Ms. Pierro's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Orton-Gillingham Training for A Dedicated Teacher

  Funded May 28, 2021

  What better gift is there to receive than knowledge? The Orton Gillingham approach has had a history of allowing students who have had little to no success in learning to read a second chance at attaining the functional literacy skills that they will need to navigate the world. An article entitled Pre-K to Prison Pipeline: A Case For Orton Gillingham written by Sabine Taylor in 2015 stated that, "students who struggle with literacy many a times feel defeated in school and mentally withdraw because their level of confidence has been impacted by their test results. If you combine this feeling with their economic status and the fact that due to work schedules, a parent may not be available to support the child, that student will seek validation from his/her circle of friends which may lead him or her to participate in criminal activities." It was this quote that inspired me to pursue course work in the Orton Gillingham approach to teaching reading and writing. I thought it really described the students that I work with, and thus the my urgent need to pursue this course work.

  I am currently using the strategies that I have learned with a 3rd grade student who has speech and language disabilities. In just a few sessions she has shown some growth. For a student who has had very little academic success in the past, this is truly a gift. She has a new found confidence, especially when presented with a blank piece of paper to write on; an experience that brought her great anxiety in the past. She is now given paper with lines on it that are specifically designed for her needs. When she approaches this page with a special pencil grip in hand she knows that she is already set up for success. It is a joy to see her excitement as she learns to write more legibly and with greater accuracy at spelling words. These gifts will eventually allow her to have a voice in written language and to tell her own stories about the world. As a first generation immigrant with learning difficulties, it is hard to imagine a greater gift than that. I am so excited to see how she is progressing with these new found skills and even more excited to continue the journey with her as the school year continues”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by J.W. Couch Foundation and 7 other donors.

• Reading Timers Keep Students Motivated at Home

  Funded Jan 25, 2021

  As the year is winding on at home and on Zoom students were having trouble keeping track of how long they were reading on multiple digital libraries. Many students thought that they were reading for an hour, when in fact they only had only read for 15 minutes. These digital timers are just what we needed to remind students to read for 30 -45 minutes per day. Research shows that students need to read at least 30 -45 minutes per day in order to be successful in, moving up reading levels. This was a game changer for our class. I cannot thank you enough for making it possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 3 other donors.

• Special Delivery Reading Booklets for Remote Learners

  Funded Feb 21, 2021

  As the year is winding on at home and on Zoom my students needed more materials then I could provide in the virtual world alone. I found myself printing and creating a ton of materials at home and the cost of paper and ink was becoming outrageous for one person. With your help my student received a backpack containing newly printed materials such as sight word rings and strategy card to take home.

  After receiving the materials I organized them into individual backpacks. Then I delivered the bright green and blue backpacks of goodies to my school in giant clear plastic bags. In Santa like fashion I hauled the bags over my shoulder and walked into my closed school building. From there the school security guard and I coordinated a pick up site for my students who do come into the building to receive bagged meals, even when school is closed. I was not able to be present for the pick up because of Covid restrictions. However I was told that students were overjoyed when they received these new materials. And it brought new energy to our zoom meetings.This was a game changer for our class. I cannot thank you enough for making it possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 3 other donors.

• Special Delivery for at Home Readers

  Funded Jan 19, 2021

  As the year is winding on at home and on Zoom my students needed more materials then I could provide in the virtual world alone. I found myself printing and creating a ton of materials at home and the cost of paper and ink was becoming outrageous for one person. With your help my student received a backpack containing newly printed materials such as sight word rings and strategy card to take home.

  After receiving the materials I organized them into individual backpacks. Then I delivered the bright green and blue backpacks of goodies to my school in giant clear plastic bags. In Santa like fashion I hauled the bags over my shoulder and walked into my closed school building. From there the school security guard and I coordinated a pick up site for my students who do come into the building to receive bagged meals, even when school is closed. I was not able to be present for the pick up because of Covid restrictions. However I was told that students were overjoyed when they received these new materials. And it brought new energy to our zoom meetings.This was a game changer for our class. I cannot thank you enough for making it possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 4 other donors.

• Multisensory Reading Instruction in a Backpack

  Funded Aug 11, 2020

  Many early elementary grade students learn to spell and decode words by receiving instruction with magnetic letters. Students can feel and manipulate these letters as they move them around on a magnetic board. Magnetic letters are eventually replaced by ones that are written with dry erase markers on the same boards. As one can imagine this is a difficult process to replicate through distance learning when students do not have these materials in their homes. With your help my student received a backpack containing a set of magnetic letters, markers and a magnetic board to take home.

  After receiving the materials I organized them into individual backpacks. Then I delivered the bright green backpacks of goodies to my school in giant clear plastic bags. In Santa like fashion I hauled the bags over my shoulder and walked into my closed school building. From there the school security guard and I coordinated a pick up site for my students who do come into the building to receive bagged meals, even when school is closed. I was not able to be present for the pick up because of Covid restrictions.

  However ,the next day on zoom, my students were already spelling out their sight words on their magnetic boards and holding them up to show me. Now instead of just watching me on zoom they can manipulate and create words on their own magnetic boards at home while following my instruction on their ipads. This addition of tangible materials has completely changed our zoom classes. Now, my students are excited and able to show me what they are working on with tools that should be in the hands of every first and second grader but are impossible to attain when your family needs to visit the closed school building daily for food. For my students these basic tools are luxuries and they were overjoyed when they received them. This was a game changer for our class. I cannot thank you enough for making it possible.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 10 other donors.

• Technology Changes Idle Time to Optimal Time!

  Funded Jan 9, 2019

  Most of my students do not have technology or internet access at home. Providing them with more access to technology in school allows them to catch up with other students who have consistent access to technology in their homes. For students from low income homes technology is often only available to them in school. This causes an achievement gap that cannot be understated. Imagine if the first time you interacted with a tablet was in middle school. This is the situation that students from low income households often face because elementary schools that serve low income students have so many critical needs that technology often comes last.

  Research has shown that students with language based disabilities are especially successful with the use of ipads for assistance with speaking and writing. These students use the ipads that you provided in order to communicate more easily with their peers. For example, some students use an app that assists them in learning new words that might be used in a conversation. They can tap on the word and remind themselves of what they want to say while taking part in a group conversation. This really boosts their confidence during class discussions. In addition, they can use voice to text technology to assist them in writing. With the ipads my students can use any word that they can say in their writing by using voice to text technology. It is awe inspiring to see these students write full pages with the assistance of technology. They are so proud of their writing and their ability to communicate important ideas to the world without the fear of misspelling a word.

  I also teach a group of students with visual processing disabilities. These students have a hard time looking at printed texts and often have their assignments read to them by a teacher or assistant. This group has been transformed by the use of the brand new ipads. They now use an app called "natural reader" in order to listen to texts that will be read aloud in class. They can listen to and preview a text that is too difficult for them to read on their own before their classmates see it. These students have been so excited to use this app that they volunteer to stay in for recess so that they can preview the stories that will be taught the next day. In addition, they love the fact that they don't have to wait for a teacher or assistant to read it to them. They feel independent and successful with the use of this technology. Asking a computer for help is a lot less noticeable then asking a teacher. Other students are now often jealous of them because they get to use the ipads more often. Can you imagine going from the kid who has to be in the group that sits with the teacher, to the kid that is working on a cool new project with an ipad. The stigma of constantly needing adult assistance to get things done is gone. It is truly fabulous. I can't thank you enough!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Pierro

  This classroom project was brought to life by Farmers Insurance and 6 other donors.