Mrs. Leiser's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Stupendous Start

  Funded Jul 17, 2023

  Thank you so much for your generosity and support of my classroom. Running a classroom is like running a small business, and it seems there is an endless need for things to make it run smoothly and effectively. Many of these things are not provided, so your support is truly appreciated. It helps us get the most learning out of each day, keeping kids engaged and excited to learn!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

  This classroom project was brought to life by Kleenex and 2 other donors.

• Fabulous Firsties Fantastic Crafts

  Funded Sep 20, 2022

  Thank you so much for your generous donations. The students were very excited when we opened the boxes to see so many craft supplies in it. The materials provided have supported our classroom in a variety of ways.

  One of the favorites has been the kinetic sand. Students use the sand to exercise their creativity in making shapes and building with it. We also found another use, which was to have a tactile tool to write letters. It creates a higher level of engagement in students when they are learning phonics and spelling patterns.

  Students have used the glue and pom-poms to create art projects that reinforce counting skills and colors.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.

• A Little of This and That

  Funded Oct 26, 2022

  These resources were very helpful to our class! We have little learners and these odds and ends really come in handy for a variety of things.

  The magnet hooks have been especially useful. We use a lot of anchor charts - often multiple charts a day, depending on the subject areas. Bulletin board and easel space is at a premium so being able to move charts in and out easily is a must. Having a number of magnets allows us to move the charts, layer them, and have easy access without lugging around chart pads or ruining the charts.

  The paper towels were also especially helpful. Students have breakfast in the classroom and sometimes they have spills and messes. The paper towels really helped to keep our room in top-notch shape. The school resources are often limited when it comes to cleaning products, and they are often not as high quality. It can take 30-50 brown c-fold towels to clean up a spilled water cup versus only one or two Bounty towels. These have been an amazing gift to clean up messes quickly without wasting school resources or instructional time!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 4 other donors.

• Printing Possibility!

  Funded Jan 24, 2022

  The donated printer was immensely helpful to our classroom. We are often hard pressed to get new technology and it becomes outdated so quickly because, between the time it is ordered and the time it arrives, we've already lost months of viability. Months in terms of tech is like a lifetime. So, to have a tech need be filled immediately made such a difference!

  One of the most exciting things about this tool was the ability to provide my students with color copies of tools and charts that otherwise would have been given in black and white. Our previous option was only to copy onto colored paper to make these resources stand out - but that was still very one dimensional. When I create charts, I often use different colors on the page via post-its or markers to help students see how the information flows together. With the donated printer and it's copy feature, I was able to give students a copy of a tool that was made that they could keep and have it match what was presented in the class. This cuts down on the time it takes for the student to find it in the room and to help them use the tools more effectively.

  We also printed out some of the students' work in color which was exciting for them. Instead of always being stuck with simply drawing illustrations and/or only having black and white printing available, they were able to see their work with photos that gave the work the sophistication of real, published authors.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

• Building Readers from the Ground Up

  Funded Nov 2, 2019

  The impact of having accessible books for students in the classroom is immeasurable. As a 5th grade teacher, it is incredibly challenging meeting the needs of students who are emergent language learners and readers far below grade level. For many of these students, the books we received act as a gateway not only to reading, but to a new language, and to the world. The books that we received that ranges from level A through C may seem way too low for 5th grade students-and, indeed, by "standard" measures, they are-but for students that enter our country having had, sometimes, little to no exposure to English or even consistent schools, these texts help them to understand the new world around them and to give them words to make sense of the culture they now find themselves in. Each book follows a pattern whereby students are introduced to sight words (commonly seen words known by sight over time and practice). There is a large amount of picture support to help students start to put visuals to the words they are learning. Of course, many of these students cannot decode or read the word depicted, but with additional teacher support and teaching into other skills, they begin to acquire a wealth of vocabulary. We read the books together, learning the sounds the letters make and practicing strategies for figuring out words we do not know. In addition, the students are able to use the books to inspire their writing, where they get additional practice using the words and applying them to scenarios they know or are learning more about.

  In my classroom, reading follows a workshop model, whereby students are given a 10-15 minute minilesson and then they go off to read independently or work in small groups. Students who are most benefitting from the books we received take turns with their peers, reading aloud to different students for 5 minutes. This oral rehearsal builds fluency and automaticity with word recognition. Having them read for 5 minutes at a time means that other students are able to act as support for their peers without losing much of their own much-needed practice time. Our most emergent "readers" first pair with students that are bilingual and can support them most. Then they begin to feel more comfortable with their texts and branch out to new students and build independence.

  Two of my students in particular have enjoyed having these texts to work with. They get to shop through the book basket and choose books that interest them and that they want to learn more about. Each students has moved 2-3 levels since we received the books and I hope to see even further progress as the year continues.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.

• Open the World: WRITE!!!

  Funded Mar 11, 2016

  My students were over the moon to receive their new writing materials. We opened the boxes as a class and as we removed each item, we discussed the ways we could use them to make their writing more exciting and enjoyable.

  Each student took advantage of the materials donated. Some students found the colored paper incredibly helpful for separating and color-coding different parts of their drafts. Others were highly motivated by the variety of writing tools. They put greater effort into the quality of their writing and then spent time making an amazing cover to go with it. The materials you so kindly donated helped to create a greater sense of enthusiasm for writing. It allowed students to tap into their creativity and individuality, as well as to use the materials for practical reasons. One student noted that the smooth writing pens helped him to write more easily and made it less of a chore. Another said that she was happy to have more choices in paper, instead of "boring old white paper all the time."

  Thank you again for your generosity. Many of these tools have gone on to serve additional students and helped to grow writers!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Leiser

  This classroom project was brought to life by #BestSchoolDay and 2 other donors.