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Stuff Kids Should Know

Part of: Communities
  • $117raised
  • 3projects funded
  • 3schools served
  • 3teachers supported
Let's help kids learn all sorts of stuff they should know!<p> We'll feature classroom projects relevant to recent SYSK podcasts below, but you can also <a href="http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html">search all requests</a> to find the perfect one for you!<p> The last podcast was about <b>goals</b>, so here are some projects about both <b>academic</b> goals *and* <b>soccer</b> goals. Something for everyone!
  • "Goal" Mining by Hands-on Scientific Inquiry

    Funded Aug 13, 2012

    The impact of your generous gift to our Middle School science department is undoubtedly much more far-reaching than you might imagine. The balances and conductivity meters equip our students to actually engage in investigative studies as young scientists, exploring new concepts through hands-on experiments instead of listening to lectures, watching demonstrations, or simply reading about them.

    These pieces of equipment allow opportunities for multiple classroom lab investigations. Studying properties of matter, detecting what type of properties metals, nonmetals and metalloids have utilized our conductivity meters to the fullest. We have determined what types of solutions conduct a current and which acid or base is strong or weak. The balances have been used through a variety of lessons, including burning magnesium metal to observe the law of conservation of mass, or determining how temperature affects the rate of reaction using alka seltzer and water. By being able to introduce these beginning chemistry topics, our students will undoubting have success in their future classes in high school.

    Your thoughtful donation benefits our students in a much broader context than science. The skills they practice in the labs transfers to mathematics class, to writing and discussion in language arts, to critical and analytical thinking in all courses. With increasingly demanding standards of performance, you have provided the means to ensure that our students reach and exceed those standards. We are extremely grateful for your support. Thank you.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Kennedy

  • Middle School Mentors

    Funded May 10, 2012

    We want to thank you for your donation of mini camcorders, microphones, and podcasting guides. We used them to create podcasts about life in middle school to show to new middle school students so that they feel more comfortable. We are also going to use them to make commercials and videos about our school to promote the great programs we have.

    Using the writing process to form scripts and storyboards before filming helped to increase our writing skills. Working with our fellow classmates helped to increase our teamwork skills.

    Without donors like you, thousands of classrooms in the U.S. would have to go without these sorts of vital resources.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Rosales

  • Podcasts To Save The Environment

    Funded May 10, 2012

    On behalf of my students, I would like to express our profound gratitude for the financial support you gave. Your generous contribution allowed my class to receive headsets that they can use when they work on their podcast projects.

    You can only imagine how involved the students are when they plan and collaborate during group projects in our Environmental Science class. Students become aware of environmental issues and through class projects, are able to compose their podcasts and create astonishing presentations expressing their views about why people should care about the environment.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Tupaz

    This classroom project was brought to life by Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and 11 other donors.
  • Phonemic Awareness Is Our Goal

    Funded Jun 26, 2012

    Thank you so very much for your generous donations! Your kindness and thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated! You are making a difference in the lives of our future.

    The learning games that you provided will help my students achieve their reading goals. It is so hard to find fun and interesting ways to learn phonemic awareness without the necessary tools! They were thrilled and delighted when I set up the learning centers at independent workshop time.

    As a teacher, I am always grateful to all those who donate their time or their money to help our struggling students. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Engler

  • Today: Podcasts! Tomorrow: The World!

    Funded Jun 24, 2012

    Thank you so much for your contribution to our classroom! My students and I are very grateful. The materials you helped purchase for us are being put to great use by my students! They were very excited to start the school year with so many new and exciting technology tools!

    So far, we have used our new materials to do recorded reading, group listening activities, and recorded classroom activities with our new video recorder. The students absolutely love our color-coded keyboard; it is both motivational and helpful!

    Again, many thanks are extended to each of you for your contribution. Community support is so important in today's public schools. Special organizations and individuals, like each of you, help average classrooms excel to become excellent classrooms! Thank you!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Efaw

  • Middle School Podcasters

    Funded May 30, 2012

    Your generosity is reaching far more students than the project's original intent. When one of our sophomore students approached me about his project, I never expected it to take the path it has. The sophomore and two other boys come to my classroom everyday for two periods to work on their radio/podcast project. They are remixing and organizing their music: each boy is developing his own musical "voice". They have expressed a desire to shape the radio/podcast into one as diversified as our student body.

    The podcast station is the tool by which these boys are creating their own brand of music and sharing it. Each day I am bombarded by the students I teach, inquiring as to the progress of the station and as to where and when they can tune in and listen to it. The boys using the station, are utilizing this as a platform to further explore music production, and are hoping to springboard into video production as well. In fact, we just set up a partnership with our local college whereby they have agreed to aid us in setting up curriculum and in exposing our students to their video production studios. WE are hoping that their electronic music and music production department comes on board as well. The result? Should the boys decide to attend this college, they will receive advanced placement credit for taking the music and video production classes offered at our high school.

    When the boys begin broadcasting, they will have the ability to reach our over 4000 student base. I hope this letter will raise awareness on what the potential impact is of every donation made to the projects on Donors Choose.

    Once again, from my students and I, thank you from the bottom of our hearts! May you both be as blessed as you have blessed us.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Casalta

  • Soccer Goals

    Funded Jun 4, 2012

    We have started soccer practice and the students love the new goal.

    The goalie now has actual parameters in order to practice receiving and throwing the ball and how far to stand away from the goal in a game.

    The kids who are not goalies really enjoy having something to kick the ball into. We can now teach kids where to stand to kick side goals and other goals so they are not kicking to the goalie. They will also learn how close they can get to a goalie in order to kick the ball for a point.

    It is much easier to teach someone how to play soccer with the right equipment. So on behave of the coaches, staff, and students at our school we thank you for the generous donation you have given us in order to help make soccer more teachable and enjoyable.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Hamblen

    This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo Arizona and 3 other donors.
  • Learning Tools

    Funded Jul 6, 2012

    Thank you so much for donating the books and supplies to my students. We have used the marker boards already for a vocabulary activity. My students loved it! It really encouraged all students to participate and made learning fun.

    My students have also checked out many of the new books. They read more when they have many interesting books to choose from. They truly appreciate getting new books.

    We also appreciate the flash drives to save typed assignments and all of the other much-needed supplies. Thank you for helping my students succeed!”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Diamond

    This classroom project was brought to life by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and 11 other donors.
  • GOAL!! Saving Backpacks With Soccer Nets!

    Funded Jun 2, 2012

    Thank you for the way you have supported our kids with your generous donations for soccer goals. Third through fifth graders race to the playground every morning and afternoon to team up for soccer games. They are very organized and proper about how they play and instead of trampling and tripping over their backpacks, they are now using proper equipment for goals! They were able to put them together (they enjoyed that responsibility-with supervision of course) and the goals are just the right size that they can transport them on their own from storage to their field of choice. They love them!

    I appreciate your support because it's one more thing they look forward to at recess- they can't believe that a group of people worked together to get these goals donated.

    Thank you for "scoring" for our kids!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Diskin

  • Technology for Our Anti-Bully Campaign! (Part 2)

    Funded Apr 11, 2012

    I don't even know where to begin to thank you for your extremely generous donations! The impact you have had on my students and their education in profound. There were completely taken aback by your generosity. The photographs that are posted were taken with the iPad and the students used apps to alter the images. We used these photos as part of our Anti-Bully Campaign. We could never have done this without your help. Thank you so very much!!! ”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Diamond

    This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 6 other donors.
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