Past projects 4
Reading in Spanish is FUNdamental! (Part 2)
Funded Sep 24, 2023Thank you so much for supporting my classroom library. I'm thrilled to say that my students are enjoying the benefits you're providing every day. Currently, we're reading La Clase de Confesiones in Spanish 2. The last few weeks before winter break are generally a pretty tough time to engage high school students, but I'm happy to report that La Clase de Confesiones has breathed new life into my classes. We're only on the second chapter, but we've been having a lot of fun with this story of a boy whose favorite class is Spanish, but only because Jessica, el amor de su vida, is in the class.
In Spanish 1, we've been enjoying Soy Carlos. This story is told with stick figures and a lot of the fundamental information students are learning in Spanish 1 (greetings, age, describing yourself, hobbies and interests, likes and dislikes, etc.). My students are getting ready to do a mini-biography project that capitalizes on all of these things that they're learning, and each day they're making connections with the way they'll be talking about themselves in their presentations through Soy Carlos.
One of my favorite parts of this experience so far has been the storyboards students have created to show what they're understanding from each book. The artists in my classes have been having a lot of fun with this assignment!
All of this engagement with books would never have been possible without the generosity of donors like you. I can't tell you how much we appreciate having the opportunity to learn from these entertaining texts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. James
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.Reading (in Spanish) Is Fundamental
Funded Sep 21, 2022Thank you so much for supporting my project. It was so much fun to get my students excited about reading in Spanish with this hilarious book about a boy named Brandon who desperately wants a dog.
Thanks to Brandon Brown's adventures, we were able to not only build basic reading skills in Spanish, but also to discuss topics such as what age children are able to take on big responsibilities, the roles of parents and children, and just how far any of my students would go to make a dream come true.
Each day the class opened their books and followed along as they listened to the story. I paused often to check for understanding. Some of my students found Brandon's behaviors a bit odd. For example, smuggling a dog it into his bedroom, then never taking it out to use the bathroom, resulting in problems that Brandon had to keep from his mom by claiming he was the perpetrator. Needless to say, we had a lot of laughs at Brandon's expense and learned a lot of Spanish along the way.”
With gratitude,
Ms. James
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.If We Build It, They Will Read!
Funded Aug 9, 2022I can't tell you how excited I was to open my first box of books for my class library. SO many titles that I knew my students would love were finally here! But part of then the second box went missing. Just when I was really starting to think I'd never see the rest of the books, a student knocked at my door. "Ms. James, I was at the gas station and they had a package for you."
I guess we'll never know how that happened, but I'm so grateful to this student for being kind enough to bring me this precious cargo! Currently, I'm working on setting up a shelving system and stickers to indicate reading levels, so students will know right away which books are right for them.
Once we read our first novel together as a class, my students will be able to choose a book of their own from the class library during free voluntary reading at the beginning of class each week. So excited for my Spanish readers to enjoy all of these stories!”
With gratitude,
Ms. James
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill Gates and 6 other donors.Acquiring Spanish with Capibaras
Funded Aug 7, 2022I can't tell you how thrilled I was to receive my class set of "El Capibara con Botas"! Reading this novel together, will be a great way to get my students ready for reading on their own in Spanish later in the year. Research shows that one of the best ways to acquire a new language is through reading.
Currently, my students are easing into Spanish with introductory texts, then later this semester we'll read "El Capibara" together. Before we dive into the book, we'll learn about Ecuador and its rich culture and of course, capibaras. As we read, we'll be pausing to act out key scenes from the book (using the box of props I'm slowly starting to accumulate), retelling the story in our own words (yes, in Spanish!), and having class discussions about topics from the novel.
Are my students excited? Yes! Are they a little nervous about reading a whole book in Spanish? Yes! But we'll be together every step of the way, and I know we're going to have a blast with this book and learn so much. I can't wait to watch their confidence as readers grow. All thanks to your generous donations!”
With gratitude,
Ms. James