Past projects 4
Help Our English Language Learners Get Books They'll Love!
Funded Oct 24, 2014One of my goals as a teacher this year was to help all of my students see themselves as readers, and to make reading a vibrant, happy and exciting activity in my classroom. When I met my students at the beginning of the year, I felt dismayed that I had very few books that were at their appropriate reading levels. It felt nearly impossible to create the reading community that I had envisioned without adequate resources. You can't expect kids to get excited about reading when there are no accessible books for them. Luckily, because of your generosity and the success of this project, I was quickly able to tell the students that better reading material was on its way!
When the box arrived, the students were so excited as they pawed through all the new books. I heard many students announcing "this book is mine!" or that they "called dibs on reading that book next!" Now, during independent reading in class, students who once sat idly, pretending to read, are completely immersed in scary stories or non-fiction stories about animals. These same students now get reminders that they must stop reading, so that we can move on to the next activity. In addition, our Scholastic Magazines have enabled students who often struggled to complete reading homework assignments to engage with interesting articles and get full homework points.
After recently reassessing my students' reading levels, I was overjoyed to see that nearly all of my struggling readers progressed at least 1 or 2 reading levels. My students were extremely proud, and many attributed their success to all of the independent reading that they had been doing in school and at home. This would not have been possible without your generous donation to our library. Thank you so much for making our library more rich and accessible for my students. We really appreciate your gift and the impact that it is making on reading in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cancila
Let's Keep these Young Men Reading!
Funded Nov 25, 2014It's very difficult to get 8th grade boys excited about anything school related, but the day I presented the book club with all our new books was completely different. The boys opened all the books, happily labeled them, and had friendly arguments about which book we'd be reading next. They couldn't believe that people who were strangers to them cared about their reading, and bought books that they would enjoy.
We're in the middle of reading The Crossover, one of the books donated in this project, and the boys really love it! We spent our last meeting reading aloud our favorite mini-chapter (the book is written in verse), and explaining what we liked about it. For one of the first times in their reading lives, I heard the boys speaking genuinely about characters and ideas. One student remarked, "I read every chapter a few times, so that I really understand it." Many of the students are thinking metacognitively about reading, and figuring out which reading habits work best for them. The boys also are pushing each other to read more each week. I regularly hear them saying, "No, let's read to page 150!" "We can do more than that! Let's read to 164." This is the first time that many have viewed reading as an activity for pleasure and entertainment.
Facilitating the Boys' Book Club brings me so much joy. I appreciate maintaining a relationship with my former students, and I also enjoy reading with them when there are no grades or academic expectations attached. My students are also really enjoying this experience, and check-in with me multiple times per week to make sure we're meeting and to report on which page they're on. Thank you for supporting our little club, and for being an advocate for reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cancila
ESL Classroom Listening Station
Funded Mar 24, 2014After many frustrating months of using barely functional headsets, our students were ecstatic to receive these new, high-quality, and very comfortable headphone and microphone sets. "Miss, I can hear so much better!" and "Finally! The computer can hear me talking!" echoed throughout the room during our first time using them. The headphones are nice quality and easy to use. The students are now constantly asking to use the computer programs that use the headphones, which previously had been frustrating for them or only partially engaging. Now students eagerly participate with the interactive software programs.
With the large class sizes and varying needs, the best way to support students is to meet them where they are. We do this by providing small group instruction whenever possible, and by using station teaching so that students are constantly engaged in learning even when they're not working directly with a teacher. These headsets allow our students to work on their speaking and listening skills, while developing their confidence and pronunciation skills. This much-needed practice is often lost in favor of reading and writing instruction, however, with the use of this high-tech tool, students are able to make serious gains in their English language development in all areas.
With this project, students are now gaining a valuable time and place to practice their English speaking. They're gaining the confidence to speak in more natural settings such as with English speaking classmates and teachers. Teachers are also able to make more progress by providing highly engaging and rigorous independent lessons for students to work on while they are not meeting directly with a teacher. This allows the teacher to be more successful in her small group instruction, as well as more efficient and effective in managing the learning opportunities for students working independently. These headsets are hugely supportive to both the students using them and the teacher. We thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cancila
This classroom project was brought to life by 100 Women in Hedge Funds and 7 other donors.Getting our Binders Organized!
Funded Oct 30, 2013Thank you for your generosity in supplying my students with these much needed and appreciated binder organization supplies!
I have never seen middle school students so thrilled about office supplies. The week I found out our grant was funded, the students could not stop talking about how "Âprofessional"Â they were going to be, and how they couldn't wait to take their newly organized binders home to show their parents, or perhaps even to Âa "job interview someday!"Â I also shared many of your personal messages of encouragement with them. The students could not get over the fact that people around the country believed in them, invested in them, and cared about their futures. They were so inspired, and many said that they hoped that they could donate to classes like ours in the future.
Once the supplies arrived, the students were thrilled to get organized. Many of the photos I have included are of them during the big binder clean-out. We talked about why being disorganized is upsetting, and many shared experiences of frustration, confusion and lost opportunities over missing forms or schoolwork. We have also discussed the importance of being organized, and the students are totally committed to keeping on track. They will often stop and ask mid-lesson, "ÂNow, which section of our binder should this go into?" I see the students getting to work more quickly because they can find the materials that they need. When I ask students what a word means, I watch as many turn to the vocabulary sections of their binders in search of a reminder. For the first time ever, I'Âm watching students use notes they've taken (conveniently located in the resources section of their binder) to help them with their writing. Lastly, I see a newfound level of autonomy and independence in my students, as they know exactly where to go in their binders or the classroom to find the resources they need to stay on track. One student has even appointed himself the three-hole puncher trainer, teaching the other students to remove the safety latch and push the papers all the way into the mechanism to ensure the best hole punch.
As a teacher, I'm delighted to see my students'Â increased motivation and dedication to staying organized. The students are able to use the resources they have more wisely, and they now see the distinct benefits of organization in terms of their schoolwork and their own personal comfort. The expectation of organization has also prompted me to be a stronger teacher, in that I need to anticipate and direct my students to hold on to important pieces of work, notes, and assignments. As a result, my teaching and instruction have become more purposeful, and so has my students'Â work.
I sincerely thank you for supporting my students in their learning and my work as a teacher.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cancila