Past projects 18
The Plusses of ADD and ADHD
Funded Jan 27, 2019This project has had an immediate impact on my students. They are actually excited to sit due to the wiggle chair cushions and have asked if we can get more so they don't have to share! Students who have read the books from this project are starting to recognize some traits in themselves that they would like to work on, such as focus, attention, and organization. Others who do not struggle with these concepts are able to empathize with others who have been diagnosed with or who have not yet been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. The strategies these books provide are kid-friendly and able to be used quickly. I have already shared some resources from Smart, But Scattered with other teachers and our guidance counselor. I will also be sharing more with students and parents at parent teacher conferences. Thank you for helping increase awareness to this important topic!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by Carol Kupers Whalen Memorial Fund and 4 other donors.Open Books, Open Minds
Funded Dec 13, 2018Each day, students participate in IDR, or independent daily reading. They choose books to read with a specific reading skill to practice, such as asking questions or making inferences. Then they share what they have read and learned with a partner or the class. In the past, students stuck to tried and true favorites that they had been reading for years without challenging themselves or trying new books, but only spending short amounts of time without wanting to finish books. The books from this project have not only introduced them to new characters and series, but also made them feel that people from their culture and others are more fairly represented. This has had a big impact in giving them a voice and empowering them to consider careers as writers. Some of my reluctant readers are even choosing to take these books out during recess instead of playing games because they just can't wait to find out what happens next. Sometimes they will even sit next to another student who is reading a book they are interested in just so they can hear what happened in their book or to grab it to read as soon as that person has completed the book. This has also led to kids bonding with each other over love for these characters and books. Students are now asking for me to purchase more books from some of these series, so stay tuned for another project on this same topic. Once again, donors like you have made magic in the lives of my students! Thank you so much for your donation to our class.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 3 other donors.A Second Set of Social Stories
Funded Nov 27, 2018Students have now had time to read and discuss the books we received thanks to your generous donations. Some books have been so popular that kids are actually sitting next to each other at recess and in class, waiting for the second that other students are finished with them! I have seen tremendous social and emotional growth in all students. It is evident in their conversations, work, and actions. We often think of books as helping students become better readers, but these materials have also made them better people! Students have used these books for a variety of projects - poems, comic strips, slideshow presentations, and in postcards among other activities. We look forward to sharing students' personal favorite choices with you and the impact of these books on individual students with you in our thank you letters. We hope to continue to make you proud. Thank you for your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
Social Stories
Funded Nov 3, 2018We have received the books from part 1 of this project and I couldn't be more thrilled with the reaction from students. They cannot wait for independent and small group reading time so that they can pick these materials up! We have used books like I am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde, What's in It for Me? by Julia Cook, and Last to Finish: A Story About the Smartest Boy in Math Class by Barbara Esham for a variety of purposes. These include reading lessons on character traits, descriptive language, main idea / details, cause and effect, and problem / solution. I have already seen my students' vocabulary expand, and they are more thoughtful with their word choice and tone of voice. We see a lot less conflict and a lot more smiles! Thank you again for choosing our class to donate to. Your impact will be felt for the rest of my students' lives.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
Making Cents of Money Sense
Funded Sep 11, 2017Our class is so grateful for your generosity and support. Students have already begun selecting to use some of the math games at recess! It has been wonderful to see them working together on some fun, yet academic games. In the past, many would ask to work individually on computers instead of interacting or they would choose the same games repeatedly. Prime Climb in particular has been a hit and I foresee many of the money games becoming popular in the near future as we get into our main consumer season. Students are currently working on a Thanksgiving meal planning project where they plan a meal and calculate cost, so the games purchased from this project should help them explore money concepts further. Thank you again for your donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 8 other donors.Been There, Read and Scene That!
Funded Oct 20, 2017Since receiving our materials, students have already shown more interest in reading at home and at a more advanced reading level. They have been saving up their Reading Rewards miles in order to save up enough miles to borrow a book and a movie. Some are even strategizing and scheduling to make sure they will have enough time to finish both! For example, some students plan on spending their longer Thanksgiving weekend and winter break with these books and movies! We can definitely say that the new additions to our Readbox collection are a hit! Again, we thank you and appreciate your donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.College and Career Readiness Project
Funded Mar 9, 2016My students were so excited with the delivery of these books and games. They particularly loved making decisions about the choices they were going to make next in The Game of Life. It really make them think about the causes and effects of daily life and the future. While they realize that they don't have to decide what they want to be when they grow up just yet, these games and books have made them consider ideas they hadn't been exposed to or thought of yet.
In our class, reading is a very social thing. Kids check out books online and then rate and review them so others can see what they are learning about. We all encourage each other to get outside of our comfort zones and try something new. Prior to this project, very few children would have picked up a book about careers. Now they keep asking me about where they are!
It has been interesting to see students who are still learning English read these books. Because of these donations, I was able to purchase books at a variety of reading levels. The students now have an appreciation of the tasks and skills they need to acquire before starting a job or career in given fields. We can't say thank you enough!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla
Multicultural Learning Book Project
Funded Oct 29, 2015Students were so excited to receive and read these books! They were truly inspired to learn more about people in other countries. The kids had this to say: "Before this year, I wasn't really confident about reading random books. Now I'm more willing to try!" Another student commented, "Donors Choose made me feel different about reading books. I felt like reading books that I had never seen before was much more interesting. Before, I only read the Percy Jackson series." Finally, "It made me feel like I was in an enchanted world." The children are even more excited to read after doing these fun projects. The trioramas and story cubes were especially popular. Thanks again for choosing our class to donate to.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Della Salla