Past projects 13
Book Sisters/Brothers Book Club
Funded Nov 29, 2022Thank you so much for the books you provided for us to use in Book Club. I have been pulling students during their lunch time. They each read independently and then we talk about the books while we are eating lunch. I have a list of questions I use to help students think critically about the characters and the plot of the books. Giving students an opportunity to think and then form ideas and opinions they can verbalize is a life skill and Book Club is giving them an opportunity to do that.
We usually have 8-10 students in a group. So far, I have asked students who are not my lowest and not my highest, but are middle-of-the road students who just need to a little push to take them to the next level. I am hoping these Book Clubs will be the push they need to embrace reading and teach them the skills of communicating ideas.
Students are really enjoying the book clubs. They feel special because they are part of a group that gets to leave the cafeteria and go to a special place to have real conversation. Then, when I tell them they get to keep the book, they go crazy!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and one other donor.Read . . . Think . . . Write
Funded Dec 22, 2020Thank you so much for contributing to my grant! Many teachers have been using them in their classrooms as mentor texts to teach strategies for reading AND writing such as determining importance, asking questions, inferring, using text features, and I could go on. Then, students are able to choose the book to read independently after they are used as a mentor text, and they ALWAYS get chosen!
One of my favorite lessons was when we used Patricia Polacco's Mrs. Katz and Tush with 4th graders to help students work through the process of finding evidence to prove their inference. They absolutely loved the book and were able to grasp the concept pretty quickly.
Without your generosity, we wouldn't have these resources and they have been so beneficial!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
Using Literacy to Teach Life Lessons
Funded Nov 26, 2019Thank you so much for the books you donated to our school! We have been able to use them on several different grade levels. It is always nice when we can integrate life lessons with reading and writing strategies. For example, Dare!, Tough!, and Weird! by Erin Frankel are all three the same story about bullying, but they are each told from the perspective of a different character. We integrated this bullying lesson with an ELA lesson about perspective. Love it! Each of these books are being (and will continue to be) used in this way for different reasons on different grade levels. (and some with more than one grade level!)
I appreciate your generosity so much! Many of our students are not taught life lessons at home. Having the resources to do teach them at school really helps!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
Wordless Books Work!
Funded Dec 16, 2018I really wish I could have uploaded some video of students responding to these Wordless Books. I took several videos, and you would love them! It has been so fun to watch students respond to them. I would start out with, "We are going to READ a book with no words. Wait . . . can we read a book with no words??" It was funny to see their response - especially among the younger students. They thought that was the craziest idea ever!
It amazed me how much students (in every grade) were able to infer by looking at the pictures. They noticed things I hadn't noticed and we had some really great group discussions. They were able to find evidence to support their thinking and in some classes we took it a step further and students wrote their thinking in complete sentences before they shared with the group. In one class, the teacher was going to have them create their own wordless book.
Finally, It was amazing to hear the vocabulary that came from our discussions. I wasn't expecting that they would come up with words that we could discuss and add to our word wall. After this, I am truly a believer in the power of a wordless book! THANK YOU so much for your contribution! It has made a difference, and I appreciate it more than you know!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.Readers Become Thinkers!
Funded Feb 16, 2018We have LOVED using the books you funded in our 4K and 5K classrooms. I wish you could observe the excitement that is shown by these sweet babies when they pull out a "familiar" book. It has been so fun for me to watch them begin to understand character development and connect these series books to one another and to their own lives and the world around them. Although I know that reading builds vocabulary, I had never thought about series books being particularly instrumental in that development, and it has shown to be a fantastic way to build vocabulary.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! Your gift is making an impact and I want you to know that it is truly appreciated more than I can write in a few words!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
Readers Become Thinkers
Funded Nov 16, 2016Thank you so much for donating funds to my Donor's Choose Grant so that we could acquire books that students enjoy reading and are on a level that meets their needs! I wish you could have seen their faces when I opened the box! They were elated!!! Not all of my students are able to read words yet, but several were able to tell me what was happening in the story by reading the picture. Then, I point to the words and they are beginning to make connections between the words and the pictures. So exciting! Even at a young age, they are experiencing the joy of reading! Once again, I appreciate your generosity! You are investing in the next generation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
This classroom project was brought to life by Duke Energy and one other donor.Great Books for Everyone!
Funded Nov 29, 2016Thank you so much for donating funds to my Donor's Choose Grant so that we could acquire books that students enjoy reading and are on a level that meets their needs! I wish you could have seen their faces when I opened the box! They were elated!!! Not all of my students are able to read words yet, but several were able to tell me what was happening in the story by reading the picture. Then, I point to the words and they are beginning to make connections between the words and the pictures. So exciting! Even at a young age, they are experiencing the joy of reading! Once again, I appreciate your generosity! You are investing in the next generation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
This classroom project was brought to life by Duke Energy and one other donor.Words Their Way
Funded Oct 21, 2015Thank you so much or contributing to our Words Their Way program! Teachers are beginning use this word study program and it is fun to see how students are identifying the patterns they are learning in what they are reading and using them in their writing. This literacy program takes place over a two hour uninterrupted block of time. An extension teacher works in the room with the classroom teacher for an hour of that time. Therefore students are broken up into small ability based groups. This allows for both smaller guided reading groups (where fluency and comprehension are taught) and word study groups to be taught at various ability levels at one time.
Research has shown that this program increases reading levels and a child's ability to spell words correctly. I am looking forward to seeing these same results in our school as a result of Words Their Way. THANK YOU again for making a difference! We appreciate it more than you know!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
Hot Dots Are Hot Hot Hot!
Funded Apr 24, 2014I am so grateful for your contribution to my grant, Hot Dots are Hot Hot Hot!!! Students will not only benefit academically from Hot Dots pens and cards, but they will also enjoy the process! Using technology makes learning fun, and when students have the opportunity to learn in a different way, they stay engaged longer.
We will use these items for centers and independent work. I am pretty excited! Can't wait to see their faces when the box comes in the mail!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 4 other donors.Listening Builds Literacy!
Funded Feb 20, 2014My students were SOOOOO excited when the box of books on CD came in!!! We decided a Listening Party was just the way to celebrate! I brought them Sprite and Popcorn and we spent the last 30 minutes of our day listening to War With Grandpa. It was very fun! They are really enjoying the new books. They are used every day during Daily 5. Listening to Reading is such a great way for students to hear fluency. They become familiar with the meter and rhythm of fluent reading. This, in turn, helps them with their own fluency.
Thank you so much for your generosity! We appreciate it more than you know!!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolfe