Past projects 17
Learning to Read
Funded May 28, 2021I teach my students in small groups through interactive, explicit lessons that focus on foundational reading skills that they may be struggling with. These materials reinforce my lessons by allowing students to create their own phonics and high-frequency word interactive journals—building decoding and reading skills every step of the way! The phonics journal is packed with activities to help students master word families, blends and digraphs, final -e, and more. The high-frequency journal allows children to master two to three of the first 100 high-frequency sight words weekly—independently completing word scrambles, fill-in-the-blank sentences, and much more. These activities are engaging perfect for daily practice in class or at home! My students are making outstanding progress in reading and writing and these materials have been a wonderful resourse.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
Getting Back to the Real Work!
Funded Jun 10, 2021Thank you for your support of my project at this challenging time in education. I am eager to be able to work with students in person again. As I mentioned in my project, my students have spent too much time in front of a screen this past year and I want them to experience holding a pencil and paper once again when learning to read and write.
I have already put the printer/copier to good use for my students in several ways. First, I used US mail to send a personal letter to each individual student welcoming them to my classroom. Next, I used last year's data to identify resources to printed-out for my students that meet their specific needs, allow them to be more interactive with their work, and help build their fine motor skills. For example, I have created individual books entitled "Who Am I?" This activity will allow them to work on writing their names, express who they are, and build connections with their peers. I look forward to the ease at which I can now print out and copy materials for my students for the rest of this year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
This classroom project was brought to life by News Corp and one other donor.Writing is Easy with the Right Resources
Funded May 3, 2019The students were so excited to use the new writing charts. The magnetic charts were so easy to set up. No more slipping papers off my easel! The students used 2 of the graphic organizers for their animal report before their summer break. They were so helpful for the students that I have already planned on how I would implement the others for this upcoming school year. The Giant Time helped keep the students focused and aware of their own time management while working on their writing pieces. At the end of the animal unit, students were asked to present a shoebox diorama and a writing report describing their animal. For many of my students, this was their first experience with research writing and presentation. I videotaped these presentations and projected them during our Open House for parents to view. They were all so impressed with the students progress”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
Learning to Read With the Help of Technology
Funded Mar 27, 2018I wish you could have been there to see the excitement on my students faces when I opened the box of headsets! Simple things like these headsets make learning so much more accessible to my students who struggle to learn to read. The computer reading program that we have been using is exceptional but many times the students would have a hard time hearing because the headbuds were not working or they would fall out. Now, these headsets slide on with ease and there is no more fidgeting to get them to work. Also, they are of high quality and I expect that these will last much longer than the ones used in the past.
I am now also able to implement this program fully with the color printer that was purchased. This program offers certificates of achievement for students when they complete a level and students are very excited and motivated by this. I now have access when a student is struggling, to the specific instructional lessons for to support individual student learning in small groups. Finally, I now have a scanner that allows me to copy the students' small group work and results and email the information to their homeroom teacher. The teachers are so excited for this form of communication.
With these headsets and a printer I am able make this computer reading program a fun and exciting tool for my students to learn to read!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple.Royalty Readers
Funded Mar 7, 2017What an amazing impact your donation has made to our classroom's Royalty Library. For 20 years, I have been wanting to organize my books and improve the shelving system in the library to make it more inviting and student friendly. I got started the day the books and shelves came! I labeled the books according to an A-Z coding system based on reading text complexity. For example, Kindergarten students are expected to read from level "A-C" and first graders are expected to read up to level "I". With your donation I was able to level the books I currently have and add to the levels that were lacking in books. I then placed them in tubs according to their level of reading difficulty. The shelving system is now an organized and inviting way for students to select books.
Once a week my Reading Intervention Students are able to go book shopping and select 5 books that interest them at their Independent Reading Level. This system encourages them to read daily, and it allows them to feel successful when reading because the text is not to difficult for them. During my Guided Reading small group instructional time, I am able to use some of the books donated to teach students at a slightly higher reading level which is known as a students Instructional Level.
Every morning, I walk into my classroom and smile knowing that this huge project has finally been completed after all these years. It is so inviting, cozy and student friendly. My students are overly eager to access the castle library and have an opportunity to read. Even the struggling readers are motivated to read when they enter the Royalty Library and they are showing amazing improvement.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
Come to Our "Castle of Books" Library!
Funded Oct 10, 2016The new reading books and resources were a great hit in my reading intervention class! Students that are struggling in reading are pulled out of their regular classroom program to participate in my Learning Center in order to work on their foundational reading skills. I try to make my room as welcoming, engaging and fun as possible so that the students will look forward to coming to my room as theylearn to read.
The new bookshelf has helped me organize and level my books. Something I've wanted to do for 15 years. Now students can find books at their just right reading level and successfully read independently. I set the bookshelf up behind a large Lego castle wall to emphasize the importance of books and make it a fun place to read. It is the first thing students see and ask to go to when they enter my room. However, I did not have enough books for a good selection of non-fiction readers and the new books I received helped fill that area of need. The other resources such as the syllable game and sentence strips help the students understand and work with words and sentences.
Once again, I can't express how appreciative my students and I are for your exceptional generosity to our reading classroom. Your investment is their future!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
Reading: Don't Let Our Children Fall Behind
Funded Oct 21, 2015The excitement on my students faces the moment the box of books arrived and was ripped open was undeniable! The children could not wait to get their hands on these new books. The leveled library that was donated to my Learning Center was desperately needed. We now have books at levels A through K, a perfect match for my first through third grade students who struggle with reading.
I am finding more uses for the books than I had expected. My primary goal was to have sets of six books, narrative and expository titles, to teach Guided Reading to small groups of struggling readers. I'm finding these books are of high interest to my students and because they are leveled, the students are feeling successful when reading. I also notice that the students are selecting these books most often during independent reading time. Most surprising to me, was when my assistant asked to use these books for the Newcomer groups that she works with. We have found that these books have language and vocabulary that is highly engaging and supportive to these students learning English.
The generosity of your company is very appreciated. My students will benefit today and for the rest of their education as they begin to learn to love reading!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher
Learning with Technology Is Fun!
Funded Dec 3, 2013Wow, your support of mini ipads and laptop could not have arrived at a better time! My students couldn't wait to use them. Our class was attempting to use the school's technology lab, yet many of the computers are outdated and broken. The computers we received, allow my students to all have an opportunity to work on individualized reading programs in the classroom and not have to leave to a lab that is insufficient. I also have a student new to the country that is using the iPad daily to help learn English! It has become a safe and valuable tool for him. They all were so excited be able to stay in the classroom and have more time available to work on improving their reading and English skill through this program.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Booher