Past projects 2
Next-Level Literacy Because Kindergarteners Are Our Future
Funded Aug 13, 2020Because of your generosity, my students have been acquiring new literacy skills with greater enthusiasm and mastery. The desktop computers that we have are fixed, slow and require typing for students who do not yet know their letters. The iPads are much more intuitive and the interactions take place in real time. Some of the students have tablets at home and they teach their peers how to use them. All the students are picking up the technology skills easily, because of their interest in the devices and the interactive nature of the presentation.
All the students want to use the devices all the time, but there are not enough, so students have to take turns and share. There is a lot of language used which promotes communication skills. A large percentage of my students are not native English speakers, and they are having to practice effective receptive as well as productive communication skills in more than one language. Students have to negotiate with each other to move forward with what they want. These are essential life skills that my students will need to use in any field of work they choose in the future.
We primarily use the devices with the many apps that are available to practice skills. Additionally, I will show students how to use the iPads to look up answers to questions they ask. We are just starting out this year, but very soon, students will start realizing that they can initiate these "answer scavenger hunts" on their own. The information that we find almost always leads to more questions, as knowledge often does.
Thank you for providing the opportunity for more engagement with these listening, speaking, reading, prosocial and technology skills for my students. They are being better equipped to handle the future, whatever it brings for all of us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sun
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.A Kindergarten Teacher's Dream Tool
Funded Nov 6, 2020Thank you a thousand times over! Your generosity has enabled me to organize and test students as often as once every four weeks without losing much instructional or planning time. This has been such a blessing in the lives of my students this year!
The software you funded automatically processed test results. I was able to instantly provide families with detailed reports. (Students especially liked the flashcards, so they could earn prizes from their parents.) They felt so much pride as they tracked skill acquisition on their progress charts!
The spreadsheets were invaluable in creating small groups, which I was able to change every six weeks to respond to varying student needs. This flexibility provided optimal instruction to students that allowed them to accelerate their growth, despite the challenges of not being able to interact in-person.
Real-time data at my fingertips provided precious minutes and hours that I was able to dedicate to planning interactive targeted lessons for students in small group language arts and math lessons. Small group lessons were always a highlight for students, because they got to keep their microphones on and play non-stop games with a few friends!
I have included a few before-and-after snapshots that show the impact you made in my students lives. These students went from non-readers, copiers and scribblers to new readers who can communicate in writing. And they couldn't be more excited about their new identities! They have the foundation they need for years to come . . . and *YOU* helped make that happen. Thank you for making our learning dreams come true!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Sun