Past projects 8
Shelfie Selfie!
Funded Apr 30, 2021Thank yo so much for your generous donation. My students and I just love having an organized classroom. My students know where all their materials are which means we can all get to work quickly and happily.
Teaching first grade reading, requires A LOT of moving parts. Students work with a variety materials that they can manipulate. There are letters to match, upper case as well as lower case, letters to mold and shape as well as tracing letters. It is so helpful to have white boards, markers, erasers and so much more easily available to small children, but it is extremely helpful for me as well to have all these essential materials in one place. Having all the materials in one place, frees me up to plan lessons for the students in a purposeful way.
A well organized classroom provides a sense of safety and security to students. This idea is particularly important as students take ownership and care for our space together. It makes us all feel good and ready to learn.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
This classroom project was brought to life by Lakeshore Learning and 3 other donors.Stay Focused with Elmo!
Funded Aug 7, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation. It is really hard to see the impact of the project by the pictures, but the ELMO doc camera has been an invaluable tool for me to use during distance learning. My first and second grade students are learning how to read and how letters work together to make words (phonics), but they have to see it happen in action and in real time. The ELMO doc camera allows me to use two screens at once; one for me to say the words that the students are learning and see my face and simultaneously see the other screen while I write out the words. The ELMO makes it possible to show the students the lessons without the awkwardness of having to hold up a board every time I write a new letter or word. I can also zoom in and out whenever I need to emphasize parts of the lessons. In fact the work stays up on the screen so that the students don't miss any of the work. The ELMO doc camera makes teaching more efficient and accessible to the students. Using the ELMO really provides for a 'real time' experience while on Zoom. This whole new distance learning world is challenging for teachers, children, and families, but thanks to your generosity you have made things a lot easier and more fun.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
This classroom project was brought to life by A Generous Donor and 5 other donors.Gross is Just Fine: Motor Skills
Funded May 29, 2018Thank you so much for your generous gift to our students. Play is so important for the healthy development of children.
I just finished reading the book Purposeful Play by Kristine Mraz to help me identify and recognize the impact that this project has had on our children and the one big take away is that children need to play as they make sense of the world around them. The children were asked to come to my classroom and encouraged to explore the materials to their imaginations. Almost each child when asked to stop playing and asked to write about their play; stopped without hesitation, and enthusiastically wrote or drew pictures of the 'stories' that they had been imagining. Ultimately, that was the transfer that I was hoping to observe. Children already know how to play and it is up to us to nurture and support them so that they can continue to transfer their play into work.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
Calligraphy to Create a Stress-free Connection
Funded Feb 21, 2017Thank you so much for your generous contribution.
It has been so much fun doing this project and its impact will be felt for a really long time. I remember the first time I tried calligraphy, I felt like I was creating something beautiful.
The calligraphy center is used every day! The center is in the middle of the school day and I'm convinced that it the right time of day to help sustain the students for the rest of the day. I enjoyed sitting with them, connecting and chatting about their days as they worked. They loved showing off their work.
The calligraphy center also served as a way for students to practice writing site words. The materials were placed in a container with the week's list of five new site words, calligraphy paper and pens, and an instructional book on lettering. The students practiced writing the site words with a flare!
Our school day can sometimes be so focused on academics, that we loose opportunities to see our students as little human beings that can participate in creating something beautiful for themselves and for others. Thank you so very much for supporting this project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
Crazy for Series Books
Funded May 25, 2016Dear Donors,
Thank you so much for your generous donations. So far this year, I have one student who has practically read all of the Heidi Hecklebeck books (that's about 14). It usually just takes one enthusiastic student to spur a movement and that is just what I'd hoped for and what has happened. Leilah loves the characters in the book but especially Heidi because of the special secret that she is hiding. Allison and Aniyah are right along there with Leilah. They don't know it yet but they've just formed their very own book club. The familiarity and predictability of the characters is what makes series books such a great way to motivate students to read. Second grade reading is all about volume, fluency, accuracy; and because series books have recurring characters and themes, students are more inclined to read more, thus practicing fluency and accuracy and gaining volume. Poppleton, Dragon Masters, and many more series books are a great way for students to read a lot!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
Rekenrek! A Tool for Math
Funded May 27, 2015Thank you so much for your generosity. We have been using the Rekenreks almost everyday.
I am trying to really help my students develop number sense and it is interesting to see them learn to manipulate this tool. Just recently they had to play a game with partners. The objective of the game was to represent numbers to 20. As they took turns pulling number cards to 20, one partner would show part of the number and the other partner would have to complete the number. I loved that they had to negotiate throughout the process.
I'm also noticing the impact it is having in developing oral language skills. It is a great time for me to listen to their 'talk' which in turn helps me follow their 'thinking'.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
Grouch Marx says...Classroom book organizer
Funded Jan 15, 2008Thank you very much for your generosity. My students LOVE books. I even have students from past years returning to my class just to sit and read. The power of a good book is immeasurable. Having the book organizer will only make it seem like a real library!
Thank you”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano
Leveled Reading Books for Guided Reading
Funded Jun 26, 2007Wow! This has made my summer. I was already planning for next year but now there is an extra bonus.
I love teaching reading and this makes it all the better. Our team of teachers will gladly appreciate it as well. Thank you so much. : )
Sincerely, Ruby ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Dellamano