Past projects 4
iPads for Speech Therapy!
Funded Feb 8, 2024The iPads have been a huge hit with our students! Immediately upon receiving them we downloaded programs specifically targeting articulation, phonological awareness skills and auditory processing skills. Individual profiles were created for the students in the apps, and we began obtaining baseline data for them. The children were so excited to not only see the new tablets, but to find out they were going to be using them during their speech and language therapy sessions. We noticed an instant increase in motivation and desire to begin their sessions, and it helped the students engage in conversations about what they were specifically working on and why.
Once we completed baseline testing, we began using the apps to target our student's specific goals. Many students have auditory processing goals that focus on their ability to restate, comprehend, and execute verbal commands containing various linguistic concepts that increase in length and complexity. The chosen app, Auditory Workout, targets these skills in a systematic, engaging way, with built-in breaks. The app contained visually appealing images and clear, concise directions that allowed the students to feel confident and successful. As the students completed tasks and received rewards within the app, their ability to restate the verbally presented information increased, and in turn so did their motivation. After each session a report is generated which outlines the concepts targeted and the student's accuracy in executing the given commands. They love seeing their progress and seeing how far they've come. It's been amazing to witness not only their auditory processing skills improve, but their self-pride has grown as well.
Incorporating iPads and digital speech therapy tools has indeed transformed our therapy sessions. The students' attention spans, engagement, and willingness to participate has increased and they're having more fun than ever. They obviously have experience playing on tablets, but they love seeing how these apps can be used to help them learn and grow. It has sparked new conversations amongst their peers and has allowed us, clinicians, to target their goals in new and meaningful ways. Thank you so much for helping to make a difference in our students' lives!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Jillian & Mr. G
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 18 other donors.MORE BOOKS, MORE KNOWLEDGE
Funded Nov 6, 2018We cannot thank you all enough for your generous donations that granted us a library filled with fictional books and reading comprehension games. It was so exciting opening all the boxes, checking out the book covers and seeing the many board games! My students were eager to unpack all the books, sort them into their leveled bin and check out what new books were available to them. They were also excited to see that board games could be used to target their speech and language therapy goals. Some students even exclaimed, "this is going to be so much fun," and some asked me if they could take one of the books home to read! I was filled with immense pride as the smiles took over my student's faces. It's always heartwarming to see my student's working together, using language to communicate how to get a task done together or encouraging one another to keep trying to read new books. The majority of my student's struggle to use language appropriately and comprehend grade level material, so this library and set of games has already shown to be a huge motivation for them to never give up.
The reading comprehension games and fictional books have easily been added into our speech and language therapy sessions. My student's come running in asking to play a game or to choose a new book to read! The reading comprehension games have been used to target a wide variety of skills, such as defining domain specific vocabulary, determining the cause and effect of various scenarios, listening for details, making inferences, determining the main idea of a short passage and retelling short stories. While playing the games, many of my student's auditory processing and listening comprehension goals have been addressed and I've noticed them trying harder to focus so they can not only answer questions correctly but advance in the game as well. These games continue to show them that learning (and reading) can be fun, even if it is hard at times. Students who struggle to decode words, read fluently and comprehend what they are reading have been given the opportunity to choose a new book at their 'just right' reading level to work towards their goals. Having several books to choose from gives my student's the independence and confidence they need to tackle and improve upon their difficulties.
We continue to fill our brain's with knowledge every day and then use that knowledge to achieve academic success. Thank you for your support and for creating a richer educational environment for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Jillian & Mr. G
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 6 other donors.Expanding our Love for Reading!
Funded Jan 5, 2018My students and I sincerely thank you for donating a complete nonfiction leveled library, and storage cart, to our speech room. We had so much fun opening all the boxes, setting up our new library and talking about several of the eye-catching covers. The images and colors on the covers drew attention from the most reluctant of readers and the mere act of holding a new book sparked numerous conversations about various topics. The responsibility to organize our books gave my students purpose and labeling all the books by reading level allowed them to see that there are interesting and fun books at every stage of learning. I constantly heard students shout to one another, 'Woah, check out this one,' or 'let's look at this book!' I have students that work on using basic sound-letter correspondences to improve their reading skills, so organizing the books by reading level (letter) provided them with new opportunities to practice their speech sounds while building their self-esteem. Lastly, the acts of unpacking and organizing the library granted my students the unexpected opportunity to work together and learn how to rely upon one another to complete a given task. Because no two students are the same, each student presents with differing strengths and weaknesses. Their specific strengths were celebrated every time they opened a box or saw a book with a title that they could independently read. The excitement seen on their faces solidified how impactful your donations and generosity were in creating a richer educational environment for my students. Thank you.
