Past projects 39
A Letter to My Parent!:I'll Never Say "Nothing" Again!
Funded Sep 6, 2013Thank you so much for your donation! My students love it! First of all, it is their very own journal. They also have a special pencil that they use to write in it. Can it get any better than that? Yes it can, because not only do they use it to write their parents, but their parents write back!
At the end of each week, my students write to their parents, or an adult in their household. They write about events that have happened at school during the week. They share whatever their hearts desire. Whether it's about a friend, something cool we learned, a project, Skyping with their pen pals in Spain, or the trip to watch their college pen pals play. They take it home, and during the weekend, an adult responds. I had one student whose Aunt Mimi was in the hospital for a couple of weeks, she would take her journal to the hospital and let Aunt Mimi respond. I thought that was amazing! It is also amazing to see the responses from the parents. Regardless if it's one sentence or one or two paragraphs, it's creating a home-school connection which is extremely important!
This project boosts my students' writing ability. They have learned to stop saying , "What should I write about?" If someone is stuck, they brainstorm ideas, which allows them to review what we have done or learned during the week. Also, this process provides an authentic audience. Research has shown that students' writing is better when they know someone, besides the teacher,is going to read it.
I know my students enjoy this because if I forget, they quickly remind me before the day is over! "Mrs.Mims, we didn't write in our journals yet!"
Thank you again for your generous donation!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Global Read Aloud 2013: Reading with the World!
Funded Aug 12, 2013I wanted to wait until we had finished the book you sent us before I wrote my impact letter. Let me just say that my students would beg me to continue onto the next chapter in this story. At the end of the book,they applauded. Some students clutched the book to their chest.
This story allowed my class to participate in the Global Read Aloud project. They participated in discussions with students across the country via Edmodo. They answered questions that made them think. They blogged about events that happened in the story. They tweeted their reactions to the world as we read. This week, they will participate in a Whiz Kid competition about "Out of My Mind",via Skype, with a class in another state. I know they will enjoy this!
And most of all, they fell in love with a story. They loved and hated the characters. They learned new vocabulary and came to understand how an author can "paint' a story.
I read the story aloud, but because of your generosity, they were able to follow along with their own copies. They were also "guest readers", made easier by your donations.
Thank you so much for providing my students with these books. I have given them the option of donating their book to the class, but I don't think they are going to give this one up!:)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Book Bowl! An Online Reading Competition!
Funded Mar 5, 2013Thank you so much for giving our class the opportunity to enrich our lives through reading. The excitement when the books arrived was wonderful! The kids were arguing over which book they would read first. Imagine that!
The last month has been a whirlwind of reading the books you have provided. Some finished in a week, some a few weeks. But the main point is that they are reading. And not only are they reading, but they are discussing the books as well. They discuss them with me, with their peers, and within the online group, made up of classes across the country.
The students are creating questions that we will use in our Book Bowl,scheduled for May 15, 2013.
"Reading is the only way to become a better reader." I repeat this to my students every single day.
I thank you all for giving them the opportunity to do just that, read!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Ravenous Readers!
Funded Nov 4, 2011Thank you so much for your donation! Your donation allowed our class the opportunity to enjoy the book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret"! They couldn't wait to get the books. Once we received them, they couldn't wait to read them!
We used the books for Read Aloud, which is a part of the day when I read aloud to the students. Don't let anyone try to convince you that older students don't like to be read to!:)
The great part about your donation is that it allowed the students to follow along as I read. "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". This is a book that is written in graphics and text. Placing this book on a document camera would not have had the same effect as having a book of their own.
The students who couldn't wait, took their books home and read ahead of me. Some of them shared the story with family and friends. What a way to develop a love of reading!
And last of all, the story led to spirited, deep-thinking discussions, that all my students contributed to!
We're looking forward to watching the movie so that we can compare them!
Thanks again for bringing the joy of reading to our classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Want to Learn? Act it Out!
Funded Oct 3, 2011Thank you so much for your donation! Your donation has made such a difference in my classroom. My students are able to write their own plays and act them out. It is amazing to watch them work! The lessons, that something as simple as a camcorder, has helped create are wonderful!.
