Tips for Getting Funded Through Donors Choose

Have you heard of Donors Choose? Maybe you've had a few projects funded already or maybe you're just getting started. Either way, here are some tips to help you experience success in getting your classroom project funded.

Who am I?

In case you're just tuning in, I'm Kristin. I'm the teacher behind Teaching In A Nutshell. I've been a Donors Choose teacher since 2011. My mom mentioned it to me my first year of teaching when I was complaining that I didn't have resources for my classroom. I jumped on board and got my first project funded quickly. That year, I had three projects fund total. During my time on Donors Choose, I've had 19 projects fund in all. 

Due to my love of Donors Choose, I founded the Send A Smile Giving Page in the summer of 2013. My lovely co-admin joined on shortly after and has been amazing this past year as I've stepped back a bit while pregnant. As admins of a giving page, we are able to support tons of teachers with projects on Donors Choose and hear tips from those same teachers about what has worked for them. Now, I'm sharing those tips with you.

What is Donors Choose?

Donors Choose is a website that allows you to post projects where you request resources, visitors, or trips for your classroom. These projects are then crowdfunded by donors. Your project may receive donations from friends and family, student families, people from your community, or even random donors throughout the world. This website has helped countless students receive materials and experiences that they would may not have had otherwise. It allows teachers to get materials for their classroom without breaking the bank - or maybe it just frees up your money to purchase other things for the classroom ... like jewelry and shoes.

Below is additional information that I have learned from my own experience as well as the experiences of others during my time on Donors Choose. I hope these tips are helpful to you!

Increasing Student Participation During Classroom Discussions

So, you may be asking - "What in the heck does a PB&J sandwich have to do with student participation?" As I write this, I can only imagine the questions that may be running through your head... partially because they're running through my head even though I chose the image!

Are we feeding the kids?

Isn't peanut butter banned in lots of schools?

Did you just pick a random picture?

Truly, there is a reason I picked this image! You see - an excellent strategy to help increase student participation during classroom discussions is Turn & Talk or, as my students call it, Peanut Butter and Jelly Partners.

What are Peanut Butter & Jelly Partners?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Partners are just another name for Turn & Talk partners or Elbow partners. You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to. One in the same. So, why this crazy name for them? Because the kids think it's hilarious! What is more fun - having your teacher say, "Now, turn and talk to your elbow partner" or "Peanut butter, talk to Jelly?"

Why call it something different?

Aside from the name just being fun for the kids, there are some other fun benefits to using the terms Peanut Butter and Jelly partners.

Differentiation

The Turn & Talk strategy are beneficial in classroom discussions. It allows students to process and work through their answer before sharing out with the class. For students who are below-level or shy, it gives them the opportunity to hear an answer from a friend before being called on. Labeling students as peanut butter or jelly allows you to differentiate your classroom discussions. Depending on the question you are asking, you can ask peanut butter or jelly to talk first. This may allow your more advanced partners to provide scaffolding to your on-level and below-level students before you discuss the question as a class. 

Various Groupings

Having special names for your partners not only allows you to differentiate, it also allows you an easy way to give students multiple partners. Rather than only having an elbow buddy, you can have a Peanut Butter & Jelly partner and a Mashed Potatoes & Gravy partner or a Cookies & Milk partner. The kids are great at remembering which partner they are because it's so fun and silly. Of course, you can still provide visual reminders for students if needed, but many times they are not needed.

Other Ways to Group Students

My students are very intentionally partnered based on ability, as well as personality. I try to match above with below level learners and Chatty Cathys with Quiet Quints. It takes a lot of thought. However, you can also match your students based on where they sit, by letting them select their own partner, or randomly. You can even do a combination by selecting different names for different types of partners.

Oh no! I have an ODD number of students!

That's what I said when I started this. For some reason, it didn't really hit me that this was a problem until I was assigning the students their partners. Luckily, teachers are good at thinking on their feet! See that picture up at the top? Notice the chips? Yep, that's partner number three!

When I told my oddball student that, he was so excited that he got to be the chips, a super special position just for him. He was, however, confused when it was his turn. You see, every time I asked a question, I always said that peanut butter or jelly went first.

What about the chips?

Once again, I was able to quickly swoop in with a solution. Little known fact - I like to crush up chips and put them in the middle of my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Does anyone else do that? It's a textural thing for me. Really, that doesn't matter, though. The point is, it gave me a perfect solution for our little dilemma. "The chips always go in the middle," I told him as I explained how I liked to eat my sandwiches. And that was that, no further explanation needed and no complaints! Well, except when I forgot to say "Turn and tell peanut butter - and chips - what you think!"

Ready to try it out on your class?