The books have seamlessly integrated their way into speech and language therapy sessions with my students. Although most of my students are reading below grade level, the new library provided them with the opportunity to choose highly motivating books at their level. Identification of text features such as title, author, illustrations, captions and table of contents were targeted. Their comprehension of story grammar markers (i.e. character, setting, problem, solution) were addressed. My students even worked on their decoding skills and were able to see how quickly their knowledge of sound-letter correspondences and how their use of strategies for decoding (breaking down words) allowed them to read books at their instructional reading levels. Within our speech and language therapy sessions the students worked collaboratively with one another, and myself, to read books and discuss them pulling out the key information needed to improve their comprehension. Together they've worked on identifying the main idea of texts and finding text evidence to support their responses. The students have worked on using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words they may have come across while reading. Additionally, the books have created conversations about non-fiction topics that would have otherwise seemed obscure to my students. I repeatedly heard them say, 'this is so cool,' while reading the texts and looking through the book bins. Some of my students have even become so excited about learning new topics that they've been sharing that information with their classmates and other teachers.
Their motivation to read and learn has grown, which in turn has strengthened their language skills, and for that my appreciation is endless.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Jillian & Mr. G
Loving to Read at Every Level
Funded Dec 17, 2017My students and I sincerely thank you for donating a complete nonfiction leveled library, and storage cart, to our speech room. We had so much fun opening all the boxes, setting up our new library and talking about several of the eye-catching covers. The images and colors on the covers drew attention from the most reluctant of readers and the mere act of holding a new book sparked numerous conversations about various topics. The responsibility to organize our books gave my students purpose and labeling all the books by reading level allowed them to see that there are interesting and fun books at every stage of learning. I constantly heard students shout to one another, 'Woah, check out this one,' or 'let's look at this book!' I have students that work on using basic sound-letter correspondences to improve their reading skills, so organizing the books by reading level (letter) provided them with new opportunities to practice their speech sounds while building their self-esteem. Lastly, the acts of unpacking and organizing the library granted my students the unexpected opportunity to work together and learn how to rely upon one another to complete a given task. Because no two students are the same, each student presents with differing strengths and weaknesses. Their specific strengths were celebrated every time they opened a box or saw a book with a title that they could independently read. The excitement seen on their faces solidified how impactful your donations and generosity were in creating a richer educational environment for my students. Thank you.
The books have seamlessly integrated their way into speech and language therapy sessions with my students. Although most of my students are reading below grade level, the new library provided them with the opportunity to choose highly motivating books at their level. Identification of text features such as title, author, illustrations, captions and table of contents were targeted. Their comprehension of story grammar markers (i.e. character, setting, problem, solution) were addressed. My students even worked on their decoding skills and were able to see how quickly their knowledge of sound-letter correspondences and how their use of strategies for decoding (breaking down words) allowed them to read books at their instructional reading levels. Within our speech and language therapy sessions the students worked collaboratively with one another, and myself, to read books and discuss them – pulling out the key information needed to improve their comprehension. Together they've worked on identifying the main idea of texts and finding text evidence to support their responses. The students have worked on using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words they may have come across while reading. Additionally, the books have created conversations about non-fiction topics that would have otherwise seemed obscure to my students. I repeatedly heard them say, 'this is so cool,' while reading the texts and looking through the book bins. Some of my students have even become so excited about learning new topics that they've been sharing that information with their classmates and other teachers.
Their motivation to read and learn has grown, which in turn has strengthened their language skills, and for that my appreciation is endless.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Jillian & Mr. G
This classroom project was brought to life by Anonymous Donor and 9 other donors.