Ms. Owens' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 4

• We Love Books!!

  Funded May 12, 2022

  My students and I are absolutely loving the books that were donated to our classroom! Not only are these entertaining stories that engage students, but they help us improve our skills as well. We have recently worked on going back into the text and finding evidence to support our answers. We also have been learning how to make inferences. One of my favorites this year was when we read "The Stranger" by Chris Van Allsburg, the students had to use their prior knowledge and clues from the text to make an inference about who the stranger is! They really love this story, and it goes right along with our changing seasons that are happening. Thank you again for helping donate to our classroom!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Owens

  This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 6 other donors.

• Headphones for Good Listeners

  Funded May 17, 2022

  We use technology DAILY in our classroom, including at least six different programs my students have the choice of working on during the class day. These programs not only teach us new skills, they help us practice skills we've been working on mastering.

  With all of these programs, there comes a lot of sounds, videos, explanations, etc. that appear on my students chromebooks. Having headphones for every student has been amazing and I have been able to see a huge difference from previous years. Students are able to put on the headphones that were purchased and work on the programs silently. The classroom environment has completely changed during this time because EVERYONE has headphones, not just those that can afford it.

  Thank you so much for donating to our classroom and helping us improve on our skills and helping us become more productive as students! :)”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Owens

• Classroom Carpet

  Funded Jan 14, 2022

  Our class is absolutely loving our classroom rug! Due to us being in the basement of our school, we have all tile flooring. This makes it hard for students to really get comfortable on the ground. Thankfully, we now have this classroom carpet for students to sit on during our whole group lessons, partner work, and independent time. Being able to bring them to the carpet during whole group lessons has helped with their focus tremendously. They are now able to sit in front of the board on the floor where distractions are less likely to happen. This has also helped improve their scores. They also enjoy sitting or laying with a friend during partner work time.

  When my students saw the rug, Mr. Marty (our custodian) brought it down in the middle of math class. They were so excited, we had to pause our lesson, and roll it out right away. They all couldn't wait to sit and lay on the soft and comfortable rug. It is now one of their favorite places to sit in the classroom.

  I can't wait to continue using this carpet in our classroom. I know the students will continue to enjoy their comfy place to learn. I know it has definitely made our classroom more welcoming and cozy. :)”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Owens

• Matilda Class Set for a Book Study

  Funded May 17, 2021

  First of all, I just want to say thank you again for donating to our classroom. The students are thoroughly enjoying this story. There have been many giggles and laughs, and even some begging to read, "just one more chapter." They are enjoying getting to know the scary Miss Trunchbull and how ridiculous and funny her consequences for students are.

  Before Matilda, some of my students wouldn't of had the confidence to pick up a chapter book, let alone one this size. But as we are reading it together, I am seeing confidence grow in several students. Other students are so proud that they are reading a chapter book and can't wait to go home to tell their parents how many chapters we've read so far. Not only did I want students to find joy in reading this book, but I was looking to show them that they CAN read chapter books, and to challenge themselves more often.

  When we read Matilda, we usually read it together. Some days we all take turns reading it out loud to each other. Some days we pair up and read chapters together. Some days I read parts aloud while they follow along. Any of these ways works for reading this story, and the students enjoy volunteering to read aloud to the class or to a group.

  Lastly, we have been using this book to brush up on some of our standards that we have learned throughout the year. After we read a chapter, we answer questions about what we've read and explain our thinking using text evidence to support our answers. Roald Dahl, the author of Matilda, uses a very complex vocabulary. We use our context clues to figure out the meaning of words that we don't know. If we still can't come to a conclusion of the meaning, we look up the definition and write it down. Another way we use this book to practice our standards is by summarizing what we've read and determining the theme, or the author's purpose of writing this story. And lastly, we determine the meaning of figurative language used in the text, as well as name what type of figurative language is used.

  This donation has helped me plan a book study that has been everything I wanted it to be and more. My students and I are truly grateful for your donation.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Owens