Go for it! It is amazing how much fun discussions become for the students using this system, and it makes it easy to organize your Turn & Talk times. Check out this Peanut Butter and Jelly Partner resource to help implement it in your room!

Viva Las Vegas!

It's hard to believe the TPT Vegas conference has already come and gone. I knew that it was going to be quite the experience, but I don't think I could have imagined what a blast it was! I'm pretty sure that my husband knows, without me even having said anything to him, that I plan on attending next year.

I'll be honest - I was a bit nervous going into this experience. I was going by myself and didn't know anyone else going too well. There were a few Chicago bloggers that I'd met once or twice, but that's about it! I'm so grateful to Marie from Once Upon A Classroom and some others for hosting a Chicago meetup a few weeks before Vegas because meeting a few people beforehand was super helpful!

Here are a few tips for those of you who weren't able to make it last year, but are hoping to in the future!

Tip #1: Put Yourself Out There!

I generally consider myself an introverted person. Being a teacher helps with that a little bit, but no matter what, I'm always nervous meeting new people. If you're someone who gets nervous too, don't let that stop you! It was so great meeting other people in the same TPT boat as me and getting to spend a few days with them! Everyone is so nice, whether you come across them at a meetup or get pulled to their table at lunch because you lost your group! #truestory #thatreallyhappened

Tip #2: Bring Business Cards

Going into Vegas, I was kind of nervous if I'd actually end up using my business cards. I'd heard many people didn't have much success passing them out last year, and I was on the fence over whether I should buy them. I'm glad I did though. While I didn't go through anywhere near as many as I bought, I probably was able to pass out 75 or so. The business cards were also super helpful later in the evening or when I got home and was finally able to add people to Instagram or check out their blog!

Seriously, that pile was only half of the business cards I received! Be sure to bring a button, too! Those were great at helping identify people.

Tip #3: Attend Some Meetups

I ended up going to four different meetups while I was there! This may have been overkill. My absolute favorite meetup was the pool party hosted by Lindsey from It's Elementary My Dear and Ashlyn from The Creative Classroom. Their meetup was quite a bit smaller than the others I went to, so it was nice to be able to talk to so many people who were there. Don't forget to plan things for your evenings, whether it's meetups or dinner with friends!

Tip #4: Get Ready for Some Awesome Goodies!

Let's just start off by saying that I got SIX new canvas bags while in Vegas! What?! It seemed like everywhere I turned, someone was handing out more bags. My school teacher friends are going to be super confused where I got all these bags from!

Now, don't get me wrong. The bags were cool and all, but there were some other really cool items that I got as well! Some were from sessions, like the awesome planner from Erin Cobb or the CD full of free clip art! Some were from meetups like the cool key chain from The Cool Kids Meet and Greet! Some were from raffles that I won like another planner that I won! That's not even mentioning all the the pens, candy, hair ties, and other fun that people were creative enough to attach to their business cards!

Tip #5: Stay Connected!

Once you meet all these fabulous new blogger friends, try to stay connected. Don't fall off the planet until the following year's TPT Vegas! Some bloggers from my area have already decided to get together more often, and I know that I'll be heading over to other's blogs to keep in touch. It'll make next year's trip even more fun!

Bonus Tip: Ask for a room close to the elevators!

This one is a bit of a joke, but for real, you might want to! My room was gorgeous! I felt guilty having it all to myself. Who needs two queen beds, a sunken living room with a pull-out and a full bathroom suite to themselves? Was it nice, though? You bet! The worst part was getting there! I had to walk to the very end of the hallway, past thirty other rooms (#icounted) to get to mine! Let me tell you - it's not so fun when you're pregnant!

If you're thinking of going next year, let me know! I'm always happy to meet new blogging friends! And be sure to check in with The Elementary Entourage (click their button below!) to learn more from other TPT Vegas bloggers!

Currently: July!

I'm here posting for the Currently link-up hosted by the fabulous Farley! Check out what's going on with me!

Listening: I've never been a fan of Big Brother (or even watched it). Nothing is on this summer though. It's fine for background noise, but Geez Louise with all the whining! Everything is so dramatic!

Loving: So many cute blog designs have come out already or are in the works. I'm excited to get to help out so many wonderful bloggers!

Thinking: For real though - I have so much to do! Most of it is shopping and pampering myself which some people may not consider 'need to do's,' but for me they are! I guess packing is on the list too.

Wanting: Tomorrow is the big day! I can't wait to find out!

Needing: I went to the salon as part of my pampering and ... my hair is not what I asked for! Yikes! I'm going back tomorrow to try to get it fixed. My fingers are crossed they're able to work some magic!

