Past projects 5
I Can Read This!
Funded Sep 2, 2022Thank you so much for your generous contributions to buy decodable books for my students! They were SO EXCITED to see them and to start reading them! The students you see in these pictures are all 1st and 2nd graders and many of them will say all the time that they can't read. That makes me so sad because every single one of them has come so far this year- but they don't realize that there ARE texts that they can read with very little help. That's where your donations come in.
It's an exciting time in the primary age reading world in Virginia. We are transitioning the way we teach reading to a more structured, skills-based approach and the biggest concern that most teachers voice is whether we'll have enough decodable text in the various skills such as short vowels, silent e, and vowel teams. The students you see here are getting a solid foundation in early skills in my intervention groups and using those skills to read decodable books. The first graders are already reading these books with some support. Some of the kindergarten students are starting to read decodable text, as well!
As with any group of students, some are more enthusiastic than others. In particular, the little girl with the unicorn hat has improved her skills by leaps and bounds and you might be able to tell from the determined look on her face that she's excited to be reading. The boy in the black sweatshirt gets so discouraged when he struggles but he's starting to put together the different pieces of reading we've been working on. He really wanted to try reading some of his book out loud to me. The little girl with curly hair in the black hoodie was looking through her book and looking for "red words," high frequency words that her group hasn't learned to decode yet. She was DELIGHTED when she found three that she already knows!
Your donations are already making an impact on a lot of students. I can't thank you enough for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Umberger
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 11 other donors.Structured Literacy for Reading Success
Funded Sep 24, 2022Thank you so much for your generosity! I'm so looking forward to having a make it and take it session for our teachers. It's an exciting time in the early literacy world and you're helping transform reading instruction for our kids.
Thank you again for your support of my DonorsChoose projects. I couldn't do this without you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Umberger
This classroom project was brought to life by J.W. Couch Foundation and 11 other donors.Cards, Board Games, and Puzzles for at-Home Learning
Funded Aug 24, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom project! It has been a challenging year in so many ways and your generosity has helped provide materials to students who need extra support beyond virtual learning. Young kids learn by touching and moving and manipulating materials and that is extremely hard to achieve in a virtual setting.
This year I am providing reading support to roughly twice the number of students as usual. My district has opted to use computer- based software that allows my students work through a self-paced phonics program. I give support on individual skills as needed to both face to face and virtual students. Since children are working on so many different skills, the take home bags that I have created have been a valuable resource for parents to reinforce phonics skills at home. I have printed out and laminated various games and activities for targeted skills such as building silent e words, long and short vowel sorting, beginning sound matching, and letter and sound matching. Then I place an instruction sheet in a gallon sized bag with the activity and send it home with face to face students or put it in a designated pick up area for virtual students.
Having a color printer in my classroom to create hands-on materials for practice at home has been a godsend. Although I have a good supply of activity bags for certain skills, sometimes what I already have just isn't what a student needs. In those cases, I can find what I need or create it, print it out on the spot, and have an activity bag ready for the student relatively quickly. A few parents have even asked if they can keep the materials because their child enjoyed them so much.
I so appreciate your support of my students and me. It is hard to articulate some of the challenges of virtual and hybrid learning to those who haven't experienced it, but please know that your donation toward a printer and ink cartridges has made a positive difference!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Umberger
Shed Some Light on Learning
Funded Oct 4, 2018Thank you so much for your generous support of our classroom project! My students have been enthralled with the light filters and full spectrum lights. On the first day that everything was set up, a first grader walked in and said, "Wow! It's like being outside in here! It looks different from being in the hall." I thought that was an interesting observation, especially since I hadn't said anything about the purpose of the materials other than they would help their eyes not get so tired.
Now that my students are accustomed to the new lighting, they love sitting near the lamps to reread the books that we have worked on. They really enjoyed writing thank you notes and wanted to let our donors know how much they appreciate the support. They feel very special being able to come to a classroom with unique lighting to work on their reading. Five students have improved so much that they won't need reading intervention for the second half of the school year!
When we return to school after Christmas break, my kindergarten students will start to learn to "really read," and that is always an exciting time. First and second graders will build on what they have already learned and older students will turn their attention to state testing in the spring. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping support these children. With just a little extra help, they will achieve great things.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Umberger
Facilitating Parent Involvement With Take-Home Books
Funded Nov 12, 2017Thank you so much for your generosity! The books that you helped purchase are leveled emergent text, meaning that they are geared especially for kids who are just learning to read. Much of the text is repetitive and has lots of sight words. Recognizing some words by sight without having to break them into sounds is a critical skill for emerging readers and these books are just perfect for practice at home after students have gotten instruction with those same sight words at school. The kids get SO excited when they can recognize a few words independently; when they open a new book and see some words that they know, they just beam with pride. When a child can do that, it confirms that they are ready to start learning strategies to become real readers. That is my favorite part of every school year. When kindergarten students have that first "ah ha" moment of recognizing a sight word or two in a book, the thrill for me is a bit like riding a roller coaster.
My classroom is a resource room and I have different groups of students coming in and out all day. I typically work with five or fewer students and I do intensive intervention with students who struggle with various reading and writing skills. I teach lessons and have the kids practice with varying levels of support until they master those skills, then we move to a more complex skill. Having new books with colorful pictures and familiar text to practice at home is so important for kids to become better readers. It keeps them interested and enthusiastic. They know right away when we're using new books and always ask if they're the first group to get to practice them. Your generous donations made this possible.
The child wearing the stocking cap in the picture has been particularly enamored with the new books. She started the year at risk based on several criteria; almost three quarters through the year, she is reading and writing close to grade level standards. Her mom told her classroom teacher and me how she reminds her every night about practicing her book before she goes to bed "because it's responsible to use the books right." She also has a book box for independent reading in her classroom and on more than one occasion, her classroom teacher said she was reading her practice books to kids who don't get extra support in my room.
Please understand that your donation to this project has made a real difference to my students. I appreciate your generosity and I will use these books for home practice with my students for as long as they last.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Umberger