Ms. Dorn's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 27

• Deaf Students Learn About Time & Money!

  Funded May 29, 2024

  My students had a great time playing these games to reinforce telling time and counting money during summer school. We set up a classroom economy in which students could earn coins for participation and kindness. They wouldn't have been proficient in counting their coins to make "purchases" had they not played these games. I was so proud to see them pool their money to earn class treats or extra recess, weighing their options, all while learning about money in the real world. One student requested that we continue to work on telling time next year during summer school because she didn't feel proficient enough yet, but she said, "I'm solid on money!"”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

• D/HH Engineers in the Making

  Funded Oct 28, 2023

  Thank you for the new building materials and games! They are a huge hit in our classroom. My students especially enjoy the Race the Clock Pop Game (it is often a preferred activity during free choice/reward time), Roller Coaster Challenger, and Snap Circuits (which are the top two most sought-after materials during building time. They are learning how to cooperate with classmates and nurture their problem-solving capabilities as they go through the engineering design process. We are so grateful for these gifts you've given to our class!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by United Airlines and one other donor.

• Boom! Pow! Graphic Novels for Deaf Students

  Funded Sep 20, 2023

  The impact of these graphic novels on my class has been even greater than expected. Most of my kids have found one series or another that they enjoy. Students from other classes have been coming in when they hear the rumor that we have "every single Dog Man book" and ask to borrow them.

  One student, who has low reading fluency, started on one end of the book shelf and read every single new book until he finished them all. I got to tell his parents at his parent-teacher conference that he won't stop reading... and they didn't believe me! Because of the support of the pictures, he is able to figure out words that he doesn't know, even if he has not mastered all the phonics patterns in a particular word, so he is able to read grade-level appropriate and engaging material, which he loves.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.

• Cozy Calm-Down Corner for Deaf Kids

  Funded Sep 20, 2023

  The materials you have purchased for our classroom have made a world of difference. The kids were so excited to unpack the bean bags from the boxes and fluff them up. We had to implement a rotation system for a couple weeks so everyone got a chance to use them. Now that the newness has worn off, they are still beloved, but students are using them more strategically - a place to work when they need a break from their desk partner, a sensory spot to calm down when upset. The seem super durable and there is supposedly some kind of magic bean in them that doesn't get squished down like the beanbags of the olden days - you just turn it over, fluff it up, and it's as fluffy as the day you got it. We're looking forward to many years of beanbag coziness.

  The Play Doh and magnetic building set have also been a hit, both during engineering time and for a calm-down/self-regulation tool when needed. We have a calm down corner that now includes a desk so students can build or mold Play Doh on to work out their feelings or just take a break until they are ready to come back to the group.

  Thank you for these tools to support us as I try to teach my kiddos how to self-manage!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.

• Deaf Students Need Some Wiggle Room!

  Funded Apr 23, 2023

  Thank you so much for donating to our project. The wobble stools have been so helpful for my students that need to move while learning. They are able to spend much more time engaged in class discussions and completing their work than they were able to before, when they were sitting in traditional classroom chairs.

  My students were super excited when we first received them. Some helped build them and then everyone wanted to try them out. Now that the initial excitement has worn off, specific students who need them the most are able to use them full-time in order to wiggle while they learn. Thank you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

• Make Math Fun for Deaf Students!

  Funded Apr 8, 2022

  Thank you so much for funding our math project! The games, counters, and playing cards have been fantastic for my students. The ocean animals, vehicles, and insect counters are much more motivating to solve problems (than pencil and paper) and are helpful with students who need tactile experiences to learn (e.g. when students need to count and move things around). They have even traveled with us to another campus for summer school were the DHH preschoolers got to use them to practice counting and sorting. The new games are very fun and are improving the students' number sense. The Check the Oven and Candy Shop games are requested favorites every week. In the first picture I sent you can see the student who is wearing a microphone and showing her card to the group is actually teaching the rest of the students how to play. This was amazing to see as this student is usually very quiet and is working on her spoken language skills! We also really appreciate the new playing cards. We use cards so much in math for different games and fluency practice and our old ones were getting pretty worn out and bent and were missing a few cards from their decks. Again, thank you so much for your donation. We appreciate you!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 2 other donors.

• Chromebooks for Students With Diverse Needs

  Funded Nov 10, 2021

  Thank you for donating to fund our Chromebooks. They work very well with the student's district-provided email accounts so that everything is at their fingertips. As soon as they log on, they are connected to their Schoology (where we post class assignments), email, Google Drive, and learning games without having to manage multiple logins (which can be tricky for my students with extra learning challenges).

  We have been using the laptops to practice typing skills, grow our reading fluency through targeted games, and expand our math knowledge. Students are able to bring their laptop to their mainstream classes, where their computer can read aloud grade-level text that they cannot access independently.

  In addition, two of my students have joined the school's robotics club and have been able to use the Chromebooks to learn coding skills. Thank you for making their learning more accessible by providing these Chromebooks. My students are becoming 21st century learners because of you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by #TeachHealthy with Nature Made and one other donor.

• Tech Tools for Distance Learning

  Funded Aug 31, 2020

  Thank you so much for your donation to our virtual classroom. I've attached some pictures to show how we've been using PearDeck and Pixton this semester. We use PearDeck almost every day. Students are able to show their math strategies (which is especially useful for my students with limited English), answer questions about science experiments, and draw observations. It has truly increased the participation in my lessons as well as buy-in and excitement from students. Pixton is a website used to create comics. A lot of my students are not yet proficient writers. They can create comics to show their ideas that they cannot yet put into words. The examples attached are an introduction comic and one in response to literature we had read. Thanks again for making distance learning a little bit more engaging!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Dorn

  This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T and one other donor.