Mrs. Orr's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 8

• My Learning, My Language

  Funded Sep 8, 2023

  Thank you so much for sponsoring this Donors Choose project. Because of your generous gift, I was able to attend an online training to learn all about this wonderful assessment that will be vital in helping me better understand the development of my student's ASL skills and where they struggle with expressing in ASL. This assessment breaks down several skills that are critical components of using sign language as a whole in order to be fully understood.

  I really enjoyed this training because it allowed me to have hands-up experience of assessing a students and truly understanding the benefits of this assessment. This assessment will truly help me understand how I as a teacher can better support my students ASL skills which they will rely on the rest of the life to understand the world around them as well as be able to express themselves in a way they can be understood. Thank you again!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 5 other donors.

• Ready, Set, Supplied!

  Funded Aug 31, 2023

  Thank you so much for your contributions to my students. Many of my students bring supplies but only enough for their mainstream classroom. In my classroom they typically have to share supplies which can be hard for some students, and often we don't have enough supplies. Because of this grant, my students now have their own needed materials to be able to work and do the activities they need to do.

  When my students first saw the materials they were so excited! They were eager to use their new tools, and were happy to be able to store them in their own safe places knowing they will be there when they need them. My class is often very fast pace with lots to be done, so it is wonderful for students to quickly be able to come in, grab the materials they would need and then get right into work. The variety of materials they were able to get really helps for the various tasks. White board markers and erasers used for math problems, pencils for writing and colored pencils for various tasks, and a bag to store them in. Students love the ability to work with the materials provided. Again, thank you so much.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by The SONIC Foundation and 3 other donors.

• I'm Game for Reading

  Funded Jul 14, 2023

  First off I want to thank you all again for the support that you have provided. This project has been a fun one for the students. They are not only excited for the game, but don't realize that they are also learning as they play. When the games first arrived they were so excited to play them I barely got them out of the box!

  My students continue to work on comprehension and these games are another tool to help them in their learning but in a different way. Too often my students do more of a contemporary style of learning, but this provides a more fun and engaging way of learning. These games also provide positive peer interaction and working on understanding the rules of the games and taking turn as well as working on being a student who encourages others even when they are losing. My hope is that these games will continue to foster learning but also allow for deeper friendships while learning. Thank you again!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Supporter and 7 other donors.

• Learning to Read!

  Funded Feb 2, 2023

  I can not begin to thank you enough for your generosity. My students have grown more than I could have anticipated. We have students using these tools in a variety of different ways. The biggest impact of these sight word cards has encouraged students to read and learn new words and has also exploded into other areas as well. Students have learned to also spell these words, and another has also started to use the words she learned to begin reading!

  When my students first saw the cards they were SO excited! They finally had a fun tool to help them learn new words and begin to read with a visual aid. The students want to do their sight words and learn new words. These tools have made a huge difference for a variety of students!

  My next step is to take these words that students are learning and begin to apply them not only in reading more but also in their writing. I can not wait to see how much more progress students will make because of the inspiration to read that these cards have given! Again thank you and I hope you know that your giving has changed several students lives!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

• Learning From Reading

  Funded Oct 17, 2018

  Thank you so much for your support of our program. The books funded through your financial support have allowed my Deaf/Hard of hearing students to have the illustrations that are being discussed in our weekly stories come to life with the vibrant realistic pictures. Students have been using the books incorporated with the school curriculum to expand their knowledge, vocabulary and are also being used as a resource/tool for their writing.

  Reading looks slightly different in a DHH classroom. While students enjoy stories, they are very visual learners and want to SEE everything! They want to see parts of the spaceship that was referenced in the story, they want to see a picture of a crater on the moon and spend 10 minutes discussing how the crater is made. My students also need additional focus on vocabulary and learning new words. With these books, there are so many new words, that due to their hearing loss they have never heard or seen before. Reading time is by far one of our most favorite times because it is truly an engaging discussion and time of learning that could only be possible with the wonderful resources to help show them what they are learning.

  Recently, a student was so excited to use a book related to the Titanic that he almost forgot to write because he was fascinated with the new information that was in the new leveled books which are only possible through your support! Another student used the new book on Polar Bears to write an informational paper on Polar Bears. I look forward to the new lessons to come and the many opportunities students will have to use the materials provided, especially books that are at a level they can read more independently, that empower them within the classroom setting and in their future education.

  From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron Fuel Your School.

