Past projects 58
Lighting Up Our Learning
Funded May 3, 2021Thank you so much for your generosity in funding this project. The ring light and microphone make my online lessons so much more clear, which makes it easier for students to understand.
I'm also thrilled to get to introduce a new group of students to one of my favorite novels, the Lightning Thief. My small group set is well loved, so having a new set for the whole class was perfect! Since we did not end up returning in person last year, I decided to gift the novels to our school's literacy lab. I was able to do a novel study with an in person class at the end of the year last year and have had two other classes already start this year! While our plans changed due to circumstances beyond our control, I'm so fortunate I was able to use these books to impact an even larger group of students! Thank you for helping me to expose them to Greek mythology and fantasy!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by Ford Drive 4 UR School and 4 other donors.Captivating Hearts With Read Aloud Books
Funded May 4, 2021Thank you so much for inspiring my fifth graders with new read aloud books. We loved all of our shark themed ones for our end of the year Ocean Day! Since we live in Las Vegas, ocean animals fascinate us. Yes, we have massive aquariums at casinos, but it's still not quite the same. Many of my fifth graders love sharks, so thank you for bringing us new books to share in their excitement.
We also had some amazing conversations regarding animal conservation and saving the planet featuring the What if the Elephants/Sharks/Polar Bears disappeared? books. We discussed the interdependence of plants and animals within an ecosystem and how we can take steps to reverse the negative impact humans are having on the planet. I was so proud of the maturity my students displayed during these real world conversations. They were able to happen because of the books you so generously provided! Thank you so much for supporting my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 2 other donors.Small Group Science
Funded Dec 1, 2020Thank you for bringing some pizazz to our online learning this year. Having their fifth grade year online was really difficult for many of my students, but new science materials added some much needed excitement to our days.
Our favorite two projects were states of matter and the rock cycle. For states of matter, we investigated diffusion, solubility, and evaporation with the test tubes. My little scientists brainstormed what materials we could dissolve in water (sugar and salt) while brainstorming if the lid on or off would make a difference for evaporation out of the test tubes. We spent over a week investigating how sugar and salt looked in water, finding the maximum amount that could be dissolved, and making predictions about why small specks of material were left behind after evaporation.
Our second favorite project occurred during "Rock Your School" week in early February. We learned about the rock cycle, did a hands-on lab with star bursts, and enjoyed making connections with the rock samples. Many of my students were able to make a connection between obsidian and the popular game Mine Craft while others went on their own rock hunts to share with the class. Thank you for helping make their fifth grade year memorable.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 6 other donors.Math Mania
Funded Sep 25, 2020On behalf of twenty eight very excited fifth graders, I wanted to express our appreciation at your generosity for donating to our project. While we are still physically apart, our learning has never stopped. As one can imagine, teaching online has presented some challenges but these manipulatives lighten the load. Many of my students are visual learners, so the fraction manipulatives really came in handy for visualizing multiplying fractions! I've used many of the resources to film "how to" videos that I upload to Google Classroom, that way my students who aren't able to join us for live sessions are still able to keep on learning. Thank you so much for helping our classroom during these unusual times.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Loves Southern Nevada Students and 3 other donors.Diversity Matters
Funded Aug 11, 2020On behalf of twenty eight excited fifth graders, I just wanted to express our appreciation for bringing more diversity to our classroom library. With schools remaining physically closed and online distance learning in full swing, it is important to try and bring a sense of normalcy into our daily lives. For my fifth graders, that means read alouds and discussions. Thank you for providing new books for us to enjoy while we are physically apart. I have the honor of having some repeat families, meaning I've taught the older siblings of my current students. Naturally, I made a big production out of opening our new box of books during one of our Google Meets sessions and had some big brothers and sisters leave their classes to come see what new books we got. Apologies aside to their current teachers, but it was nice to see the kids excited about new books. Thank you for making reading a family event during distance learning. Thank you for providing me with books that represent my whole class and our community.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 13 other donors.Rocking in Fifth
Funded Aug 2, 2020On behalf of twenty eight very excited fifth graders, I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation at our generosity for funding our rocking in fifth project! Our implementation of this has been altered by rising positivity rates and continued school closures, but we were still able to use a majority of the resources virtually this year. The consumables are safely stored in my classroom for use when we safely return to in person learning. We have loved the rock star materials and our favorite book so far is We Will Rock Our Classmates, a sequel to our class's beloved favorite We Don't Eat Our Classmates. Thank you again for your support of public education during these unusual times!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.Managing Our Emotions
Funded Sep 14, 2020On behalf of twenty eight excited students, I just wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation at your generosity with our project. With the abrupt school closures last year, distance learning this year, and isolation, many students are struggling with their mental health. In order to combat these feelings, I am increasing the use of read aloud stories and discussions to offer validity to their emotions during these unusual times. Reading aloud brings a sense of normalcy to distance learning and new books bring back a sense of excitement about school. I made a huge production of opening the box with them and telling them how they were the first group of students to get to read these books. Some of them are from repeat families, meaning I've had older siblings in the past. Because we are doing distance learning, I had the joy of having some of these older students pop back in for read alouds because they hadn't heard those books before. Thank you for making reading and learning truly a family affair.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Loves Southern Nevada Students and 3 other donors.Manipulatives Mania
Funded Sep 14, 2020On behalf of twenty eight excited fifth graders, I just wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation and gratitude for funding our math manipulatives project. Navigating online learning with different platforms and tools has been quite the learning curve, but the materials in these math kits helped to eliminate some of the hiccups. Graphing and plotting points on coordinate grids was much easier when my students each had their own board and marker. Using dice and cards for multiplication games is much more successful when each student has a set readily available. By providing students with some essential materials such as scissors, rulers, tape, markers, counters, and thinking boards, you were able to make school at home feel a little more "normal". Thank you for providing materials to make learning more accessible to all.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Loves Southern Nevada Students and 4 other donors.Hey, That Character Looks Like Me!
Funded Aug 11, 2019On behalf of my students, thank you so much for filling our library with multi-cultural literature. Study after study has found that a majority of children's books feature either white males or talking animals as the main characters. This isn't truly representative of our demographic and as a result, it's been my personal mission to include more diversity in literature in my classroom library. Students can't emulate what they don't see as role models.
Students need to see diverse backgrounds represented positively and as main characters, not as side characters that aren't essential to the plot. Students need to see female leads and stories that focus on scientific achievement, not just romantic or drama-filled stories.
Children need to see themselves in the pages of books.
We are savoring these books as a class, reading them aloud and discussing the ideas. Sometimes we track how characters respond to challenges while other times, we compare and contrast books. Sometimes when we read, we analyze the theme or listen for figurative language. Sometimes we look at the pictures and talk about why illustrators may have made different color choices and how that impacts our mood. Most importantly, sometimes we read to enjoy reading. Thank you for helping me fill my library with diverse literature that represents a more inclusive community. Thank you for giving my students role models.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 13 other donors.Same Teacher, New Grade
Funded May 1, 2019Of the twenty seven fifth graders I have the pleasure of teaching this year, eight of my students are familiar faces. These students have already seen a majority of my read alouds and math materials in third grade, so now that I'm repeating fifth grade, I need some new materials.
When our box of donations arrived during the first week of school, my students' excitement was genuine and full of hope. We slowly unpacked our supplies, talked about how they will help us grow, and jumped right into learning.
Thank you for supplying my students (both former and new) with the materials they need to make their final year of elementary school their best year yet!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Somma
This classroom project was brought to life by Someone Who Loves Clark County Teachers and one other donor.