Past projects 2
CD Players and Headphones to Build Reading Fluency
Funded Nov 23, 2013I am incredibly grateful for your donations toward CD players and headphones for my classroom. The CD players are generally used each day during the part of my literacy instruction when students are reading independently. Four students have the opportunity to read along to a book while listening to it on a CD.
There have been so many benefits to my literacy instruction since the CD players arrived. This has been a great way to increase reading motivation. My students LOVE when it is their day to use the CD players. They read and listen for the entire time that they are expected to do so, and I have never needed to remind a student to stay on task. As far as reading instruction is concerned, it has been a great way to give my students the additional opportunity to hear fluent reading. Many students try to read along, particularly if it is a book they have already read before, giving them a chance to work on their fluency. I often have students show me a new word that they came across in a book and they are excited to be able to read it after hearing it on the CD players. Students often have a chance to listen to books that are just above their own reading level, so it is an excellent way to expose children to more challenging text.
An unexpected benefit of the CD players has been that my students have had the opportunity to gain some independence in problem solving. I am often working with small groups while students are using the CD players, and therefore not always immediately available to help when there is a problem. My students have become quite adept at solving technology problems on their own. I'll often see a student helping another adjust the volume, determine that a CD player needs new batteries, or helping a student who is having difficulty getting the headphones to sit comfortably. It has been wonderful to see some student leaders quickly emerge as our technology experts!
The CD players have been such a exciting addition to my classroom. I love the opportunities that they give me in my instruction. My students are absolutely thrilled to have them, and treat them like gold! We're all excited to continue using them for the duration of this school year, and I look forward to using them as part of my teaching for years to come.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gross
A Document Camera Would Help Students Share Work!
Funded Dec 29, 2011I am so grateful for your generous donation of a document camera for my classroom. It certainly has received a great deal of use this year and I look forward to using it in my teaching in the years to come.
I use the document camera with my class almost daily and for many different uses. In math, I use it to model the work that my students will be asked to do. Before we had the document camera, I needed to take the time to make a larger version that could be seen by all students from a distance. Or, the students needed to crowd around the materials in order to see. The document camera is saving me so much time and often makes the modeling part of lessons much more engaging for my young students.
Often I also use it to show student work. I sometimes let my students know that at the end of the class I'll show student examples. We've displayed student poetry, summaries after reading a story, and strategies that students used to solve a math word problem. Students are motivated to see their work projected in front of the class and they are engaged when viewing other students' work on the document camera.
Because I am using the document camera in all the subjects that I teach, approximately fifty third graders have been able to benefit from the document camera this year. We've discussed where the document camera came from, and my students are so appreciative and amazed at the generosity of people who do not know us. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gross