Mrs. Lux's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 28

• Technology to Motivate Readers

  Funded Mar 13, 2012

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students are extremely disappointed they will be unable to use the tablets and MP3 players this school year due to technical difficulties with our school network. I look forward to sharing the this technology with my students for years to come.

  When I first showed the new technology to my students, they became very excited knowing these would be tools that would keep them from having to tote heavy books around in their backpacks every day. Instead of requiring students to open up the textbooks or go to the computer lab for research, they could easily access the Internet and databases on the tablets. Even my reluctant readers wanted to give it a go, knowing they would be able to listen to books or music as they read. I anticipate my future students will be just as excited.

  I regret that we were unable to get the WiFi router up and working for use this semester, keeping us from being able to use these resources, but I know they will be used well in the coming years.

  Thank you so much for your help in getting these tools into my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

• eReaders are eLearners

  Funded Dec 6, 2011

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students are extremely disappointed they will be unable to use the eReaders this school year due to technical difficulties with our school network. I look forward to sharing the eReaders with my students for years to come.

  When I first showed the eReaders to my students, they became very excited knowing these would be tools that would keep them from having to tote heavy books around in their backpacks every day. Instead of requiring students to open up the textbooks or go to the library for a book, they could easily access library books, free books, and any other book I purchased on the eReader. Even my reluctant readers wanted to give it a go. I anticipate my future students will be just as excited.

  I regret that we were unable to get the eReaders up and working for use this semester, but I know they will be used well in the coming years.

  Thank you so much for your help in getting these tools into my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

• The Big Picture: Children's Books Teach High School Literacy

  Funded Jun 14, 2011

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students recently completed various activities using the numerous children's books we were able to purchase with your generous donations.

  When I first brought out the books to help them review parts of speech, I must admit my students met the assignment with some reluctance as the books are definitely geared more towards younger children. However, the humorous rhymes and pictures quickly won them over, and the students now have little trouble identifying the difference between prepositions and conjunctions.

  My students also thoroughly enjoyed creating stories to accompany the picture books we purchased. They quickly identified the conflicts and characters and pieced together events to match.

  Once again, thank you so much for making the purchase of these materials possible. My students and I thank you all!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 5 other donors.

• Projects in Color: HP Printer to the Rescue!

  Funded Feb 17, 2011

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students are in the process of finishing their analysis essays and soon will be able to print their essays here at school using the printer we were able to buy with your generous donations.

  Over the course of this past school year many of my students have approached me concerned that they would be unable to print their essays (a requirement in my class for final drafts). Either their printers were on the fritz or out of ink; or they didn't have a printer at all and another student had gone to the library already that day in their homeroom classes, so they weren't allowed to go. Whatever the reason, having a printer in class has made completing these assignments much easier for my students.

  In addition to printing essays, some of my students have been able to print pictures for projects in my class or for other classes. And now they are in color! Before, when I printed for them, I would send their files down to our community copier, and that would print in black and white; trust me when I say that isn't a grade saver for a project.

  On a number of occasions I have needed to make an additional copy of an assignment for a student who has lost his original, and being able to quickly copy in the classroom has saved me from calling on another teacher who has planning. We've also been able to scan graphs and pictures from magazines to help teach our students analytical skills from current events. The uses for this new technology in my classroom has been endless!

  I could go on and on about how wonderful it is for us to have this new addition to the classroom, but I must come back to the fact that we would not have had these opportunities if it weren't for your generous contributions to our project. Thank you so much, again, for helping us put this printer/copier/scanner into my classroom.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

  This classroom project was brought to life by HP and one other donor.

• Honors Students Love to Read Challenging Young Adult Novels

  Funded Dec 23, 2010

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students are in the process of finishing their analysis essays on the challenging novels you helped me to purchase.

  When I first introduced them to the project, we passed the books, giving each student the opportunity to choose the book he or she wanted. Some books, such as Maze Runer and Ever More, were very popular; however, every student was able to read one of his or her top three choices, and no one complained about the books. I can't remember the last time I didn't hear a complaint about having to read an "assigned" book.

