Document Camera to Increase Literacy in Classroom

Funded Dec 2, 2015

Dear Donors,

Words cannot describe how thankful my class is for the donations you put forth toward the donation of our document camera. The students were excited when they heard the news that we were getting a new "camera" but I was more excited because they had no idea what was coming. After setting it up in my classroom to use with the projector and projection white board we had a slow start. However, since then we have used the document camera everyday. When I am using the document camera am magical thing happens, the students are silent and all eyes are focused on the white board.

Part of our daily usage is for reading. The document camera gives me a chance to project the storybook up onto the screen so that all students have an enhanced and enlarged view of the book including not only the pictures but the words as well. This allows me to focus in on word and sentence structure located in the mentor texts. Students can come up to the board and point out different spelling patterns located within the text's words. They also love being the storyteller on the big screen as they come to the board and use picture clues to survey the story, make predictions, connections and retell story details.

Nonfiction has come to life as we read news articles that I can project up on the screen. As a class we identify new and difficult words within the article. We read and reread the article to underline the important information located within the text. This helps students learn to cite evidence as they read nonfiction. They love using it to read and analyze the charts, diagrams and graphs located within our nonfiction articles.

Reading is just one of the subjects we use the document camera to enhance. Writing has taken on a new presence in my classroom, as my students are excited to write. We are able to project our idea webs onto the screen, make corrections in our work, as well as revise to make our stories stronger and more exciting. Individual students can have their work projected as the showcased piece of the week. They love reading their story to their classmates and detailing their pictures to the others.

Math would not be the same without the document camera. It has played a huge part in my students' understanding of addition and subtraction skills. When we first started using the document camera my students struggled drastically with regrouping in both addition and subtraction, but projecting the manipulation of the tens and ones blocks to show how the operation works has enabled them to see the bigger picture and truly understand the skill. Without the document camera I feel like we would still be struggling with understanding the operations and unable to move onto more advanced skills. And for this WE are thankful.

The knowledge, excitement for learning and experiences that my students receive from this generous donation is indescribable. I can only hope this letter provided a glimpse of the impact your donation has made.

Sincerely,

Grace McHale

Second Grade

School District of Philadelphia”

With gratitude,

Mrs. McHale