Past projects 9
Extra Large Monitor for Extra Special Learners
Funded Dec 6, 2020Thank you so much for your support with this project!
This large monitor has been a game changer for remote learning! It has allowed me to better view everyone in the Google Meet in one window and the materials I'm presenting/sharing on another window on the same screen. By seeing everyone during a presentation, I'm able to see who might need a bit more assistance with a concept when they have that confused look. I was rarely barely able to see faces when using only my tiny laptop screen!
This large second screen made it easier to present and allowed transitions between materials and topics to be smoother and quicker. This made our Google Meets more efficient and helped both my students and I stayed focused on the concepts we are working on rather than being distracted while waiting for transitions between the materials.
When this monitor arrived at my school, a few of my colleagues were excited to learn about this DonorsChoose possibility and the Two Screens for Teachers match. They created their own projects for monitors! Thanks for supporting me and my students, while inspiring my colleagues!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by Two Screens for Teachers and 6 other donors.Visual Support for Students With Language Processing Disorders
Funded Aug 11, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation to my project. The Apple Pencil has been a game changer during remote learning!
It is so easy and convenient to use the Pencil to circle or highlight key words for students, underline important details during a shared reading, and draw pictures of items to teach new vocabulary during remote learning. These are just a few of the dozen ways we use the Pencil during classes and speech-language therapy to support students who benefit from visuals.
While CPS has transitioned back to optional in-person learning, many students continue to choose to learn from home this year. The Pencil continues to be in heavy use during this last month of school, as so many students are still virtual.
I've been using the Pencil with the other Apple technology we received from from DonorsChoose (iPad, and Apple keyboard), so everything works seamlessly together! It is so nice not to have to wrangle with cords or struggling to maintain connections between devices. This has helped both my students and I stayed focused on the concepts we are working on rather than being distracted by technology hiccups.
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Say That One More Time
Funded Oct 23, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation to my project. These Apple Air Pods have been a game changer during remote learning!
First, I'm able to hear my students SO much better and they are able to hear me more clearly as well. We've really cut down on wasted time by not having to repeat ourselves so frequently.
Because I've been using them with the other Apple technology we received from from DonorsChoose (iPad, Apple Pencil, and Apple keyboard), everything works seamlessly together! It is so nice not to have to wrangle with cords or struggling to maintain connections between devices. This has helped both my students and I stayed focused on the concepts we are working on rather than being distracted by technology hiccups.
Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and 6 other donors.Smart Keyboard for Distance Learning
Funded Dec 2, 2020Thank you so much to FamilyAlbum for matching donations to my Smart Keyboard project on Giving Tuesday. This school year, having up-to-date technology has been more important than ever. As always, the generosity of DonorsChoose donors has been a blessing. Thank you for you support of public education.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 2 other donors.Keep Everyone Talking During Speech Teletherapy
Funded May 28, 2020Thank you so much for your generosity. While there are a lot of projects to select from, we are so thrilled that you opted to support "Keep Everyone Talking During Speech Teletherapy."
As you know, in March of last year we transitioned to remote learning. Finding ways to keep the students engaged and attentive during therapy was one of my main goals. It was not easy, but with your support I was able to purchase new digital materials for use during teletherapy. I tried to spend purposely select items that would be interactive for the students.
The students were thrilled when we started using the new digital resources. Some of them would even request specific activities to use again and again each week. Others liked to try something new each week, to keep their therapy sessions exciting. When school resumed in September, we were once again learning remotely. Your resources were again requested by the students and have been keeping our sessions fun!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Stand and Deliver: Therapy Edition
Funded Oct 1, 2020Thank you so much for funding this project. With these materials I will be able to stand while teaching. You donation will help keep me energized and keep my students engaged during the remote school day. We can't wait to be back in our classrooms with our students, but until then we want them to have the best experience possible. Thank you for helping make that happen.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.iWant to Share My Story!
Funded Jan 31, 2019Thank you so much for contributing to our project to fund an iPad. As many of you know, I provide speech-language therapy in several schools across Chicago. It has been such a wonderful school year watching my students grow and learn. Your generosity has contributed to their progress! My students and I are overwhelmed by your generosity, kindness, and support. Your contribution has impacted over 50 students at CPS. It never fails to engage event my most reluctant learners.
Often, those reluctant learners are my middle school students. They are frequently working on higher-order language skills, such as comparing/contrasting, inferencing, verbally summarizing, and retelling events from a story. They have particular difficulty when working with non-fiction. Using the iPad we have been able to look at maps, see short video clips, or find pictures of current events to help support their understanding. They are also much more willing to participate in higher order language tasks after watching a video to bring the story to life for them, improve their understanding, and increase their willingness to participate.
My early childhood students, many of whom have reduced verbal abilities love to use apps on the iPad to learn new words. When selected, the voice-output of the iPad 'says' the word for these young learners. Using the iPad, they will often ask for "more" or request "my turn" while engaged in learning games. These are things they would not generally say way verbally.
There are also many students who love using the iPad to practice their speech articulation (pronunciation) sounds. We now have an app that tracks their progress, so they can see what sounds they have mastered and which ones they are still working on. This has been highly motivating for the students. Seeing their progress visually has even encouraged students to practice their sounds at home, something that they didn't often do before the iPad app. While these are just a couple examples of uses of the iPad, there are many more.
One of my students asked: "Why did people give us an iPad?" I told them it was because people, like each one of you, know how special they are and wanted to support their learning. Thank you so much for your generosity and thank you for making my students feel valued and special.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
Listen and Learn
Funded Sep 18, 2007Thank you so much for funding our classroom grant proposal! The students and I are so excited! We are anxiously awaiting the audio books you have so generously donated to our room. As you know, our classroom is comprised of predominantly bilingual and special education students, so these audio books will allow the students to read books at their interest level that they would be unable to read on their own.
Thank you, again!
Sincerely,
Ms. R. N
J. Y. Scammon Elementary Schoo”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist
Autobiographies to Encourage Writing
Funded Jun 11, 2007Thank you so much for your generous donation of a digital camera to my classroom. I can't wait for the next school year to begin so my students can start taking pictures of their lives and writing their autobiographies.
Your generous gift will be used by the wonderful sixth grade students at Jonathon Y. Scammon Elementary School. We can't wait to receive our new camera.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Renee ”
With gratitude,
Ms. Natale, Speech-Language Therapist