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Mrs. Catanzaro's Classroom

  • Maconaquah High School
  • Bunker Hill, IN
  • More than half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

Your custom url is https://www.donorschoose.org/catanzaross6

show projects from all time

Past projects 7

  • Hands-On American History Games

    Funded Aug 29, 2019

    Thank you so much for contributing to our Hands-on-History project. As you are aware, with the Covid19 quarantine, this has not been a typical year. My students were able to enjoy the "1775 Rebellion" board games in the fall of 2019, which simulated the geography and battles of the early years of the American Revolution. They commented that playing this game helped them understand the two sides of the war better.

    However, we were unable to play our other game, "13 Minutes", which was a card game simulating the Cuban Missle Crisis. I had anticipated playing this game after our Spring Break in April of 2020; however, the school was closed at that time due to the Coronavirus. Another teacher and I had even collaborated together to make it more group-friendly as a tournament , which was postponed for now.

    Both of these games bring history to life and foster teamwork and strategy. I look forward to using these games in the 2020-2021 school year with my classes.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

    This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 10 other donors.
  • Making the Ancient Aztecs Relevant with Plant Science and STEM

    Funded Dec 31, 2017

    Thank you so much for donating funds to purchase plants for our classroom. It has made a lesson from ancient history come to life. We were so excited when we received your donation!

    In Social Studies 6, we learn about the ancient Aztecs and their floating gardens called "chinampas". We read a graphic novel story that shows them planting the floating gardens, and students always show interest in planting a garden of their own. We were able to purchase individual plant kits called "Eco Pals" for each student, complete with dirt and seeds, to make a mini-greenhouse. The kits had a soil disc that floated in the container when the students added water; it really made the chinampas experience real for them. In about 3 weeks, all students had a sprouted plant that they could take home to plant in their own family garden or in a community garden. Some were flowers, but others were edible plants like sunflowers, peppers, or strawberries; this led to a class discussion on sustainable agriculture and food deserts. Without your donation of supplies, this activity would have ended with the history lesson, but thanks to your helps, we turned ancient history into a life lesson with significant impact.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

    This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 7 other donors.
  • Let Us Learn With Legos! Sharing STEM/STEAM With Our Community

    Funded Jan 31, 2017

    Thank you for donating funds to purchase Legos for our STEM/STEAM learning classroom. Social Studies 6 students love to create geography, not just color maps on paper. These Legos are not toys in our classroom- the are tools. The pictures show students using Legos to create 3-D maps of European countries that they are expected to recognize by shape, such as Italy and Germany. Most students do not know any European countries when we pre-test at the beginning of the Age of Exploration unit; after doing this Legos activity, almost all students can locate and identify 6-10 specific countries on a world map. We were also able to share our creations with the community via our classroom Facebook page and Remind.com accounts. Parents were VERY impressed with what we created and very excited that we did a 3-D map project instead of a paper map (like they remember from school).

    We are excited to use and reuse these Legos throughout the year. When the incoming 6th grade students come to visit for their end of 5th grade tour, we will display our hands-on history creations for them to help them get excited about DOING social studies next year. This project will affect hundreds of kids. Thanks again!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

    This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.
  • Plant Science and History - A STEM Partnership from the Aztecs

    Funded Feb 14, 2017

    Thank you so much for donating funds to purchase plants for our classroom. It has made a lesson from ancient history come to life. We were so excited when we received your donation!

    In Social Studies 6, we learn about the ancient Aztecs and their floating gardens called "chinampas". We read a graphic novel story that shows them planting the floating gardens, and students always show interest in planting a garden of their own. We were able to purchase individual plant kits called "Eco Pals" for each student, complete with dirt and seeds, to make a mini-greenhouse. The kits had a soil disc that floated in the container when the students added water; it really made the chinampas experience real for them. In about 3 weeks, all students had a sprouted plant that they could take home to plant in their own family garden or in a community garden. Some were flowers, but others were edible plants like sunflowers, peppers, or strawberries; this led to a class discussion on sustainable agriculture and food deserts. Without your donation of supplies, this activity would have ended with the history lesson, but thanks to your helps, we turned ancient history into a life lesson with significant impact.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

    This classroom project was brought to life by Overdeck Family Foundation & Simons Foundation and 6 other donors.
  • 21st Century Technology and STEM Skills Across the Curriculum

    Funded Dec 23, 2016

    Thank you for donating funds to purchase technology for our classroom. We were able to purchase several Kindle Fire mini-tablets. We have used them for many different activities in our Social Studies 6 classroom this year. We used them to scan QR codes, allowing students quick access to images to go along with vocabulary definitions; this made the traditional "looking up vocabulary" much more interactive and memorable. We used them to read quotes from Shakespeare through an app; this gave use student choice and technology to go with our drawing of the quotes for a STEAM activity (technology + art). In these pictures, my students in Rubik's Cube Club are using the Kindles with a stopwatch app as part of a competition; in a speed cubing tournament, students have studied the algorithms for solving a cube and are competing for the best times.

