Past projects 49
Kindergarten Readers Need TAG Technology!
Funded May 17, 2013Thank you so much for these new resources! Thanks to you, my class is now able to have an entire TAG Reading center during literacy! We use these to provide listening skill practice, comprehension practice, and lots and lots of meaningful practice with one to one correspondence. Thanks to you, the work period of our literacy block is now completely full of activities that are on-level for my students, and I can't tell you the difference you've made! My students are sitting with their headphones and books, actively engaged in reading independently. They are capable of answering questions about the stories, and are developing opinions about texts. They have been working together on occasion to share a book together, using the TAG Readers.
Once again, I need to express my sincere gratitude for all of your help. My students would not be nearly as far ahead in literacy without your support and confidence in our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
This classroom project was brought to life by People's United Community Foundation and 11 other donors.Kindergarteners Stamp It Out For Literacy!
Funded Sep 24, 2013Thank you so much for our stamping center materials! You would not believe the amount of interest in letters and stamping that these resources have generated. From the time the box arrived, my students were beside themselves with excitement. They truly understand that Donors Choose is all about people who want to help our students, and they couldn't wait to see what was inside! When we opened the box, the students were so excited to see our new stamps. I opened each container and showed them what was inside, and over the course of the past couple of weeks, we have been learning how to use these tools. In kindergarten, life is all about repetition and teaching routines, so my students now know how to take out the stamps, stamp them lightly, and put them back properly. They LOVE these tools!
Thanks to donors like you, my students have the opportunity to learn sight words on their level in a fun and exciting way. My students who just haven't quite learned their letters are absolutely in love with the letter stamps that have little matching items inside. The visual is great for letter recognition!
We appreciate your help more than you know, and are grateful for all that you do!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
Help Our Kindergarteners TAG For Reading Success!
Funded Apr 14, 2013First of all... the list of donors on this project absolutely astounding! I cannot believe how much support we have received this year as a classroom. It is truly amazing that we have been able to have all that we do, and our students are seeing so much positive change because of the materials we've received!
My students love the new TAG cases and books we received! You have no idea how engaging these materials are until you view them from the eyes of a child. Sponge Bob? Cars 2? Toy Story 3? Yes, PLEASE! The kids are absolutely in love with the books and cases, and they think it is fabulous to finish their work early and read with them. During reader's workshop, the kids are sharing books with one another, fully engaged in tasks, and spending time listening to a story with a real book in their hands. Sure, some of the kids are not at the highest reading levels, and some are not reading much more than sight words... but with these materials, independent reading level doesn't hold a child back from engaging with a quality story.
I am so glad that, because of donors like you, my students are getting to experience a love of reading. My district's budget doesn't allow for these luxuries without DonorsChoose.org's assistance, and the fact that my students are able to have such valuable items for their growth means the world to them... and me! Just know that when we make the thank you notes and take the pictures, my kids know exactly what they're thankful for and are so appreciative and happy that donors care enough about them to give them these resources.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
Bouncy Kindergarteners Need Bouncy Ball Chairs!
Funded Jan 26, 2013You truly have no idea how much these stability ball chairs have helped my students! I waited to post this thank you note, because I wanted to give you an accurate description of how much you've impacted our class. I can honestly say that this is one of the most important resources I've ever had funded for the classroom.
Over the course of the last two months, I have watched some of my most wiggly, sensory children become better readers and writers with these resources. A student who used to fall off of his chair daily because of those wiggles, is now sitting nicely and writing full stories with your help! Children who previously talked throughout lessons are now channeling their energy into the bouncy ball chairs... and focusing on their class work!
Thanks to your generous donations, I now have students who are writing full-fledged stories, reading quietly (while bouncing!), and most importantly, are happy to work at their desks. I so appreciate these resources and the impact they've made on my kindergarteners! We all thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
This classroom project was brought to life by ProduceForKids and Stop&Shop and 11 other donors.Help Our Kindergarteners TAG For Reading Success!
Funded Oct 25, 2012First of all, I have to say what a huge impact this project has made on my classroom! Children who previously weren't interested in reading are now begging to use the TAG Readers! The kids are engaged in meaningful reading activities while hearing stories that many of them need to be exposed to. Most students lack the reading skills at this early stage to be able to read these classic books independently. Due to the funding we received from donors like you, we now have an alternative way to access this reading material. Thank you for that!
