Past projects 3
Clean Air For My Students!
Funded Aug 26, 2022I can't thank you enough for the air purifier that you provided for my students! Not only has this helped with a particularly rough cold/flu/Covid season, many of my students also suffer from bad allergies. Several students request to sit near the purifier because of this. I have a student who diligently reminds me if I have forgotten to turn it on in the morning.
When my students first saw the purifier, they were perplexed by its robotic appearance, but have come to enjoy its many functions. During break time, they like to amuse themselves by seeing which objects can "float" above the fan component :)
With springtime and allergy season coming up, the air purifier will continue benefit my students in the classroom. We are so grateful for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Coates
Reading CAN Be Fun!
Funded Jan 25, 2019We started the book Monster two weeks ago and I could not be happier about how the unit is going. The themes in Monster relate so closely to many of my students' lives. I am teaching this book in a basic reading skills class for Freshman and Sophomores, most of whom are reading significantly below grade level, and most of whom have encountered many obstacles in both their academic and home lives.
Not only are all of my students completely engrossed in the book, they have all been active participants in discussions surrounding the subject matter in the book, the themes, the symbols and the characters. To have 100% buy-in to a book in a low-level reading course is very rare as many of the students have become discouraged with reading over the years. One of my students, who has refused to open any other book all year, even asked me if he could take the book home to read ahead (Of course I said yes!).
Each day we begin reading the book together as a class, and then students are required to finish up a section individually by reading on their own or by following along while listening to the audio book on a tablet. The tablets have been especially helpful for students to catch up on sections when they have missed a class.
I am so grateful for your donations to this project. For the first time in many of their lives, students will have read a book from cover to cover. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Coates
Books: A Gift You Can Open Again and Again
Funded Dec 5, 2018As the boxes started arriving with the tablets and books from my DonorsChoose grant, my students became intrigued. I made them wait until the second semester began before I revealed what was inside. When they finally found out what was hidden in the boxes, they were so excited! My students pitched in to help set up the tablets because they were so anxious to begin using them.
During our reading support class, my students use the tablets on a daily basis to listen to the novels they are reading in their English classes on Audible while they read. This allows students with reading disabilities to understand and grasp the material they are reading more effectively. They can also read the novels on the tablets, which allows them to highlight passages, look up words while reading, and take notes.
Most students in my classes come from low-income backgrounds and do not have access to this technology at home. This makes the tablets very exciting for them to use. My students have all caught on very quickly to the new technology and even teach me new ways to use them! For example, my students looked up and found the best thesaurus app and asked me to download it for them so they could use it to help with their vocabulary homework.
While the students in my own classes have already benefited greatly from the tablets, I have also begun loaning them out to the other special education support classes in my building. This has given even more students the opportunity to have access to audiobooks, e-books, and other educational apps.
The tablets and new books have created excitement around reading in my classes, which has been wonderful to see. I am so grateful to all of my donors. You have really impacted so many students more than you know!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Coates
This classroom project was brought to life by Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation and 10 other donors.