Past projects 13
Reading in Spanish for All Levels
Funded Nov 13, 2023I want to thank you for your amazing generosity. You are helping my students grow their literacy in Spanish. This project will provide a library of leveled books to all the students. This will make a difference in their literacy. My students and I are grateful for your support and kindness.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
Phonics Fun
Funded Oct 14, 2022Thank you for helping fund this project. My students will greatly benefits from these alphabet stamps. They will use them to practice their vocabulary and language in Spanish in a way that is fun and engaging. They will enjoy the different colored ink as they practice their spelling, vocabulary and Spanish. We are truly grateful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
Learn Through Play
Funded Aug 30, 2022Thank you so much for your support of this project. My students will be able to use the materials purchased with these funds to learn through play. The kids will not be at their desks all day. The classroom will be more fun and engaging
with hands on learning at the round table and rug.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
Our Classroom Library en Español
Funded Aug 9, 2022Thank you for your kind and speedy donations. We got this project funded in just a few hours! The kids will kick off the year with a beautiful library full of books in Spanish they will be a eager to read. Your donation has helped put them on a path to becoming life long readers who read for pleasure - in two languages.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 6 other donors.Curl Up With a Good Book
Funded Nov 26, 2021Your generous donation has made a great impact in our classroom. We have a cozy corner in our room where kids our books are kept. Students can browse the books, pick one, and check it out. Then they can relax and read it in the classroom during set times or at home at their leisure. The students are so excited about reading. There is no need for extrinsic motivation since the reward is the story itself. We love it!
In addition, students have grown their reading skills across the board. As measured by the most recent early literacy test, an average of 70% of my students are at benchmark or above. Another 21% are near benchmark, and the other 10% have shown improvement.
This project has developed literacy skills and a love for reading. My students and I are very grateful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
A Place for Differentiated Learning
Funded Oct 9, 2019Thank you so much for your kind generosity! My students and I are thrilled! Our class has such diverse types of learners. This finally provides a place for everyone! This rug will be a central meeting place for students to have choice in the classroom. It will accommodate flexible groups and differentiated learning. Your wonderful donation will have a huge impact in our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
Chromebooks to Power Up Learning
Funded Jan 26, 2018Your generous donations make a great impact in my classroom. With the purchase of these Chromebooks, students waited less time to get on a computer. While we are still not at one-to-one, this decreased the student to computer ratio allowing them greater access to technology. Students were able to take more Accelerated Reader quizzes. This gives them an opportunity to show that they understand what they read. Also, it allows them to bank words into the Million Word Challenge. Students were also able to go on Khan Academy when they finished their math early. They were able to type up and illustrated their drafts to publish their writing in a professional way. They also had access to an online dictionary and thesaurus to support their second language acquisition. In addition, students were able to show their parents all the programs we use during Open House. In short, these Chromebooks helped students in the classroom in all subject areas and facilitated a school and home connection. Your generosity made a huge impact everyday.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 10 other donors.Books En Español
Funded Mar 1, 2019Your support of this project made such a positive impact in my classroom. Along the years, I have collected a small library of independent reading books for my students- but in English. This year, it was very important to start that process for books in Spanish.
Students that are learning a second language or are maintaining their first language need to read in that language. Shared reading in the classroom for academic content is important, but getting lost in an independent reading book of choice is so important as well. With your kind donations, we were able to get high quality, high interest books for my 4th graders.
In my classroom, readers may select a book of their choice, check it out of our classroom library, and take it home and read it. Once they are finished, they may select another and another. One student in particular went back to back through every book purchased in his favorite series. It was wonderful to see him use his Spanish for an authentic and enjoyable purpose! I look forward to seeing more of my future students do the same.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 9 other donors.Technology To Charge And Challenge 21st Century Learners
Funded May 21, 2017I want to thank you for your kind donation that helps my students reach their academic goals. The students use the Chromebooks every single day. They use them to access their online library of books in Spanish. They also use them to take AR quizzes and make progress on reading one million words by the end of the year. They also use them to access their online math accounts where they can practice their math skills. If they get stuck, they can get their assigned headphones and watch a short video that tutors them on prime factorization, simplifying exponents, or finding the volume of a 3D figure. They also use the Chromebooks to type their essays, look up vocabulary words in Spanish, research wild animals, look at diagrams of the heart, and so much more. Most recently, they received their own district email address that allows them to become 21st century learners while practicing digital citizenship and safety. They treat the Chromebooks as learning tools and handle them with care and respect.
The most exciting aspect of our Chromebooks for the students is that they are consistently available to meet their flexible needs. They do not have to wait and waste learning time. Of the are done with the daily math lesson, they can jump onto their online math accounts like ST Math or Khan Academy and continue learning at a differentiated pace. If they are finished with their text in their Spanish level group, they can jump on their RAZ kids account and access their leveled Spanish library instead of reading their text over and over again or drawing a picture while they wait for their peers.
I want to again thank you for your generous donation that has gifted my students with technology that benefits them every single day.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto
A Classroom Library for Eager Readers
Funded Jan 19, 2016Your donations have made such a huge impact in our classroom. Our little library has grown by 100 books and we could not be more excited!
Reading in our classroom is experienced as a joy. We always have a shared novel we read together as a class and discuss. Students are invited to give their thoughts and opinions on the text in a safe and respectful environment. The shared readings have a focused skill that we practice together. Afterward, students get an opportunity to practice the skill independently in their reading log with an open prompt that asks them to closely read the text. They receive constructive feedback that pushes their expression. After that, they read their independent reading book applying their new skill. This strengthens their independent reading skills so that they become joyful, life long readers.
It is so important that we have an extensive selection of independent reading books. This is what gives the students the opportunity to venture on their own with their guided coaching. After unpacking our boxes of books, students were delighted to find "The Mighty Miss Malone" by our beloved Christopher Paul Curtis, "The Misadventures of Alan and Edgar Poe" and the graphic novel "Timmy Failure". Choices such as these give the whole class the opportunity to find a "just right" book to learn from and enjoy.
This project has kicked off our classroom library putting a great book into the hands of each student. We thank you from from the bottom of our hearts.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Soto