My students truly appreciate the TAG Readers, and I have plans to add more into the classroom, as well as more TAG books. I have to thank you for putting the resources into something so valuable for my class... they absolutely deserve it, and are getting so many great reading skills that they would not have been able to access without your assistance!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
Kindergarten Kids Need Cool Tools for Math and Literacy!
Funded Oct 28, 2012Thank you so much for the math and literacy tools you've helped bring into the classroom! I cannot fully express how exciting they are, especially since the kids absolutely love them. They look forward to using these tools in centers, and sometimes even ask to use them during recess!
Math is a hard subject sometimes, because it has to be hands-on in order for students to understand it. Without enough tools for each child to use, it is very hard to teach certain skills. Thanks to your help, I no longer have to worry about this, and my students are really beginning to use these tools to help them figure out addition and subtraction!
Our sight word string-ups and Hot Dots sets really give students the opportunity to build words and practice phonics sounds. The Hot Dots are a major hit, because each time you get the correct answer, the pen exclaims about how awesome the kids are! They absolutely love it, and the immediate feedback allows them to search for the right answer if they don't get it the first time. Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to have tools in our classroom that most are not fortunate enough to have. We certainly know the value of your donations, and my students are, as always, very grateful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
Kindergarten Readers Need a Reading Retreat!
Funded Jun 29, 2012I would like to thank you again for the huge difference you've made in my classroom by providing us with much needed bookshelves! I can't begin to tell you what a difference you've made.
When we received the bookshelves, I spent a lot of time going through our classroom library and sorting our books - something that was really a hard task before! I leveled some of the books, and sorted the rest into interest categories (books about dogs, books about cats, books about families...). I spent a lot of time labeling these books so the students would be able to locate books on their independent reading levels, as well as books they are interested in.
You would not believe the difference these bookshelves have made in my students and their independent reading! For the first time, I see my students choosing books based on interests. I am seeing students who now know how to use a library system and who are consciously choosing books, rather than just grabbing something to read. They love the library system that you've allowed me to put in place, and my students and I both recognize that these bookshelves were a much needed gift.
I know we would not have been able to implement such a structured reading program without you. I also know that my students know that there are people out there who cared enough to give them the gift of reading - and that really does make a difference in how they feel about themselves and the importance of their reading!
Thank you for making such a huge impact in my classroom for a group of kids who really appreciate what you've done!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
Wonderful Workstations Needed For Wonderful Kindergarteners!
Funded Nov 4, 2011First of all, I would like to say how much I appreciate all of the supplies that you donated to our classroom! Without your help, my students would not be participating in such fun, engaging activities. They enjoy each activity so much that most students even choose them during recess! So far we've used the ABC balls and mats to have fun games of "musical mats" for students to identify letters. We have used the phonemic awareness and alphabet awareness boxes to help during reader's workshop, and we have used the rhyming word houses and word family pocket chart to help students build words and recognize rhymes. As a result of all of these items, which we have been actively using for the last month and a half, I can say that I see a huge difference in my students' progress!
My students deserve fun. They deserve brand new items and the latest materials to help them learn. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for supplying these resources, and for helping my students on their journey to becoming great readers and writers!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari
This classroom project was brought to life by People's United Community Foundation and 11 other donors.Listening and Speaking Learning Station!
Funded Apr 8, 2011I want to express how thankful I am for all of your donations. You gave my students the incredible gift of improving their oral language in such a fun an exciting way! They are truly grateful for the gift of learning, and look forward to using the Language Tutor and learning new words. You have even helped some of my students exit speech therapy, something I know would not have been possible without that daily, independent practice with the Language Tutor. I am eternally grateful for this.
My school's speech therapist has been wishing for a tool such as this for quite some time. We are in the process of working out a schedule for her students to use the Language Tutor as well. I hope that you all realize this means that not just my students, but many deserving children outside of my classroom will be using this gift. You have truly touched the lives of our students and enriched their education.
My scholars have mastered all 55 of their Kindergarten sight words thanks to you! My students with limited English language skills are now speaking in full sentences, and are able to explain their thinking. This is in no small part due to their vocabulary acquisition from this tool. They are all (every last student!) writing stories which have a clear beginning, middle and end. My students are now able to identify rhyming words, something that was previously a very hard skill for my ESL students. You have made it possible for me to send my class to first grade knowing that they have had the very best I could possibly give them.
Thank you so much for helping us reach the top! We appreciate it more than you'll ever know! ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Inzitari