Past projects 7
Fluency For All
Funded Apr 26, 2024Thanks to you, my students will have access to incredible headphones with microphones. They use them to record themselves reading to practice their fluency. Then, they listen back to themselves and note any strengths or weaknesses in their recordings. These headphones are so important because they are able to capture the quietest and shyest student voices. :) Many students are insecure about reading aloud, and headphones without microphones are not able to pick up on their voices. This also makes it harder for me to hear their recordings when I listen to them at a later time.
Students are excited to use the headphones because they are excited to hear themselves read. They enjoy being able to recognize the progress they have made in their fluency, especially when they read the same passage multiple times. Nothing brings me more joy than to hear a student triumphantly return from recording themselves in the hallway and proclaim that they have set a new bar on how many words they read per minute! None of this would be possible (or it certainly would be more difficult) without these headphones.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
Support Our Reading Rockstars
Funded Aug 28, 2023Thank you so much for your incredible contribution of graphic novels to my classroom. Students participate in independent reading on a daily basis. For many of my students, traditional chapter books are not the first thing they reach for, either because of difficulty or interest. Graphic novels are much more visually compelling. That's why they get snatched up in my classroom library!
Just yesterday, I had to tear a student away from the "I Survived" graphic novel about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. She had no idea it was a real historical event and couldn't imagine such a thing happening to a large city today. She asked if she could take the book home to finish it. Normally, I don't let students take books home from my library. However, she was so eager to finish it that I let her. She can't wait to read the next book in the series!
This is an excellent example of how graphic novels provide mirrors and windows for our students. In the example described above, that student was looking through a window to another place in another time period, and she was fascinated! Students also love to see themselves mirrored in texts. Thanks to your support, I have been able to purchase a number of graphic novels with Black and Latinx protagonists. "Frizzy" has been a particular favorite, especially among the girls in my class. I couldn't do this without you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
Pencils are Power
Funded Jul 26, 2017Thanks to you, students in my classroom are able to go to all of their classes equipped with a pencil. Thanks to your, their education is not inhibited by the lack of a writing device. These pencils are especially important in an English Language Arts classroom because they are the tools with which students make arguments, voice their opinions, and tell their own stories. Thank you for making it possible for children to express themselves in writing at all times. Without your support this would not have been possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
Graphic Novels for 6th Graders
Funded Feb 17, 2017Thank you for putting these books in the hands of my students. For many of my students, graphic novels are often an engaging stepping stone between the picture books of younger years and the chapter books of the future. The books you provided are engaging portals into the world of reading.
Independent reading is an integral part of my classroom culture. My goal is both inspire students to love reading and to build up their stamina as readers. I engage their reading passions with quarterly celebrations, incentives, and comfortable reading spaces. (In the photos you might notice my big red couch.)
I can't emphasize enough how eager most of my students were to receive these brand new graphic novels. They find the characters relatable and easy to root for and they tear through these books at a ferocious clip. It's not uncommon for a student to read one of these books for the entire bus ride home and come in the next morning excited to show off what they have read.
Thank you again for your support. My students and I appreciate it greatly.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
This classroom project was brought to life by LA Sprout Fund and 2 other donors.EdTech in English Class
Funded Sep 25, 2016Thanks to your incredible donation, my students are now able to access online technology and material inside of the classroom. We use the headphones to do interactive read-alouds and watch engaging, content-related videos. The headphones are also especially helpful to students who struggle with reading and benefit from having the text read aloud to them. The class set of headphones allows them to do so. Students are very thankful and excited that they are able to use these school-provided headphones, and we couldn't have done it without you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
Books Sixth-Graders Love
Funded Sep 1, 2016Probably unbeknownst to you, you have made reading something that is accessible for more students than ever in my classroom. The graphic novels that you have funded have put smiles on the faces of dozens of children who love and devour them.
Graphic novels such as "Amulet" and "Dork Diaries"often enable students to fall in love with reading when they are not initially interested in traditional chapter books. Having these books in my classroom has given many students a portal to reading.
Male sixth-graders who love adventure can't get enough of the "Amulet" series, and I have many young ladies who love the "Dork Diaries" books because they feel like they can relate to Nikki Maxwell perfectly!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach
Writing Our Stories
Funded Jul 30, 2016Students are using the pencils you provided to write their own stories. We use them everyday in class as we analyze our first class novel, "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. Students are expected to bring three pencils to school each day, and when they are unable to do so, I use the pencils your kind donations provided.
There is nothing as special as looking around the room and seeing every pencil moving as students communicate their thoughts. Their pencils are the weapons with which they articulate their voices and share their opinions.
Students are working on describing the transformation the protagonist, Jonas, experience in "the Giver." They couldn't draft thesis or multi-paragraph essays with the pencils you provided. Thank you for your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kuhbach