Past projects 3
Reading With Our Ears!
Funded Oct 17, 2015Thank you once again for helping fund our new listening center for our classroom. The students are able to use the listening center during our Reading Stations time, at least once a week, to listen to a story that goes along with what we are working on in class. They have learned how to use a radio, tape player and CD player and how to start, stop and pause their tape so that they can follow along with the book. This is a skill many students do not have experience with, and it gives them new learning and opportunities to use different technology we usually do not get to expose them to.
The chance to listen to stories has been very exciting to my students. They love listening to stories and love read aloud time, but the listening center has opened their eyes to new books and lets them hear other readers! They enjoy listening to the different people reading the stories, and it helps model fluency and tracking for them. They love getting to be in "charge" of the station and being responsible for starting the tape or CD and then pausing and rewinding it for the next group. It allows them the chance to be responsible for their learning and gives them new opportunities to be a leader.
Many of my lower students have really expressed great interest in the listening center, and I try to let them use it as much as time allows. They even enjoy listening to a story 3 or 4 times, which is another great way to build fluency and vocabulary skills. Listening to our stories and following along in the books help my students track their reading and follow along at an appropriate pace. It gives them access to new subjects, new authors, new readers, new interests and so many more great benefits. I really enjoy listening to them talk about the book and fill out the form about the book when they are finished. It is so much fun to listen to their favorite parts, or why they liked the book they just listened to. It has given them so much access to reading aloud that many of them don't get to experience at home with their parents and it is so wonderful to watch them love and embrace the listening center and put it to good use. It has truly been wonderful and such a great addition to our reading program here at school. Thank you again for allowing this opportunity to be possible.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Aragon
Wiggle, Move And Learn... Wobble Stools Make It Possible!
Funded Jan 13, 2015Thank you all so much for your generous contributions to the funding of this project for our classroom. Words cannot express how truly thankful I am for wonderful people and organizations like yourselves. The students have been truly appreciative and thankful that complete strangers have donated funds to help our classroom dreams come true.
The "Wobble Stools" have replaced their old stationary chairs that prevented them from moving throughout much of the day. The "Wobble Stools" allow them to wiggle, move and continue working at the same time. It is so much fun to watch them wiggle and wobble, while doing their work and still being productive! It is amazing how much of a difference a little wiggle can make, especially for very active little first graders! They have increased their energy, improved their focus and their production throughout the day.
They take so much pride in their "Wobble Stools" and have learned to appreciate things that are given to them, through your generous donations. Some of them have even made comments about how when they are older, they are going to donate to help other classrooms so they can have what we have. It has touched my heart in so many ways. Even many of the classroom parents had to come in and see what their children kept talking about with their new chairs!
You have all truly helped improve the lives and learning of my little first graders. I will never be able to thank you enough, but I hope the words will cover the great amount of appreciation we truly feel for your contributions. Thank you all so much!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Aragon
Reading Improves Our Lives
Funded Jan 26, 2013Thank you all so much for your generous donations to help my class receive the Scholastic Readers for this year. The students have never seen any reading material like this and they were so very excited to get their first one and look through it. They love the pictures and the activities that come with it. They also really enjoy the "big" magazine that comes with each set so that the teacher can display it on the board for easy viewing and class discussions.
The magazines are sent monthly and there is one magazine for each week of the month. We read 1 magazine a week, usually for Friday reading time. The students read through it themselves first, then we read it together as a class and talk about the topic together, they love to share what they already know about the topic, and then they get to complete the activities with a partner. The activities usually include a word search or word scramble, and questions about what they read. They really enjoy the activities and getting to work together on them.
These magazines have helped me in so many ways. It is another great resource to help me teach my young students the importance of reading, it is grade level appropriate and has great topics that keeps them interested. It has helped open their eyes to many science and social studies topics that sadly, get left behind because of the focus on reading and math now. It gives the students something that they can continuously look forward to every week and not get bored. This has truly helped our classroom community and reading program in so many ways.
Again, I can't say thank you enough for helping provide a great resource to students who are truly deserving of it. We appreciate it more than you know.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Aragon