the books where all students take turns reading aloud and reading along. The imagery in the books are great stimuli for class discussions on the experiences of the characters in the book. We often take these guided readings to authentic writing tasks where students reflect on class content and the experiences of characters or narrators in the books.
We are currently reviewing for our end-of-course exam, and we cannot wait to revisit some of these books!
My students and I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful donation.”
With gratitude,
Ms. V.