Past projects 2
Reading and Wiggling
Funded Jan 22, 2022Thank you so much for your generous gifts! The wobble chairs are going to make a huge difference for my little students. The phonological awareness activities and games will help them, too. They are working hard to become better readers and these gifts are going to help. Your kindness and generosity are so appreciated. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bird
This classroom project was brought to life by Utah State Board of Education.Tweeting With Technology
Funded Oct 27, 2016Thank you so much for your generous donation to our classroom. You have no idea how much of a difference it has made to us.
As you know, having access to technology can be life-changing. Most of us can't go a day, or even a few hours, without checking our email, finishing up a work project, searching for vacation spots, or saying hello to friends via social media. Access to technology is vital to our everyday lives. For our youngest students in elementary schools, technology is just as important. Though our students aren't looking for the perfect gift, they are using technology in many ways. In school, we use our mini iPads to listen to good readers. By listening to books read by good readers, a child learns how to be more fluent in their own reading. We also use these tools for research. As we learn about facts and how to find them, we can search in books and articles, but we can also use the iPads. Another use for our new tablets is for math fluency. It is important that each student learns the skills they need to do basic math now, so that as they progress in their education they have a foundation that they can rely on. Programs and apps on the iPads help our students become more solid in the math subjects that we study. Adults use technology in home and at work to increase efficiency; students use technology at school to do the same.
Imagine being a student in my classroom. The secretary brings in a box that says "do not open until the end of the day". Oh, the excitement! Whispers and squeals filled the air. Kids started guessing. One child begged to open it right away! "No, it says the end of the day", said another student. So, we waited. And what a surprise when we opened the box and students rifled through the paper and pulled out.... iPads! "Can we take them home?" asked a student. "When can we use them?" asked another. You could feel the excitement in the room as we talked about how we would use them, who would get to use them, and when we would get to use them. Everyone wanted a turn. Now they are a staple in our class. We almost couldn't work without them!
Although the iPads are helping all twenty-six children in the class, there are a couple of kids that have truly benefited from access to this technology. One boy who is reading on a lower level than the other kids loves to use the iPad. Reading is hard for him and he doesn't have someone to read to him at home. The time he gets to use the iPad is one of the only times in his day that he can hear fluent reading while following along in a book. Another girl gets the same benefit as she listens to books on the iPad. She is a slow reader and struggles to get the words off the page. As she uses the iPads to listen to fluent reading, she can see what good reading looks like and sounds like. One last girl that has really benefited from the iPads struggles with her math facts. She is slow and has a hard time processing the numbers with flash cards. By using math apps she has been able to progress a little in her math fluency.
These iPads are making a difference to my little learners. I can't thank you enough for being willing to give to us and so many others. I hope you can continue your efforts as they really do matter!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Bird