Reddit Teachers: Gifts for the Teachers 2016

Edit title

Thank you for making this gold nanoparticle lab an official part of our physics curriculum. Exploring nanoparticles and how they interact with different wavelengths of light is something most students would not have an opportunity to do until college. The tetrachloroaurate needed to create the gold nanoparticles is quite expensive, making this a lab we would typically shy away from for financial reasons. Your generous donations will allow our physics students to complete this lab for many years to come. The bottle, though tiny, should last a long time as we will only use traces of it each time we complete the lab. Thanks again!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Namowicz

Wow! My students and I were so excited when we received the email stating that our project had been funded! Since receiving the Ipads (Chromebooks were unavailable through the vendor) my students have been using math apps to further their number sense. We are using an app that uses puzzles with little language involved. This has helped my English Language Learners be more successful as it has removed the language barrier from math.

Our next project will involve creating videos of our learning to show parents at upcoming conferences. Students will be using the Ipads to create a visual portfolio of their work, including self interviews to record their goals.

Thank you again for showing support for our students and our future!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Prugar

I truly appreciate your donation of "Books on CD" for my classroom. My students absolutely love listening to these books. Not only is it fun to listen to these wonderful stories, it also helps build the students fluency.

The students in my class who are struggling readers have really enjoyed these books. They can follow along with the story and learn new words at the same time. Every student in my class gets a chance to use the CD players once a week during our Self Selected reading time.

I can't thank you enough for this wonderful donation!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Vander Molen

The soil analysis kits are an invaluable addition to my class. Soil structure and importance isn't often taught at lower grades. So for my junior and senior students, it is a very new concept. This kit helped take my students from "It's just dirt" to discussing if the soil beneath our school is more loamy or sandy! It is easier now to discuss with my students on issues such as soil conservation and mining.

Up next we will be using the gas impinger to test their vehicles for efficiency and primary pollutant production. It is easier to care about the atmosphere and pollution when you can connect to your personal impact on it. I look forward to sharing this data with my students.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Helm

These little WonderBots are AMAZING! We started working with them the first week that we received them but realized that our technology platform was not compatible. The tablet that we were using was not communicating with the WonderBots. This week, that has changed!

This week, we started using the i-Pads to communicate with the WonderBots. The students are using the computer program called Blockly to solve puzzles that the robot Dash completes.

There are many lessons that the students will be able to complete, so we will be enjoying these new friends all year long.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Patel

Thank you for supporting our class with the Legos and K'Nex building pieces. It's really cool to see the students get excited about their projects. I have watched some of the students work together to create models of animals to help support the research project. These impressive animals were created without any instructions. By working as a team, they made a model of a bee, a vulture, and a bat. The students have also used the K'Nex pieces to build 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional objects. The building pieces have allowed the students to work at a higher level and learn to work together with their classmates.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Patel

My class was real excited when the two stand up desk arrived for our classroom. They had heard the hype and they were ready to experience using a stand up desk. The first thing we did was have students help assemble the desks. That is a learning experience in itself. Then we set them up in the back of our classroom. They were an immediate hit. Everyone has a chance for spending some time (usually 30-45 minutes) at the stand up desks on a rotating basis. I was curious about their reactions and was happy to see that the desks are in constant use as my students really enjoy using them and will mention to me how they benefit from using these desks.

My students remark that standing at the desks and using the swing bar helps them focus better during lessons and that they feel less anxious about taking math tests when they are standing at the desk. I sometimes notice that some kids will stand when doing work at their own desks as they feel more comfortable and engaged when doing so. One day the assistant principal came in to observe a math lesson that I was teaching. At the bottom of her notes on the lesson, she made a written comment about how impressed she was when she noticed the two students using the stand up desks. She said they were thoroughly engaged and focused on the lesson while using the desks at the back of the room.

Thank-you for helping to make these desks a part of our classroom and leaning experience through your contribution to the project.”

With gratitude,

Mr. Hansen