Past projects 118
Maximizing Students Fluency
Funded Sep 30, 2010I am so thankful for this wonderful addition to our classroom. Our new fluency partner scripts with comprehension questions and timers seem to be a huge hit in our class. My students selected partners and received a script that was on their just right reading level to read aloud. My students enjoyed using the timers because they wanted to beat their original time as they did repeated readings.
I asked my students why they believed their time improved each time they read and several stated that they were familiar with the text the second time around. A few students stated they wanted to try that in their independent reading to better understand the story. Their responses solidified the importance of fluency practice in our classroom.
Your generous gift will be used throughout the year to help my students enhance their literacy skills and gain confidence to motivate them to take more risks with their reading.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
Maximizing Students' Fluency
Funded Sep 10, 2010I would like to thank you for allowing my students to build their fluency with these wonderful resources that your donations provided. My students really enjoy the Reader's Theater scripts that we have worked with during the past 3 weeks to build my students reading and comprehension. Several students asked if they could act out the scripts in front of their peers. The fluency cards and scripts allowed even my most reluctant reader to read aloud without feeling uncomfortable.
Your contributions have truly provided my classroom with a much needed resource that makes reading fun and entertaining for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
A Balanced Classroom Library that Helps Students Read
Funded Oct 1, 2010I would like to thank you for your generous donations. Each student had the chance to scan books into our system which they all enjoyed. I had students that came during their recess to scan and enter books into our system instead of play. The new scanner and its software allows my students to check out books and easily see what books we have in our classroom. My students felt like they were Media Assistants.
We are still learning all of the features and we can't wait to learn more. I have students who are experts with the scanning features and those who know how to read an ISBN number to pull up information. With their talents they were able to train others in our classroom. It has brought me great joy to see my students showcase their talents to one another and it is all because of your contributions. So I thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
A Little Glitter with Big a Sound Can Glam up Our Classroom
Funded Sep 1, 2010Words cannot truly express the gratitude and appreciation that I have for this project coming to life. My students have truly enjoyed the Bose SoundDock in our class.
Each morning when my students enter our classroom they are welcomed with soothing classical music to get their day started. I also introduced my students to music from all around the world. It is amazing to see their reactions and watch them as they bop their heads to the beat of the music.
I am currently reading aloud, "The Autobiography of a Stray, A Dog's Life" to my class, which I have on audiobook too. I downloaded the audiobook on our class iPod so that my students could listen to the narration on the SoundDock. The use of the audiobook on the system had an amazing impact on my students comprehension. My students who had attention difficulties were able to focus more on the story and participated more with our discussions of the book. Every time I hit the pause button with the remote there was an awe that echoed the room. They did not want to stop listening and reading the book. As I do not want to stop talking about all the ways you helped impact my students learning through your donations.
Thank you again for enriching the lives of my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
Saving One Tree at a Time Using Smencils
Funded Sep 19, 2010I would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to put a smile on 22 students faces. Our Smencils arrived and the sweet aroma filled the air, which definitely touched the senses of my students.
My students were working on identifying the Main Idea in a passage in groups, so I had them create a mobile with the main idea attached to supporting details. I had two students who were very helpful with the activity in their groups and I wanted to reward them for their hardwork with a Smencil. It felt good calling them up to choose a scented pencil and commend them for their work. I thank you for allowing me to honor my students being great students. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
We are in Need of Reference Tools
Funded Sep 30, 2010The dictionaries arrived and they created a excitement in our classroom. My students were reading the dictionaries instead enjoying their recess time playing games. The dictionaries have a great color coding feature that allows students to find words easier. My boys really enjoyed the snakes section in the dictionary and were telling me a whole bunch of facts about snakes they learned just from reading. The dictionaries will be a great reference tool that my students will use throughout the school year and we are thankful to have a class set each student can use. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
Wireless Solutions with U.S. Cellulars Help
Funded Sep 24, 2010How can I begin to thank you for your generosity and support toward my students learning? Many of my students are currently reading below grade level and they despise reading out loud. But one motivational tool I found that works for them is listening to me read aloud or enjoying the narration of an audiobook. The cd players will allow my lower level students to feel more independent as they listen to a story and complete comprehension questions based on the reading. The cd players will level the playing field for my students who currently struggle with reading comprehension. We recently had a fluency proposal funded which will allow another use for the cd players as they listen to correct annotation of text and try it on their own.
Your donations have truly changed the way my students will learn. I am humbly gracious thankful!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
A Nook Full of Books will Keep us Excited about Reading
Funded Sep 20, 2010Thank you so much for your support of this project. The Barnes and Noble Nook ereaders arrived and my students were amazed with all of the features it had. To allow all of my students an opportunity to read a great book with this technology we are creating a class wish list of books students want to download. Alot of my students enjoy Dan Gutman's Weird School book series so we have sampled a few of his books on our classroom ereader.
The Nook has allowed my students to have a differentiated reading experience and most importantly, it serves as a great motivational tool to get them back in love with reading.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
This classroom project was brought to life by Burroughs Wellcome Fund and 2 other donors.A is for Apple: Literacy in the Palm of our Hands
Funded Sep 3, 2010The iPod Nanos arrived last week and my students and I couldn't be happier. Since their arrival several students used them to work on their fluency by filming themselves as they read aloud poems. My students and I enjoyed going on the Apple website to learn about the many features the iPod Nanos have and we charted the ways we would integrate them into our literacy activities. My students only associated iPod Nanos with listening to music and were amazed that not only could they record video the Nanos had really cool playback options.
I am currently working on transferring all of the audiobooks we have onto the iPod so that my students can enjoy literacy in the Palm of the Hands. Thank you for your generous donations. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer
A is for Apple: Literacy in the Palm of Our Hands
Funded Sep 10, 2010The iPod Nanos arrived last week and my students and I couldn't be happier. Since their arrival several students used them to work on their fluency by filming themselves as they read aloud poems. My students and I enjoyed going on the Apple website to learn about the many features the iPod Nanos have and we charted the ways we would integrate them into our literacy activities. My students only associated iPod Nanos with listening to music and were amazed that not only could they record video the Nanos had really cool playback options.
I am currently working on transferring all of the audiobooks we have onto the iPod so that my students can enjoy literacy in the Palm of the Hands. Thank you for your generous donations. ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Prayer