Classroom Wishlist is a monthly Idaho Lottery Do Good program that allows teachers to submit their classroom wishes to be fulfilled. With the help of our players, the Idaho Lottery funds up to $10,000 in classroom needs every month!
FEATURED STORY:
Congratulations to Victory Middle School!
Library Software for Melissa Bollinger
I am the librarian at VMS and would like to “up my game” when it comes to the multiple reading challenges we facilitate each year by purchasing a software program called Beanstack (www.beanstack.com). Beanstack motivates readers with fun, diverse, and engaging reading challenges while strengthening the intrinsic motivation to read with proven gamification features. This software allows the librarian (or teachers) to create digital quizzes/forms/projects connected to reading and then reward individual students when they hit predetermined milestones (either # of pages read or possibly # of minutes read/day) with badges. You can also organize a building-wide goal to work toward, or even set up classroom competitions through Advisory classes or homerooms. There are truly SO MANY possibilities with this software to create a digital way to track reading and reward student efforts!
The cost for one school to purchase Beanstack is $2,195 for the year. That is pretty steep. The price drops significantly with the more schools that subscribe in a district, so my hope is to pilot Beanstack this year at VMS with the five different Reading Programs I do and see if it is truly something that could benefit ALL schools in West Ada School District. I have paired with our 6th grade GT ELA (Gifted and Talented English Language Arts) teacher, and she is going to try using Beanstack with a project she has always done with cumbersome hard copies (that can be lost or misplaced) to see if Beanstack could benefit classroom teachers with their various reading projects. Hopefully, by May 2025, we will be able to pull the data from Beanstack to see how it has helped improve reading scores, inspired reluctant readers, and invigorated my reading challenges!
The items I’ve included on my Amazon Wishlist are what I plan to reward students with as they participate in our various reading challenges. Beanstack also provides some funding for donut or pizza parties to help motivate students along the way. In the past, students have had to fill out paper forms or keep reading journals (for up to six months!) to prove their participation in various reading challenges, but they could access Beanstack on their school-issued laptops- or even on their phones- by downloading the app!
As you can tell, I am VERY excited about the prospect of Beanstack and how it could bring the fun back to reading and create a culture of readers amongst the students and staff of Victory Middle School- LET'S GO KODIAKS!
Want to help Do GOOD? As a VIP Club member you can donate your points toward Classroom Wishlist projects in the Do Good section of the VIP Club Rewards. We can’t grant these projects without the help of our generous players. They make GOOD happen every day!
Is there something that your classroom needs? Materials, experiences, supplies that would help make your classroom more successful?
Read the rules below BEFORE you submit your wish!
- Must be 18 years or older to submit a classroom Wishlist.
- All Wishlists must benefit an Idaho public school.
- Wishlists are evaluated on the following criteria: Impact, Urgency, and Quality of Submission.
- A typical funded project is around $2,000, however, we will consider wishes up to $10,000.
- All information, including ordering links, must be submitted for a Wishlist to be considered!
- Wishlist submissions for each month close on the last day of the month and review begins the first of each month. If you don’t get selected, don’t give up, you should re-submit.
- Each educator may only be awarded once per academic year.
- All Classroom Wishlist submissions must include the shipping cost in their total cost. Submissions may be rejected after being awarded if the budget increases dramatically.
- Wishlist items must not include items that have already been purchased by the school or teacher.
- Wishlists cannot be related to events or projects that have already occurred. The Idaho Lottery will not approve reimbursements.
