Jonathan's Mustache

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Thank you for understanding the dire circumstances we faced in keeping our urban zoo alive. The red-eared slider turtles are very grateful for the many canisters of reptile sticks. The hamsters, the rabbits, and the gerbils are so very grateful for the many pounds of food mix. Your contributions have made it possible to maintain a special room in our school dedicated to our wonderful little creatures. Many of the science activities center around these beautiful pets. We presently have 5 rabbits, 5 guinea pigs, 5 hamsters, 2 gerbils, 3 cockatiels. 1 corn snake, 1 anole lizard, 2 fire belly toads, 4 goldfish, 5 red-eared slider turtles. The children look forward to holding and taking care of their special friends. It is a very positive learning experience for everyone involved.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Schwartz

We just returned from our trip and we learned so much about the world! Thank you for allowing us to leave our seats and travel the world with books. Thanks to all of you our trip included Guatemala, India, and Palestine.

As I watched our 8th grade book clubs begin, I wondered if the students would have empathy for the characters in these amazing books and understand the seriousness of the circumstances in their lives. On the second day when my students begged me for book club time, I knew they were hooked. I witnessed the rich conversation between two teens as one explained to the other that Tree Girl is based on a true story. "Can you believe this really happened?" he exclaimed. Another teen had tears in her eyes as she read the scene in Sold when the father sells his stepdaughter for the equivalent of a few dollars. She said, "I'm going to go home and hug my mom." Another group felt the pain of a family uprooted by the war in Palestine in the book Tasting the Sky. They couldn't imagine leaving home with nothing but the clothes on their backs. We had so many more moments like these and I know my students have learned to see the world in a new way.

Thanks to all of you for allowing us to take this journey. My students are better readers and I thank you for helping me open their eyes to the world.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Tellez

Thank you very much for your generous donation to my classroom. My students were so excited when the package arrived and are already putting the scanner to good use. School districts across the country are facing budget difficulties, and ours is no different. I truly appreciate you funding such a valuable tool. It is not only beneficial for what it does, but for the resources that it is saving. I had my own ideas about how we could use the scanner and it is working quite well for those purposes, but since my students have learned more about what it is and how it works, they have been generating even more possibilities. They are very motivated about using technology and saving paper. This year's class, and many classes of students to come, will benefit from the resource that you provided!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Gibbon

I am writing to send my heartfelt thanks for your support of my "Please Bug Us!" Project.

With your help I was able to purchase materials for an invertebrate museum in the science lab of my elementary school. The area is clearly designated in the classroom, and as you may imagine, students are constantly checking out the movements of the many critters.

Thus far, I have used the materials in Grade 1 to bolster the Animal Diversity unit. Students were able to observe and touch the pill bugs, roly polies, Bess beetles, millipedes, grain beetles and mealworms. However, the students are mostly enchanted by the hermit crabs and their ability to hide inside their "apartment" shell that they rent for free. The first graders constantly ask me if hermit crabs have moved to a new "apartment" when they enter the lab. They really would love to see the soft spot on the hermit crab belly.

In the 4th grade, I was able to greatly enhance the unit on Animals and Plants in Their Environment. We used the ants to elucidate the concept of life span, since the ants in captivity last for just a brief time without a queen. We were able to witness the 4 stages of the grain beetle life cycle, build a habitat with all necessary requirements for the pill bugs, and watch the termites instinctually follow the scent trail left by a ball point pen. The life in a rotting log kit continues to assist in bringing meaning to the word decomposer, as we have few trees in our very urban area, and fallen trees are removed immediately. For fun, we tested the strength of the mighty Bess beetles by having "chariot races". The Bess beetles were humanely put to test to pull a Petri dish full of paperclips. So far the strongest Bess Beetle carried 8 large paperclips—not too shabby!!

In addition, I will be able to use the materials in instruction for both 3rd graders and 5th graders at the end of the year. The 3rd graders study Plant and Animal Adaptations, and the 5th Grade unit Exploring Ecosystems will both make good use of the invertebrates. Needless to say, these two grade levels greatly anticipate the end of the year. They can't wait to make closer observations.

The living materials not only serve to enhance my teaching of the state standards and curriculum, but they are also extremely motivational. In fact, I have inadvertently assembled a core group of students who come to me during their lunch to assist in caring for the animals and maintaining their habitats. These students actually seek out the chance to clean up, and their assistance has made these tasks much more manageable for me. Further, one student has emerged as a true scientist. His sense of wonder, his curiosity, and the time spent making observations and researching far surpassed anything I expected of my students. In fact, I don't even have his class for science, yet he visits the animals daily and I can count on him to check in if I am out sick. I cherish the thought that this invertebrate museum will push him one step further into the field of science, where we so desperately need young, inquisitive minds. Many thanks for your support of my students and their sense of wonder.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Salchli

Thank you so much for your generous donations of big books to our classroom.

My students LOVE using big books. I hear their excited whispers whenever I go to the rack to pull one out. They love the big pictures. They are able to pick out many more details in the book.

We also use the highlighting tape that came with the books to highlight rhyming words and beginning sounds. My students love to come up an highlight words they can read on the page and read it to me.

Adding big books to our classroom library has greatly enhanced our reading time. It brings me great joy to know that books are that much more exciting to my students because they are BIG. ”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Santiago