Here is an excellent example of what your donation has done for our class. I taught Author's Perspective, an author's opinion. The lesson was introduced, reviewed, and tested, and then... here's where the camcorder comes in! The students were given a situation,(i.e. Do the right thing) and they had to write a play that demonstrated that perspective. Amazing! The writing, the casting(Yes, they took this seriously), the props, the rehearsing, everything had to be just right! Then putting it all together and filming the play! Talk about higher order level thinking! Talk about allowing kids to go beyond worksheets! You have given my students that opportunity!
I just have to say that we have done so much more with the camcorder, filmed Skype sessions, students at work to share with their parents, student-created tutorials, the list is endless, and we owe it all to you.
We truly appreciate your generosity, thank you, thank you, thank you! :)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
"Global Read Aloud" Project! Sharing a Book Around the World
Funded Jul 30, 2011How has this donation of "Tuck Everlasting" impacted my classroom? In so many ways! My students are excited about reading! They read a chapter book, a book with a lot of pages! Wow! We were able to not only enjoy a wonderfully told story, but we were also able to interact with thousands of students all over the world who were reading the same story. (The Global Read Aloud project)
We had in-depth discussions in our classroom, and over the Internet through online platforms. We also enjoyed a literature circle with a class in Mississippi, using Skype, another wonderful experience which was made possible by your donation. My students shared their thoughts about the book using tech tools, artwork, and writing. They shared the story with their parents, some of who remembered reading it themselves as a child.
You gave my students the gift of the joy of reading! They would be disappointed when I couldn't read aloud, and many of them took their books home, and read the book on their own, difficult words and all.:)
I think their favorite part was knowing that the books belonged to them. All they had to share was their thoughts and ideas about the story, and the book was theirs to keep. Those books traveled back and forth from home to school, school to home, every day. They are worn now, but they were read!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Students Skyping! A Global Education!
Funded May 8, 2011Thank you so much for your donation, you have opened a door for my students that I hope will impact their lives! My kids are part of the Global Read Aloud project and have Skyped with schools in other states about the book we are all reading, "Tuck Everlasting." It was very exciting for my students to share their projects, thoughts, and ideas about this story with students outside of their classroom, neighborhood,and state.
We have also participated in the "Mystery State" project, where students from another state give clues about their state through Skype, and my class does research to find out what state it is. Then we reconnect to see if we guessed correctly.
Our pen pals are from Australia, and once we work out the time zone issues, we are going to figure out a way to Skype!
Soon, in connection, with a story we read, we will Skype with a former major league baseball player! Wow! You have definitely given us the chance to knock down classroom walls, and given my students a chance to have a real audience react to them. They have learned that learning doesn't just happen in our classroom, it happens anywhere!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Project and Click!
Funded Jan 23, 2011Thank you so much for your generous contributions to our class. We really appreciate the fact that you took the time to donate to our project. My class uses technology in every subject throughout the day and we are enjoying the versatility the wireless mice offer. The main reason I wanted the wireless mice is so that I could use Mouse Mischief , a free software program offered by Microsoft. It allows my students the chance to respond individually to questions. It's like having a clicker, but it's a lot less expensive! My students enjoy it, even though I haven't worked out all the kinks in using it. They have wonderful lessons for every subject, and I have taken advantage of that, and I am using the lessons as another way to engage my class. Thank you again for your donations! It's people like you who make it easier for teachers like myself, I applaud you!:)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson
Needed:"Mouse House" and Ears" -- Mousepads and Headphones
Funded May 21, 2010Thank you so much for your donations! I integrate technology into my lessons as often as I can and I assign work to each student based on where they are in the class. When we are using the laptops, no longer do we have to say, "Turn down your sound, I can't hear!"
Each student is able to work on his or her individual assignment, completely focused on what is before them, because they can no longer hear the distractions around them. When my students are on the laptops with the headphones, you can hear a pin drop, they are that engaged!
We are in the middle of state testing, DCAS, and although the students don't have the test read to them, the librarian suggested that they wear the headphones to block out any unwanted distractions. A lot of the students used this idea, and it did help them focus.
The mousepad makes it a lot easier for the students to guide the mouse, whether playing a "game" or clicking an answer. The mouse pad is so much smoother than a desk. :)
I am now able to integrate many more of the activities I had always wanted to use, but couldn't. I am excited about teaching, and the students are excited about learning!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hudson