Past projects 22
Can You Hear Me Now?
Funded Jan 19, 2016Thank you very much for your donation that went to fund listening materials for our class. We have started using all of it - the boom box, the headphones, and the whisper phones - on a weekly basis. For the first few times, we used the CD player to read along with books and complete graphic organizers to go along with our stories in small groups. We have also used the CD player without the headphones as a whole class to listen to parts of the novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The students have use the new headsets with our computers and have been listening to a variety of on-line books from Raz-Kids during our reading rotations.
I think, however, we have enjoyed the whisper phones the most. Students are definitely more excited to read when the phones are a choice, and are becoming more comfortable and confident in sharing their oral reading of stories. Everyone having a chance to hear themselves has allowed them to more clearly listen to the way they sound to others and, because of this, some students are slowing down and others are using expressions to be more dramatic and interesting. We have sets that allow students to hear not only hear themselves, but also others that allow for partner sharing. Having the choice to use the individual set or the "buddy" phones has increased the desire and excitement during free reading time. I think more students are also volunteering to read and to share in class over-all because they have grown more confident with their voices.
Coming up in the next few weeks before school is out, we will be doing more reading practice as we get ready for our end-of-year tests. I am so happy to be able to provide these materials for student use during our preparations. We will soon be listening to our last novel of the year together as a class. Keeping them excited about reading and engaged with the process through the last weeks of school is going to be so much better thanks to your gifts. I cannot thank you enough for providing us with such great resources!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Anderson
TIME for Nonfiction Reading
Funded Dec 28, 2015Thank you so very much for your donation that went to fund a subscription to Time Magazine for Kids for each student in our class. We have started receiving our magazines and have been using them in a variety of cool ways. For the first few issues, we read together all the way through each section to get a feel for the layout, to discuss the features of nonfiction texts and the authors' purposes for the different sections (both tested objectives for our grade level), and to just share our opinions about the information being presented. The students have really enjoyed that last part the best, and are becoming more comfortable and confident in sharing their connections to the stories. Everyone having their own copy to themselves has allowed us to mark on the text and practice highlighting key vocabulary, the main ideas, answers to a variety of questions, information to support opinions, etc. Since they do not have to share, and since the magazine is written at their reading levels and includes current events of interest to them, they have also been taking turns reading with the materials in small groups and with partners. Now that we are familiar with the format, students are also able to choose their magazines for free independent reading, as well. On a professional level, I have loved the fact that the issues go home at the end of the day so that students may reread them with family members and share what they have learned in homes that do not have current print resources like magazines or newspapers.
Time Magazine has not only helped us lean during the reading time block. Several of the articles have supported our science and social studies curriculum and have been used to enrich our learning about topics including habitats, the effects of pollution, natural cycles, branches of government, and the election. Coming up in the next few weeks before school is out, we will be doing a two week unit on economics. Each month, there has been a special insert focused on money issues for kids which I have been hoarding just for this difficult unit. I cannot wait for the students to now have current, new materials to help them learn important financial concepts in such an inviting way. It is unlike any other resource material we have and it is just another example of how this gift just keeps giving to our learning in a very authentic way. Thank you again for providing us with such great stories.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Anderson