Past projects 17
Listening Our Way to Better Reading
Funded Jan 31, 2023My students have been so excited by these Playaways. They have read books that would have otherwise intimidated them. They have shared with their classmates about the books they've loved and I have had long wait lists for some of these titles.
I am looping to fourth grade with these students and they are thrilled that they will have another year to read more of these books! Those long wait lists will carry on into the fall now.
I had expected these Playaways to be useful for my students who were having difficulty with reading, but have found that ALL of my students have loved them and we now have enough for many students to have one at any given time.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
Baskets to Build a Beautiful Classroom Library
Funded Jul 26, 2021Thank you so much for your generosity. Our classroom library is just getting started (as the students will do most of the work setting it up in the next few weeks) and what is ready looks absolutely wonderful and inviting. I know my students are going to love having these baskets as they search for just the right book for them.
Never, in more than two decades of teaching, have I had such a beautiful and strong library for all of our books. I am beyond excited about the start of this year and looking at these baskets just adds to that joy.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
Learning Through Listening: Audio Books for Reading Growth
Funded Apr 16, 2019These playaways and books have offered my students access to books that would have otherwise been beyond their reach. These titles are sophisticated and include complicated words and language. As they listen to the book read to them and read along in the text, they are able to enjoy and understand the book. They are also gaining vocabulary and complex English-language phrasing. Hearing the book read helps them build fluency as readers themselves, as well.
The wait list for each of these titles is longer than we will be able to accommodate in the last few weeks of the year but that is a powerful sign of their joy and excitement about these books and playaways. Thank you so much for making it possible for them to grow as readers in such a fun way.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.Family Reading Fun
Funded Jun 11, 2018We are hosting a series of workshops for families in our school using these books. Each series consists of two or three meetings to learn about how to support literacy development in young children. We talk about practicing rhyming, identifying letters anywhere children see them, finding words children can read, reading to children, reading with children, listening to children read, and discussing books. In the final session we watch a video of a young child reading with an adult, using these books. Then we bring the children in to read with their families right then. The excitement and joy around these books in that moment is amazing and exciting. Families can then check these books out to continue reading them together. I am confident that these books are supporting our students but these books are also encouraging literacy in much wider ways as well. This collection is such a gift for our school and we are all thankful for your support and generosity in making this happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
TOON Books for 3rd Grade Thinkers
Funded Aug 24, 2017Thank you so much for the generous donation of these beautiful books for our classroom. Graphic novels and other similar books are exceptionally popular with my students and garner great excitement. Not surprisingly, these books are being widely read during our independent reading time every day. In addition, these books are powerful texts for teaching because of their content. We have used them in lessons in social studies as well as language arts. Such lessons are far more interesting and engaging when done with these books than they would otherwise be. Your generosity is impacting my students learning and lives in positive ways every day. Thank you so much for that.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
This classroom project was brought to life by TOON Books and one other donor.Individualized Learning For All
Funded Mar 2, 2017Our students have been amazingly busy at their computers with their new headphones. Not only have they used them for expected reasons, such as listening to books online and using software to practice their skills. They have also used them to listen to one another's creations in order to give feedback to their classmates. They have recorded themselves telling stories, explaining designs using simple machines, and giving speeches about how to improve our classrooms and our school. They were then able to listen to themselves and revise their work as they saw fit.
Having the headphones has helped them stay focused on their own thinking and not be distracted by noises from other students working. It is amazing to see how much of a difference these headphones have made. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. Our students and teachers are grateful.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
Books Can Change a Child's World
Funded Oct 28, 2016In nearly two decades of teaching it has been rare to have students who are such avid, excited readers as I have this year. My students are only 8 or 9 years old, but they have found a love of books and reading that I hope will last their entire lives. A significant reason for this passion is the fact that they have so many relevant, beautiful, engaging books to read. Research shows the importance of offering students a wide range of books that are up to date and interesting but that is an expensive task. You have made this possible for my students. Our reading workshop is the highlight of our day (at least for me!). Students grab their book boxes and find a cozy place and get started reading almost immediately. The only thing that delays them, at times, is the urge to share the books they are reading and talk about them with a friend. When they go to our classroom library for new books it is as good as going for ice cream. It is such a blessing to see and I am so grateful to you for making this possible for them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
Exploring, Wondering, and Reading: Nonfiction Books for Young Readers
Funded Aug 1, 2016Dear Donors,
The nonfiction books this project provided were quickly snapped up out of our classroom library. My 3rd grade students are thrilled to have such engaging, enticing texts on so many different subjects. They can't wait for the chance to browse in our classroom library again to see what else they will find. During our independent reading time students are absorbed in their books. At least, until they read something that is so interesting or exciting they think they might burst, then they turn to a neighbor to share what they just learned. There is an ongoing buzz of excitement and learning as a result of these books. As their teacher, it is an awesome thing to watch.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
Technology For Tots
Funded Jan 1, 2015These computers have been used in our classroom on a daily basis. My students use them for a wide range of activities and love every chance they get to be on them! Sometimes they are listening to stories or poems on them, giving them the chance to hear fluent reading and follow along.
More often, however, they are creating with these computers. We use several different sites in order to share our thinking and create stories. Using VoiceThread students have recorded their thoughts about books we have read and listened to each others' ideas. They often continue these conversations at other points in the day because they love to hear what their friends think about different books. They have also shared thoughts about a recent field trip, coins, shapes, our growing plants, and more. I love listening to their ideas after they leave each afternoon!
In Wixie students have drawn pictures of weather at different times in the year and recorded themselves explaining their picture. They have recorded stories they write and illustrated them, allowing us to export their work as a movie and post it to our class blog for their parents to watch.
These computers have given my students such freedom as learners and helped them take ownership over their own learning. They are only six years old but they are working together, learning from each other, and creating beautifully!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr
This classroom project was brought to life by Disney and 6 other donors.Comfort, Color, and Community: Gathering to Learn
Funded Aug 21, 2014I wish you all could have seen my kindergartners the first day they arrived to find our carpet on the floor. Each morning there are activities out on tables for them when they arrive, often math manipulatives or letters or blocks, things they greatly enjoy. The morning they found our rug, they ignored all of these options in order to walk around on the rug in awe. Some walked on the numbers, counting as they walked in a circle. Others chose the alphabet, walking and saying the letters. Some jumped from color spot to color spot. They were enthralled.
It is truly amazing what a difference this rug has made in our classroom. Our time on the carpet is much more enjoyable and productive because we are so much more comfortable. Students turn to the carpet to check how to write a letter or number or to be sure they are thinking of the correct one. It truly is a benefit to us for comfort and for learning.
Thank you so very much for your generosity and kindness. We are all, students and teachers, so very grateful to you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Orr