    The exciting part about these Kindles is it is handheld technology; while we have laptop computers in our classroom, these Kindles make learning a different experience because we don't have to sit down to use it. We move around the room, using the Kindles in stations or small groups. Students are excited whenever the Kindles come out in class.

    Kindles are especially effective with my students who struggle with reading comprehension or basic skills; for example, the QR code activity would be VERY difficult for students who have to look up words in a glossary from the back of the textbook. These students with low reading levels even struggle to use a website like dictionary.com on their laptops. But the QR code gives them the same access as their peers, which levels the playing field.

    Thank you again for sharing your funds with us. We appreciate the technology every day!”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

  • Map the World- Incorporating Art, Science, and Geography STEM

    Funded May 20, 2016

    Thank you for helping to make our giant wall map a reality! It was installed in October, and students were SO excited to see it when they came back from Fall Break. We use it daily to point out locations as we study in class, but this wall map has become so much more than just a classroom decoration.

    My high school student intern is a senior that wants to teach Social Studies one day. She has taken the wall as her personal bulletin board project. She printed out postcard images and clip art of famous landmarks all over the world, cut them out, and taped them to the map. The students love to walk close to the wall before and after class and during passing periods, looking for new landmarks and talking about locations that they want to see one day.

    We are making an interactive scavenger hunt using mini-passport books, where students will walk to the map, choose a location, then complete the passport page as "research", complete with a "stamp" that they draw. Students love this wall- it has literally brought the world to life for them.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

  • STEM For Hands-on Learning In Social Studies 6

    Funded Mar 9, 2016

    Thank you SO very much for sharing with our Social Studies 6 classroom! Your donation allowed us to buy wooden Keva block sets, some sets of 200 blocks and some sets of Contraptions with 40 blocks and 2 special ping-pong balls. In the short time we have had the sets, we have used them multiple times. We have constructed travel tracks for Hexbug explorers like Columbus to travel. We have built Mayan and Aztec pyramids as part of math lessons. We have created models of the French Revolution guillotines, complete with "heads" that roll down the tower and chute into a waiting basket (the ping-pong balls). And each afternoon in a special enrichment course, students in grades 6-7-8 collaborate together to use the Keva planks to engineer their own creations as well as compete in Brain Booster Building Games. My students tingle visibly with excitement whenever we get out the blocks- even reluctant academic learners come to life when we use the blocks in a hands-on application of the lesson. I can't wait to see what we find to do with these blocks next year. The possibilities are endless! Thanks again for turning our Social Studies 6 students into engineers who STEM their way through the past into their future.”

    With gratitude,

    Mrs. Catanzaro

History today is more than just memorizing facts and dates; it's about thinking critically, reading engaging historical novels instead of dry textbooks, and researching with primary sources. Students in my U.S. history classes enjoy "thinking like historians" as they learn how the past of America relates to their future as American citizens who participate in our wonderful experiment in democracy. To encourage them to think like historians and go beyond the textbook, we need historical novels to read as interesting case studies that tell about minorities, controversies, and multiple perspectives from American history. Our community is rural with 50-65% free or reduced lunch rate, so students will not purchase extra reading materials themselves to supplement textbooks from the school. Preparing students with content area literacy skills is essential to helping my students be college and career ready.

About my class

History today is more than just memorizing facts and dates; it's about thinking critically, reading engaging historical novels instead of dry textbooks, and researching with primary sources. Students in my U.S. history classes enjoy "thinking like historians" as they learn how the past of America relates to their future as American citizens who participate in our wonderful experiment in democracy. To encourage them to think like historians and go beyond the textbook, we need historical novels to read as interesting case studies that tell about minorities, controversies, and multiple perspectives from American history. Our community is rural with 50-65% free or reduced lunch rate, so students will not purchase extra reading materials themselves to supplement textbooks from the school. Preparing students with content area literacy skills is essential to helping my students be college and career ready.

About my class

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