  Because they wanted to read the books, their focus on the assignments tripled. Each student was required to complete a reaction log as she read her book. After reading their logs, I cannot put into the words my excitement over their enthusiasm with reading these books; the students were connecting to the characters and places and events; they were locating examples of figurative language and other literary devices as used in contemporary literature. Many days they asked me if they could read their novels in class more often. In addition to the reading log, each student was required to complete a creative project showing some aspect of the book; some focused on what characters looked like, some focused on where the story took place, and some focused on the various personalities. All the projects were amazing.

  And as I mentioned at the beginning of my letter, my students are currently completing essays in class. I have never seen a class so focused on such difficult essay prompts as they are writing about these books. They understood what they read, not because it was an easy read, but because it was something to which they could relate. I am seeing my students go above and beyond my expectations in an attempt to communicate their analysis of their books.

  I could go on and on about how wonderful these students are and continue to describe all the great learning opportunities my students had, but I must come back to the fact that we would not have had these opportunities if it weren't for your generous contributions to our project. Thank you so much, again, for helping us put books into the hands of these students.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

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

• Creating "Expert" Readers

  Funded Dec 15, 2010

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the continuing success of this project. My students recently refreshed their reading skills by playing another round of Seventh Expert using the books and materials we were able to purchase with your generous donations.

  I remember when we first used The Seventh Expert last semester--we only had 10 books, which meant we had to share them, personal calculators (about 3), and one die we were able to use through the Promethean board. Completing the tasks were difficult as students would often need to be on different pages. We now have enough books, calculators, and die for each student. No more stepping on each others' toes trying to get their assignments finished! Thank you!

  These students, with the assistance of these books, were able to remind themselves of the various ways they could use headings and subheadings, the importance of noting different fonts, how to use an appendix properly. They also challenged themselves to improve their score over last semester's scores, meaning they had to read a little closer and find new combinations to help them achieve their goals.

  I could go on and on about how wonderful this assignment was and all the great learning opportunities my students had, but I must come back to the fact that we would not have had these opportunities if it weren't for your generous contributions to our project. Thank you so much, again, for helping us put books into the hands of these students. ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.

• You Wouldn't Want to Be a Reader Without a Book...

  Funded Dec 16, 2010

  I wanted to take another opportunity to thank you for contributing to the success of this project. My students recently finished their research projects using the You Wouldn't to Be books you helped me to purchase.

  When I first introduced them to the project, we passed the books, giving each student the opportunity to choose the book he or she wanted. Some books, such as You Wouldn't Want to Be a Chicago Gangster or a Roman Gladiator, were very popular; however, every student was able to read one of his or her top three choices, and no one complained about the books. I can't remember the last time I didn't hear a complaint about having to read an "assigned" book.

  Because they wanted to read the books, their focus on the research assignments tripled. I cannot put into the words my excitement over their enthusiasm with reading these books. Many days they didn't want to put the books down to focus on taking notes. (And some did read the book front to back the first day and had to go back to complete the different assignments. I can't complain about that, though. They were reading!) The students learned how to create research questions from the title of their books; learned how to use Cornell Note Taking Process, which helped them organize their notes later to help them write their papers; pick appropriate facts to help them answer their research questions; organize their information into an essay; and read and revise other students' papers to help them learn about organization and fluency in their writing. Because they only needed the one book, we did not have to worry about juggling multiple sources, confusing ourselves with information that might seem contradictory, or muddling through texts written way above their reading levels. Even the students with the lowest reading abilities were able to use these books to gather information.

  I was also able to focus on teaching my students how to use different text features and structures with these books. Each book looked the same but presented different information. I completed each assignment with the students, modeling how to go about each task with a book they had not chosen. This allowed those visual learners to see what they were supposed to do before they completed the work.

  I could go on and on about how wonderful this assignment was and all the great learning opportunities my students had, but I must come back to the fact that we would not have had these opportunities if it weren't for your generous contributions to our project. Thank you so much, again, for helping us put books into the hands of these students.

  ”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux

  This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 9 other donors.

• Making My Journey Matter

  Funded Mar 31, 2008

  I want to take this opportunity to thank you so much for helping make this unit possible for my young ladies. Through this reading program they have become more excited about reading, learning, and just being successful! By exploring various journeys in life, these young ladies will soon find how they can move along life's paths and face the different challenges placed in front of them. I am excited to share this opportunity with them and cannot wait to share this opportunity with other struggling students down the road. Once again, thank you so much for your contribution to this journey”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Lux