Past projects 7
Writing the 44 Sounds of English in 26 Letters!
Funded Sep 18, 2024The whiteboards and markers have made it possible for students to write using the words of the week as part of our weekly routine. The students each have a place to try out, erase sentences. It gives me a moment to give immediate corrective feedback about which sounds a student is able to say and which sounds they need to work on, or that they are missing, as I writing in another color on the whiteboard. These materials have helped me differentiate in many ways. I've added this as an activity extension for word searches on paper, with student choice of words from the word search to dot and dash, so that the students can write the words themselves, as well as group activities, where one student says a word, another writes it, and they check their understanding with each other. None of these extension activities would be possible without the extra help from these materials.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.New Year, New Atlases!
Funded Aug 14, 2024The books that you funded get weekly use as part of a geography routine. Each Thursday, students visit a new country that the class has chosen to visit. They watch a video to give them a sense of the country, and then take notes from the book about where they would visit. Given the layout of the Atlases with the 5 things to do in each country, this gives students a purpose for navigating a complex text. Learners with a lot of English are able to read and use the information. Students with less English are able to label pictures and complete a sentence starter, so it truly works for a heterogeneous class as a routine that serves all learners. Thank you so much for making this weekly routine possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
This classroom project was brought to life by The Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Moving Hands Help Language Processing
Funded Jul 31, 2024Our linguistic-phonics-based study of the forty-four sounds of English has begun! After several weeks establishing the routines of taking notes on sound and spelling patterns, dot-and-dashing words on cards to help us say words and notice patterns in where the spelling pattern occur in words, we have started to use our laminated spelling patterns blocks of text, and blank laminated paper, whiteboards, and whiteboard markers to review sounds we have studied and create our own words and texts.
As you can see in the pictures, the laminated spelling pattern cards are stored in the Stasher bags in the bins, so that they are easy to access when it is time to work. You can see in the photo of the Stasher bag that the student is using that sits on the desk and does not fall over and makes transitions fast and easy. I appreciate your help making this all possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
Empower Struggling Readers
Funded Jan 25, 2024Many thanks for helping me purchase the laptop that I have used to create resources for my students. In the photographs you can see a snapshot of my google drive, with each week's resources to help students pronounce the sound we focus on each week, recognize spelling patterns in English that represent that sound in writing, and related practice activities (dictations, student-created writing, text-annotations) that help reinforce students understanding and application of what they are learning.
Most gratifying is the response from students and multi-lingual teachers about how these resources help them improve vocabulary and speak with confidence. The 12th grade students who have used some of these materials have told our literacy coach, "We should have started this in 9th grade!" and so I'm grateful for the opportunity to start this work earlier with my 9th and 10th graders. My teacher apprentice, who is also a multi-lingual learner, has also recognized how much this could have helped him and he is developing the skills to bring this into his classroom when he begins teaching next year. I also find it striking that when one student was reflecting on which aspects of our book groups had helped him the most with his personal language learning goals, he focused instead on our daily practice has helped him see more words and learn more words. I appreciate having a laptop so that I can create these resources at home so that I am free to use my time for other tasks at school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
A Fantasy Novel to Unpack Reality
Funded Nov 27, 2023I am writing you from the midpoint of our unit, and you'll notice that most of the pictures I uploaded are of student work, so you can see for yourselves how students connect Squire to everything from childhood work carrying heavy things in Yemen, to being determined to fight for your dreams. Many focused on Aiza's sleeping situation, writing about the similarities between the character Aiza's sleeping situation and the sleeping situation in the shelters where some students live or have lived, or about the tension between the "new migrants" and the immigrants who came before 2022 who, in the words of one student, "act they they belong here more than we do". So far, it has definitely been a fantasy unpacking reality!
While I hadn't timed this unit intentionally to begin with the start of Ramadan, this is when students began to read, analyze and discuss Squire as part of their book group. The first week of Ramadan is exhausting for the students who have begun the fast, but not too exhausting to read. Many of the Muslim students noticed the Arabic words, and in their analysis, they are beginning to address themes that are central to both the book and to the reflection about commitments to family and justice that students engage in during the Holy month. But the impact of this book is not just with those from Yemen, Guinea, and Pakistan, whose faith they feel is represented. The Ecuadorian student who came to NYC by bus and who is months into learning English, hugged the book and said, in English, "I love it." She reads and translates, and it's not too much because she's so invested in the story. It was the choice for students from Russia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, China, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. The students bring a reading job to their discussion: new words they've chosen, a connection to passages they've made, quiz questions to make sure everyone follows the plot, an illustration that may grow from the graphic novel to share, or a visual analysis, where they apply the language of color relationships, gesture, mood, focal point, and perspective that they've learned in art class to the analysis of graphic novel panels. These jobs, which you see in the pictures, help students slow down, learn more English, and consider what these characters choices mean for them, and then bring that understanding back to our own communities, as we share with each other and with our families. These images also only capture the story partly, as simple questions start larger discussions very quickly. For example, I watched as one student's quiz question "Where is Aiza from?" turned into a discussion of whether Aiza's identity as an ethnic Orzu would mean that she's not really "from" the Empire and that others would never accept her claim of being from the Empire, which turned into a discussion among students about who gets to say they are from where and how we are treated when we say we are from a place.
Again, thank you so much for helping us make this happen!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
This classroom project was brought to life by Con Edison and 3 other donors.Haitian Culture Club's First Book Club
Funded Jan 2, 2024Thanks to you, the students in Haitian club were able to celebrate Black history month by reading and discussing Blades of Freedom. The study guide pictured here was used to pace the reading. Students read the book during independent reading time in English class, and some of the students were able to compare and contrast Blades of Freedom with C.L.R. James's graphic biography Toussaint Louverture: The Story of the Only Successful Slave Revolt in History. Other students who knew nothing of Haitian history became interested in reading Blades of Freedom after seeing their classmates reading it during independent reading time, and so students from other countries have had the opportunity to learn the history of Haiti. Thanks so much for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin
Maslow Before Bloom
Funded May 27, 2020Many thanks for funding this project. These students were able to feed themselves and members of their family at a very difficult time, and so the materials brought great relief. The food also supported me as a teacher in maintaining a trusting relationship, so that the students continued in the school instead of giving up. This trust has been key, as one student graduated while the other passed the year. Despite having to work full time this past year, one of the students stayed in touch and over the summer is managing both working and school to earn the credit the student needs to continue their education. Instead of stopping at 9th grade and dropping out, they will be continuing to 11th grade next year.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Erin