Past projects 52
Creating a Caring Classroom
Funded Nov 24, 2018Thank you for your support in helping create a loving classroom environment for my students. Many of my students come to class each day having experienced trauma and/or stress at home. School is a safe space where they can expect the same routine each and every day. I appreciate the fact that this routine now includes daily snack time during which they can eat and socialize with their friends.
One of my favorite things each year is watching my students grow in empathy and compassion for others. By providing ice packs and bandaids at their level, I can empower students to take care of each other. When someone falls on the playground, they are immediately surrounded by friends asking what they need and offering an ice pack, a bandaid, or a tissue. It is heartwarming to see the love they share with one another.
Thank you for keeping my classroom in stock of the things that matter most!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce.org and one other donor.Games and Goals Can Go Hand in Hand
Funded Dec 14, 2018Thank you so much for your help with purchasing new games and puzzles for my classroom. This year I was able to teach my students about the connection between a hands-on activity and a skill they wanted to learn or improve.
Each day at the beginning of Centers, each child would choose a skill to work on. This could be letters, sight words, numbers, shapes, etc. Then they would choose from a variety of hands-on activities to work on that activity. By teaching my students that they have the power to choose an activity or skill that best suits them, I am setting them up to be lifelong learners.
Now that my students are on summer break, they know that they can take responsibility for keeping their skills fresh for first grade. Thank you for helping me empower my young learners!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by CFP Foundation and Bay Area Host Committee and 16 other donors.Snacks for Kinders
Funded Dec 24, 2018There's nothing quite like opening up giant boxes full of your favorite snacks! My kids were so excited when our boxes arrived. I provide a snack for my students every morning and afternoon. Morning snack settles them into the day and provides sustenance to anyone who missed breakfast. Afternoon snack gives kids a chance to relax with their friends and re-energize before going to the after-school program. Now that we have a cabinet full of crackers, popcorn, and granola bars, I am able to ask parents to focus on sending some healthier options such as fruit and cheese. A well-balanced snack sets everyone up for success!
When my kids have a great week full of hard work and kindness, I love to reward them with movie day. This is 20 minutes on Friday afternoon when we roll out yoga mats, spread out all over the floor, and eat popcorn while watching a movie on the projector screen. These are the kinds of memories that stick with students year after year: moments of warmth and care with their friends and teacher.
Thank you so much for giving my students the sustenance and energy they need to thrive at school. They are achieving amazing things thanks to you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by Salesforce.org and one other donor.Sing-Along Learning
Funded Sep 4, 2018Sight words have always been a challenge for me to teach to my young students. Many of my kindergarteners come to school knowing very few letters and sounds, so moving them into spelling and reading full words can be a big step. I love Heidi Songs because they make sight words fun and accessible to everyone!
My students watch two videos per day that correspond to the words we are learning that week. They always look forward to this time in the morning. Furthermore, when I notice a student trying to read or spell a sight word that we've learned, I often hear them singing the song to help jog their memory.
Thank you so much for bringing these wonderful songs and videos into our daily routine.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by The Clorox Company and 3 other donors.Hands-on Learning With Osmo
Funded Aug 30, 2018We love Osmo! The games are kid friendly and offer a great way to work with hands-on materials while learning about letters, shapes, and numbers. Every student got to choose their own avatar and work through the levels at their own pace.
We have two Osmo stations open every day during center time. They are full day after day. My students absolutely love the games! I love watching my students help each other as they try out some of the more challenging games and levels. Overall Osmo has been a fantastic addition to our classroom, and we are very grateful for your support!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 3 other donors.Materials for a Student-Run Classroom
Funded Jul 5, 2018Thanks to your support, my classroom runs like a well-oiled machine. My students know exactly where to find just what they need, whether they are looking for glue, markers, crayons, writing journals, etc. Even better, they know how to put these materials away when it's time to clean up!
At my school, we are constantly working toward creating independent learners. We want our students to know how to learn even when they are no longer at school with us. By expecting students to retrieve their own materials as they need them, I feel I am giving them agency to set goals and carry them out. For example, one of my students decided to build a paper airplane during choice time. He retrieved a piece of paper, a pair of scissors, and an iPad. While watching a video entitled "How to Build a Paper Airplane," he followed along and made it just as he had envisioned it. He then taught two friends how to make similar airplanes.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
Little Writers Can Revise Their Work, Too!
Funded Aug 13, 2018Thank you for helping me build a writing culture in my classroom! My students love writers workshop. They are able to write and draw for 20 continuous minutes every afternoon! While we haven't started using the staplers and masking tape for revisions yet, my students do reread their writing and notice mistakes. They are working on building a growth mindset which allows them to own their mistakes and excitedly fix them up to make their writing even better!
My students absolutely love the colorful zippered pouches. In October, every child got to choose whichever colored pouch they wanted. I wrote their name on their pouch and on each of the materials they keep in their. They now have ownership over their materials!
Thank you for helping us purchase these fantastic materials!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
Little Innovators Need an iPad
Funded Aug 19, 2018Thank you so much for helping us add an iPad to our small collection of them. My students use iPads on a daily basis for all kinds of activities! It helps having an additional one so that students are not constantly waiting around for their turn.
My students' favorite activity is using voice-to-text on Google in order to search for how-to-draw videos. Drawing is very important in the primary grades because students use drawing to communicate as they learn to write. For this reason, learning how to draw is a daily choice during centers. My students have become independent learners who can find a video to teach them how to draw whatever they want. Then they follow step-by-step instructions to draw things that interest them such as Spiderman and puppies. They are always so proud of their masterpieces!
My favorite activity for students is building their digital portfolio. Any time they are working on something they are proud of, I encourage them to take a photo of it and add it to their portfolio. The app we use even allows them to record their thoughts about the activity! It has helped me gain greater insights into my students' thinking.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 2 other donors.Digital Portfolios to Promote Growth Mindset
Funded Nov 12, 2017Wow! Digital portfolios have made a huge difference in how my students view themselves as readers and writers. Each time we finish a unit in reading or writing, my students record themselves reading a book at their level or reading a piece of writing they wrote. They are incredibly proud to watch these with their parents at home! Some families have reported that students ask to watch their videos again and again.
This high engagement creates a great opportunity for me to talk to students about setting goals for themselves. I meet with students, watch their video with them, and ask questions about what they did well and what they can do even better on next time.
Now that my students are becoming comfortable with self-reflection, they are also becoming brave about noticing mistakes and fixing them! They realize things like, "Oops! I forgot spaces between my words!" and "Oh! That's the word YOUR but I accidentally read it as YOU."
I am confident that the skill of self-reflection will serve my students well as academics become more challenging in future years. They have soared this year in kindergarten, and I'm looking forward to hearing about their success in first grade!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and one other donor.Stamp It Out!
Funded Dec 5, 2017We love our stamps! My students use them every day as a literacy center to practice spelling sight words. When we first got the stamps, students experimented with them by randomly stamping letters on their papers. After they got over the pure excitement of the stamps, they began using them intentionally to spell out sight words we were learning that week. By slowing down to find each letter in the correct order, my students gained a better understanding of how letters go together to make words, and how much the order of the letters matter. They began noticing that if you put the letters in the wrong order, you might spell a different word altogether. For example NO spelled backwards is ON!
Now that my students have had ample time to practice sight words using stamps, Wikki Stix, white boards, and other multi-sensory materials, I see them reading and writing many sight words with fluency and ease!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Makovec
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and 13 other donors.