Mrs. Tara Riess' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 8

• Little Hands, Lots of Learning

  Funded Dec 2, 2024

  Thank you so much for donating to my classroom. With these new resources, my students have another way to learn their letters. The hands on tactile resources helps with the ones who need something hands on. The boxes are great to put sand in of different colors as well. Currently we have white sand and the background is blue.

  The students love using these sand boxes. They are excited to use their finger as a pencil and show me their work. There is even room for them to practice writing their name. Anything that is different than a pen or pencil is exciting for them. It brings the fun in learning.

  I am excited for my students to take their letter and sound learning to sight words. I am hoping that this will get them excited to read soon. Thanks to generous people like you, you are helping our students learn at a faster rate. Thank you again!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

• Letter Boogie

  Funded Dec 7, 2024

  Thank you so much for donating to my class. I am so thrilled to add this technology to my classroom. As simple as it is, it gets the students excited to learn. It also helps with having to make multiple copies for my students to write on. This easy technology is fun and easy for the kids to use.

  The students love this easy fun way to learn. The simple pen to write on the tablet and the convenient handles for them to hold. The easy way to clear the screen with a simple button is great too! The screen is very easy on the eyes as well. The black background and green writing is different than all the other technolgy children use.

  My students are now asking their parents for these writing tablets. They find them fun and exciting to use. It has helped me with their attention. All of their writing has improved and they are excited for writing time now. Thank you again for all your support!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

• Hands on Learning

  Funded Sep 18, 2024

  Thank you so much for the donations to my classroom. The children really enjoy the hands on learning. They are having so much fun, they don't even realize they are learning. This will go a long way. Theu will comstantly remember the skills they are learning.

  When they first saw our new learning manipulatives, they were excited! They begged to use them everyday. The puzzles are great because they are sturdy and will be able to be used for years. The items are large enough to count and match to the number. The magna tiles are great for their imaginations. They not only can build multiple items using the shapes, it is a great way for the kids to learn to work together.

  My next step for my class is to find new ELA items that will interest them as much as the new math items. I am exicted for them to learn and they are eager to learn especially when things are hands on.

  Thank you again for supporting my classroom and the young minds of our future!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.

• Ears Want to Hear!

  Funded Apr 17, 2023

  Thank you so much for donating to my classroom. Our classroom reads approximately three to four books a day. In a world that is primarily based on technology, it is great to have a way for them to be able to broaden their minds with hands on bright pictures and words.

  Books broaden their minds of kids. They teach them concepts of print. They teach them sentence structure. It opens their imagination through pictures and words. Books teach them about the world by using auditory skills with a single picture. It helps witht their attention span as well.

  Thank you again for all the new books. My students loved them. Especially my Jayden, his speech and his maturity improved with all of the books being read to him. And being hands on for him. Reading new books always brightens my students day and mine too. I love seeing their excitement and their reactions on what was happening in the story. This really helps their "ears wanting to hear" more.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.

• Shhhh... Students Secretly Learning to Read!

  Funded Nov 29, 2022

  My students have loved the stories that share the secrets of spelling patterns. They are able to look at a work and sound it out and they are able to write a word by using the stories. The pictures are very helpful and vibrant colors for the age of the students that I teach. My student Ian who is an English Language Learner was able to remember to spell a long vowel word by using the "Sneaky E" story to help him.

  The students were very thrilled with the pictures. The pictures thoroughly describe the story in case they forget the story. They love the mats and are able to use them in small groups and love to tell each other the stories. This helps them with their comprehension as well.

  The next steps for my students will be to by more of the supplemental materials. This way the students each have resources to use and we don't have to just use them in small groups. I want to thank you for continuing to support my students and me while we take this adventure to learn tricky spellings.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

  This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 2 other donors.

• Engineers of the Future!

  Funded Sep 21, 2022

  We love our new Magna Tiles and storage bins! My students have loved discovering knew ways to build with them. We use them during math, retelling of stories, and even during our universal access time. They are great for our socializing and helping build vocabulary for our English language learners. I have noticed they are excited to use them in all subjects and an improvement in all learning areas.

  When I first received the Amazon box, we did an unboxing party. They loved trying to figure our what was in the box and how we were going to use them. The students were then able to take them to their table to use them. The excitement and smiles coming from all the students filled the room. They love having me take pictures to send to their parents and also to share on our wall. They discover new things about the Magna Tiles daily. I tried to show that in some of the pictures attached.

  My next step will be to help build the Magna-Tiles with more people and animals. This will broaden the conversations and help with some of their STEAM engineering goals. Thank you again for everything you have given and the time.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.

• Riess' Independent Readers!

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  I am so thankful for donors like you. Your generous donations are noted everyday in my classroom. The iPads have given my students the opportunity to become more independent with their learning. They are becoming more familiar with letters and sounds through the apps we have downloaded. This is fun for all the students. Even the ones that are starting to read CVC words. The are now able to follow along with simple books that are read to them. And learning at this age is great through the sing songy apps. This is a great way to strengthen their reading skills and math skills too!

  My school doesn't have the money to supply iPads for our young learners. I am so thankful that you have given my students the ability to strengthen their reading skills in this way. It also has been great for my learners that have disabilities like cerebral palsy. It is hard for her to be on a computer with a mouse. I can see the excitement in her eyes when she is able to use the iPad. It gives her some freedom and choice in her learning instead of watching a friend manipulate the computer. I am so thankful that you were able to help me give these students these experiences to learn.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and one other donor.

• R.'s Pieces to Reading

  Funded Oct 17, 2016

  I am so thankful for donors like you. Your generous donations are noted everyday in my classroom. The books and Cd's for the listening center have given my students the opportunity to become more independent with their learning. Most of them now understand the Concepts of Print. Things like....where do we begin to read, where is the front cover, how do I turn the page, which way does my finger move to track the words. The students love the new books and Cd's. We rarely go a day without using the listening center.

  My school doesn't have the money to supply books and Cd's for our classroom. I am so thankful that you have given my students the ability to strengthen their reading skills. It also brings back fond memories of when I was in Kindergarten. I can see the same excitement in their eyes that I had when I was a child. I am so thankful that you were able to help me with sharing that experience.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Tara Riess