Past projects 6
Going Bananas for More Books
Funded Feb 2, 2025I can’t believe we are fully funded this quickly! You are so generous to offer to help purchase a new set of readers for my students. I really think that Bananas is going to be a great anchor with some higher level vocabulary and themes for our second semester studies in Spanish 3 Accelerated. It will help bridge the gap for my students who are making the jump to AP Spanish Language and Culture next year. ¡Gracias por todo!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot
Listen and Be Heard
Funded Feb 14, 2022Thank you for donating to my classroom so that I can provide better sound quality and more differentiated instruction to my students! All of my students, but especially those in AP Spanish and those with hearing impairments, will benefit from this donation. We are so grateful for your thoughtfulness and care.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot
Cool, Calm & Comfortable
Funded Aug 15, 2021I am so thankful for the updates you helped provide to my classroom this school year! My students use our standing fans every day (yes, even in the winter on the third floor of our building). They are easily adjustable and they are helping to keep students much more comfortable in class. Additionally, my students have often said that they wished more classrooms had smaller comforts, like fidget toys and cushions for their chairs. We are so grateful for your donations and for your help in making these adjustments possible this year!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot
Light and Airy
Funded Aug 16, 2021We are so excited to make the room more light and airy with these items! I think the colorful lights will really add some ambience to our room and the adjustable light will save energy while providing us options foe rainy, dark days and hot days. We are also very excited to cool down with our new fan!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot
Leave Your Huella
Funded Aug 16, 2021Thank you for helping me reach this goal to provide even more compelling curriculum to my students. Upper-level language students not only crave more engaging content, but also benefit from being able to use the target language to communicate about things that really matter in the world. I appreciate your help in supporting my students!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot
The World Belongs To Those Who Read
Funded Aug 3, 2018I wanted to update you on the progress of our free voluntary reading (FVR, or "Lecture Libre" in Spanish) library in Room 318 at Shepherd Hill Regional High School! Because of your donations, students in my Spanish 3 and Spanish 3 Accelerated courses are able to read materials that interest them, at their own pace. Of course, we still do full class readings, but during their free voluntary reading time, students are allowed a little more liberty to delve into something they like, or try reading something just for fun.
We read independently for 20 minutes every time one of these classes has a lunch block (once every seven school days). My students eat third lunch, which means I see them for 42 minutes before lunch and 20 minutes after. This year's FVR schedule has allowed me to keep me classes on pace with each other, no matter who has the extended block. The students are now very used to the routine, and they come in expecting to read after lunch. In fact, on the rare occasions that I have changed that routine on them, they have reacted very strongly! Students use the folders pictured in the Lectura Libre section to keep a log of what they've been reading. Although they have the right to abandon a book if it's the wrong level or if it no longer is keeping their attention, this log helps them keep track of where they were the last time we read, and helps me make sure they've been on task.
I am a firm believer that no reading is too easy - I tell the students that if they want to read a book that is easy for them to comprehend, it is still time well-spent! "Easy" books are small victories for students, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with receiving language input from a material that you totally and completely understand. I remind them that not everything we read in our native language is meant to challenge us, and that all reading is good reading because it enhances language fluency, especially with phrasing and sentence structure, after repeated exposure.
Some students have opted to challenge themselves with "harder" (more vocabulary-heavy or more advanced grammar) novels. They enjoy the ease of having a glossary handy inside the book to refer to. This is something that non-graded readers cannot provide them! I am so thankful that they are able to work through readings independently, and at their own pace, since I know I cannot be everywhere at once to monitor the comprehension of every student.
I would also like to note that the Scholastic magazines have been a big hit as a part of our donated library! Some students opt to read magazine articles instead of their usual novel to change up their routine, or simply because they are not in the mood for fiction that day. I love being able to provide my students with multiple literary genres to choose from.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Racicot