• Best Practice in Mainstream Education of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

  Funded May 23, 2018

  I am truly honored to have been blessed to have had the opportunity, not only to fly across the U.S. from Idaho to Rochester, New York, but to attend a conference surrounded by extremely knowledgeable and experienced individuals working within the field of Deaf Education. Living in Idaho where there are limited opportunities for training and collaboration for Teachers of Deaf, and fewer teachers that understand this unique field, it was truly overwhelming to be seated in an auditorium with a few hundred other teachers that genuinely understand the diversity of learners, the variety of services needed, and the experience of often feeling isolated when working within Deaf Education. The two-day conference focused on a variety of topics ranging from myth believed by educator when teaching Deaf students, working with educational interpreters, cued-speech, reading and writing.

  The highlight of the event was honestly the collaboration with like-minded individuals. I learned a lot about the research that is currently being done within classrooms regarding students who are deaf/hard of hearing and the need for continued expansion of research!! Additionally, there is research relating to the quality of students' access to learning through a qualified education interpreter and the relationship and roles between the interpreter, students, parents and the teacher of the deaf. Much of our time was spent brainstorming ideas for areas that need further research and seeking out feedback for current practices based on what we can know of current research. I also was able to spend several hours with one of the Keynote speakers, Dr. Shirin Antia, and share about the successes of my students and openly ask questions to help me better teach my students, I felt a bit star struck to have that valuable time with her as well as many highly educated individuals.

  One breakout session, entitled Monitoring Student Progress with Ave:PM, focused on monitoring students progress related to reading fluency which is currently a big topic in education, as well as Deaf Education, focusing on reading fluency and comprehension an its critical impact in predicting a student's likelihood to graduate and pursue further education and be a successful member within their community. During the session, the presenter shared resources that I am very eager to use in my classroom that is student-friendly, as well as teacher-friendly in helping collect and monitor the data on students reading. This website also allows for writing data to be collected and analyzed providing quick feedback to students and teachers on their progress and growth.

  I want to again thank those who donated to this grant, allowing me the much needed time with like-minded individuals in order to best know what current research in Deaf Education says so my students can benefit from current and best practices. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 3 other donors.

• D/HH Hands-on Math!

  Funded Mar 27, 2018

  Thank you so much for your generous donations to my grant. My students loved seeing the box of materials show up and were anxious to begin using them. It as been wonderful to have materials that the students can use and manipulate as they learn foundational math concepts with such diverse materials to help strengthen their understanding. Students have used the various math manipulatives to become more concrete with a specific approach to addition and subtraction and have begun to thrive in these critical skills. Students especially loved the number line where they could get up and move as they learned, as well as enjoyed using the 10 frames to show addition and subtraction problems. A

  As their teacher, I have been able to use the magnetic materials to better display the concepts while keeping my hands free to be able to explain the process to them. Through the use of assessments, I have seen the students' assessment scores increase since the arrival of the materials. The students have gained more confidence in their ability to complete a variety of strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. Learning these concepts have become fun and the students are able to better remember these approaches after having the hands of practice. Students are now using the materials to help teach and model for each other who to solve problems! These resources have been critical to my students' learning and it is all because of your generosity! I am excited to start the next school year with my new incoming 1st graders and know they will be able to more quickly pick up these concepts because of the materials that were gifted to us! Thank you so much!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr

  This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 2 other donors.

• Visible Learning In A Deaf World!

  Funded Nov 1, 2017

  Thank you so much for sponsoring our project. The resources provided for our classroom have made learning fun. Students especially enjoy reading on the beautiful rug that was purchased through this project, as well as learning the concept of time and enjoying the ASL alphabet. Recently, students interacted with the ABC bean bags and enjoyed playing games as they practiced the letter sounds in preparation for their state testing that will happen. It was so nice for the students to get out of their seats, and play on the beautiful rug with the fun bean bag letters. Students also LOVE the wonderful light timers that are set as they are encouraged to do independent writing for ten minutes. They love that there is a 5-minute warning that they can see the light changing from green to yellow for the warning, and then when the time is complete it changes to red. Students were so excited and continued to point out when the light changes and knew that when the yellow flashed they had five minutes left.

  When the students first saw the materials they were so excited and could hardly wait. The especially loved that there were so many materials in ASL, their language! Students walked around the rug stating their letters and looking at the clock in the center. With the bean bags, they were so excited to play with them and continue learning. The poster is posted outside of our classroom and has been very welcoming for not only our deaf/hard of hearing kiddos but also for their peers.

  The next steps for my students are improving their math skills. We have been focusing a lot on addition and subtraction to 20. The bean bags have been helpful as students quickly learned the values and have begun practicing addition and subtraction using the visual supports. We are also working on developing a stronger written language with the help of sounding out words and deepening their love to read and learn.

  Again, thank you for helping create an environment where our students have the materials needed to be successful.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Orr