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Ms. Kirk's Classroom

  • William Cullen Bryant Elementary School
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Nearly all students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

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Past projects 2

  • Earobics

    Funded May 12, 2016

    Dear Donors,

    How can we ever thank you for your generosity and support in providing needed educational materials. We were able to purchase so much! First, you brought technology to our classroom. We downloaded many phonemic awareness activities on a computer that is just for our use. We will use this from year to year knowing that it does not have to be returned to the district with fingers crossed hoping that it is returned the next year.

    Do you know that kids who struggle to read feel unsuccessful and most often aren't willing to give themselves or any activity a chance? The interactive software you helped purchase has us out of our seats, determined, and feeling successful. For some, this has made the quick difference between going months with a defeatists attitude to just a few minutes to realize that perseverance makes a difference and we can achieve. We wish you could have seen the looks of shock then pride on our faces the first time we used the software. It was really incredible!

    Next, you provided something called sound tubs, small plastic containers filled with a variety of small objects related to specific sounds or rhymes. We love the tubs and they help in a variety of ways! First, they make the sounds concrete and relatable. They introduce new vocabulary and make learning cooperative. We tell each other things like, "Wait! That is bat and it rhymes with cat. Can you hear it? -at, bat, cat. It sounds the same at the end."

    We have also used the sound phones. This has proven to be a very effective tool for helping us hear what we say. The phones help us decode, encode, and develop fluency. We have yet to use our listening station, but we are very excited and can hardly wait. We know we are going to have fun and learn at the same time.

    Most of us do not have books at home. You helped give us a variety of leveled books. Now, we "shop" for books at our "just right level" and read in order to move up to the next level. We feel very mature choosing our books and reading.

    We were surprised that people who don't even know us would be so kind. It makes us want to be kind. Thank you so much for helping us and caring about us.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Kirk

  • ABC's Please!

    Funded Feb 29, 2016

    Once again, thank you for your support. My students are thrilled to use the letter construction kits. When they were first presented with the kits, all they could say was, "Wow!" Before we began constructing letters, the students were asked to choose their "kryptonite" letter, that one letter they just haven't mastered. Then, we gathered the the correct pieces and attempted to assemble and conquer our kryptonite. Students who have organizational and sequencing difficulties wanted to quit, but they didn't because their desire to touch and manipulate the materials was too overwhelming. Because you provided the materials, YOU prevented these kids from quitting.

    In particular, I would like you to know about one first grade kid who still does not know his letters and sounds despite all attempts. He ends up in trouble almost immediately at the beginning of each day and when I retrieve him for reading class it takes a bit of TLC to get him settled, let alone open to learning. Because of his struggles to identify letters and match sounds, he avoids "work" at all costs and requires considerable redirecting. The day he tackled his kryptonite using the letter construction kit was a real breakthrough. I almost forgot he was in the room until he shouted, "I'M SMART! LOOK! I DID IT! Ain't I smart Ms. Kirk?" Then, he turned to the other students and said, "I just tried. I didn't give up." It sounds like something from a feel-good movie, but it happened because of you.

    As you can imagine, it is hard to keep a kid's attention with nothing but yourself and a few basic supplies (paper, crayons, glue, letter cards). Your support supplied our class with Alphabet Sound Teaching Tubs and Alphabet Soup Sorter, small tubs filled with pictures and various objects to be sorted by initial sound. The kids LOVE them. As soon as they started to sort objects, I knew they were actively learning, taking initiative, and thinking. They snapped right out of passivity and going through the motions. They began to utilize skills we have been attempting to build.

    You might be wondering, "How have you taught all these years without having these materials?" This (new-to-me) school is unique to any other I have ever taught. Although I brought along my own materials, they weren't enough. The affect and effect of poverty are overwhelming on countless levels. So, thank you so very much for your support. YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF MY STUDENTS.”

    With gratitude,

    Ms. Kirk

I teach in a high poverty public school with limited resources. My students have enormous potential but are faced with unbelievable adversity. Most of them live in a chronic state of fight, flight, or freeze. They deserve hope. They deserve a quality education. They deserve a chance to achieve.

About my class

I teach in a high poverty public school with limited resources. My students have enormous potential but are faced with unbelievable adversity. Most of them live in a chronic state of fight, flight, or freeze. They deserve hope. They deserve a quality education. They deserve a chance to achieve.

About my class

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