All Star: It took me forever to decide what to put for my All Star box which is even more reason that being indecisive truly is the right thing to go in there! I overthink absolutely everything!

Can't wait to read what everyone else is up to and to see so many of you in Vegas next week!

Dare to Dream {#tptsellerchallenge}

I'm posting a little late, but better late than never! This week has been crazy busy with blog designs! I never imagined how much attention my designs would get when I started posting premades on Instagram! Wow! I mean - I hoped I'd get more attention than I previously had, but I didn't expect to get 15 new blogs signed up in 2 weeks. That may be normal for some, but for me it's more than the total number of blogs I'd designed prior to posting my first premade! I'm excited to get the chance to help so many bloggers new and old build a fabulous new look!

Although this challenge is about TPT, I'm also keeping in mind my growing blog design business as it is currently bringing in more money than my TPT store is! We'll need to work on that.

I'm linking up again with the fabulous TPT Seller Challenge by sharing my big dreams for what I'd love to do if I hit it big on TPT.

Friends

I'd love to be able to spend more time with my current friends, but what I really mean by this one is that I'd love to get the chance to meet more and more friends. The teacher blogging and TPT world is full of so many amazing people, and as I continue on this journey I'm excited to meet new people. The bigger my store gets, the more people I'm able to interact with and the more new friends I'm able to meet!

Travel

This is probably the biggest one for me! My husband and I are able to travel from time to time, but who doesn't want to travel more?! We took our first trip out of the country together this year and now we're dreaming of the other big places we can go. Of course, we love visiting new places in the country too! With a little one on the way, it's going to be even more difficult to travel, so having additional funding would come in handy. I also would love a little extra money to attend more conferences and meetups around the country. This summer I am lucky enough to be traveling to Vegas like so many other bloggers, and I'm also heading up today to a conference in Milwaukee. Call me a teacher dork, but I love learning more about teaching and I love getting to interact with new and old friends!

Food and Shopping

I'm a major foodie. I'd eat out every day if I could afford to. Like seriously. My husband may not agree with me here, but he doesn't have to come with! Hah! Shopping is a love hate event for me, but it would still be great to have extra funds to be able to splurge on great pieces when I find them!

Family

I don't know that I ever want to be a stay at home mom - I need to get out of my house as much as possible or I go stir crazy! I love working and teaching, but I'd love to be able to spend more time with my family, do more fun things with my family, and create a wonderful living space for my family to enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chicago Area Teacher Blogger Meetup

Are you from the Chicagoland area or anywhere else in Illinois? Are you someone who lives in a neighboring state who would be willing to drive to the Chicagoland area to meet other amazing teachers and bloggers?

Get ready for the Chicago Area Teacher Blogger Meetup! Feel free to grab the image below and share on social media to spread the word!

Be sure to RSVP so we know if you can join us and visit our Facebook page for future updates!

Daily 5 Book Study: Chapter 1

Hey all! I'm linking up with some fabulous bloggers for another book study. I'm reading a number of PD books right now, and I have to say that they are pairing together quite nicely! Today, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts about Chapter 1 of The Daily 5, 2nd Edition.

I was introduced to The Daily 5 at my interview for the school where I currently work. The principal mentioned that several teachers had recently read the book and were planning to implement it the next year, so as soon as I left the interview, I raced to the store, purchased the book, and started reading! I absolutely loved the ideas in The Daily 5 and knew that, come fall, I'd be implementing it in my classroom as well.

I'm so glad that I found this book study because I hadn't even realized that the sisters had released a second edition. Even in the first chapter, there is some very exciting stuff!

I love how the sisters begin with that ideal classroom. Due to district reading program changes, I haven't been able to use Daily 5 in my classroom for two years, and let me tell you, as a result, my room has not looked like that perfect classroom they describe. More like the 'before' mental picture they paint. Reading through that reminded me of a time when my classroom really did look and sound like the Daily 5 classroom they talk about. It helped me realize that I need to figure out a way to use the district reading program, but also incorporate as many aspects of Daily 5 as I can!

I love some of the changes that the sisters have made. I love that students are required to do Read to Self and Work on Writing every day. I love that they're going to help me figure out what to do with those barometer students, their term for kids who have more trouble adjusting to the system than others. I also love all the reminders, even in Chapter 1, about CAFE. I'll need to go pull that out soon because it complements Daily 5 so well. In their brief overview of CAFE in Chapter 1, they explained that during Daily 5 rounds, which typically last from 20-30 minutes, small group meetings should still only take 10 minutes or so, which is fabulous news for me since I will have 29 kids in my class next year!

I'm so excited to continue reading and relearning Daily 5 and figuring out how to incorporate it into my class this year!