Whisper Phones and Books for my Below Level Readers (Classroom Project at DonorsChoose.org)

Whisper Phones and Books for my Below Level Readers

Classroom project requested by Mrs. M. on Feb 21, 2009

Mrs. M.'s Classroom

High Poverty

Florida

Where is the classroom located?

"I teach 2nd grade in a rural area of FL. My school has a very high percentage of students who receive free or reduced price lunch. Many of the students' parents do not speak English at home. Our school is "full inclusion" which means special education students are fully included in regular ed classrooms. Also, we are a school without walls, which creates its own set of challenges. This year, my students are a group of "low" students who have not performed well in first grade but are being "administratively placed" in 2nd grade rather than being held back. They are all below grade level and struggle with reading. It is my challenge to get them on grade level by the end of the year.

I recently read a wonderful book called "The Daily 5." It gives ideas for changing the Literacy Block to include more independence and choice for students. One of the five components of the Daily 5 is "Read to Self." During this part of the Daily 5, students read books AT THEIR LEVEL to themselves quietly or silently.

Whisper phones are plastic "phones" that allow a student to "Read to Self" without disturbing others. Often children who have difficulty reading cannot read silently. These tools will allow them to read in a whisper voice and improve their fluency because they will be able to hear themselves read. It will also help them focus in a wall-less environment which often is very noisy.

The lower level reading books I have selected will help reinforce simple sight words and word families - excellent for my below level readers. I have an extensive classroom library (all purchased with my own money over the course of the past 10 years) but this year I have discovered that I just don't have as good of a selection of lower level books as I thought I did. My kids are really struggling to find books at their appropriate level. Reading books that are too hard simply does not work.

Please help me to support the needs of my students. They are a wonderful, enjoyable group and they work hard every day to improve their reading. But we need your help to really make it happen. hide»

My students need 20 whisper phones and 4 book sets, including 2 levels of sight-word readers. details»

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Mar 06 Mrs. M. the Teacher

"My kids still love their whisper phones, and the books have been so helpful. I have some other projects posted that are expiring soon. Please pass the word to anyone you think could help!"

Oct 7, 2009 Sanum A an intern at donorschoose.org

Packaged the thank-you letters written by Mrs. M.'s students and sent them on to the eligible donor(s).

Sep 1, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

"Thanks for your note! I will be posting some photos as soon as my kids return their permission slips :) They really love the whisper phones and the books. Thanks again for your help!"

Sep 1, 2009 Seacoast Bank from Florida

"Mrs. M, I am so glad that your project came together and that your students like the whisper phones. It is awesome to see how our donation is being used. Sincerely, Jan Schmitz Branch Manager Seacoast Bank"

Aug 30, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

Bigger Photos

Reply to the classroom

Dear JPMorgan Chase and Seacoast Bank,

Thank you so much for your generous donation to my classroom. My students have already started using their new whisperphones and books!

These items arrived just in time for the beginning of school. We have been practicing and "building stamina" for Read to Self during our reading block.

A few students were struggling with keeping their voice quiet enough during Read to Self. The whisperphones put an immediate end to the problem! Each student has their "own" whisperphone in their "book bag" and can make their own choice as to whether they need it or not. They were very excited about trying them!

The books we received are at the perfect "just right" reading level for my students, and much more interesting to read than some of the boring decodable books I started them off with in their "book bags." These are really wonderful books and will be reused each year to help my students start off on the right foot.

Thanks for helping my students become better readers by donating to DonorsChoose!

With gratitude,
Mrs. M.

Reply to the classroom

Aug 18, 2009 Jenni D a staff member at donorschoose.org

Purchased the books for Mrs. M.'s classroom and notified the school principal of delivery.

Jun 11, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

Dear JPMorgan Chase and Seacoast Bank,

I am so grateful for your generous donations to my proposal. Because of your generosity, my students will each have their own personal "whisper phone" this year to help them improve their accuracy and fluency while reading independently. They will also have more books on their level which they will be able to read every day. I will also be able to use these materials with future students! I look forward to sharing these wonderful materials with my students in the fall and for years to come! THANK YOU so much!
With gratitude,
Mrs. M.

Reply to the classroom

Jun 10, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

"Thank you JP Morgan Chase!!!"

Jun 10, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

"Thank you JPMorgan Chase! I am so excited that my proposal has been fully funded!"

Jun 10, 2009 DonorsChoose.org

Good news: Project fully funded!

Jun 10, 2009 JPMorgan Chase from San Francisco, CA

"JPMorgan Chase is pleased to support early literacy, math and science projects!"

Jun 8, 2009 Mrs. M. the Teacher

"THANK YOU Seacoast Bank for your quick response to my email and for your generous donation!"

Jun 8, 2009 Seacoast Bank gave from Florida

Feb 28, 2009 Ryan G an associate at donorschoose.org

Verified the cost of the requested books and posted this project.

Feb 26, 2009 Erica S a volunteer at donorschoose.org

Reviewed the project essay and sent follow-up questions if needed.

Please notify our staff of any messages or photos of concern.

Feb 21, 2009Mrs. M. - Teacher

Project Details

Materials	Vendor	Price	#	Total
EE539 - Hear Myself Sound Phone - Set of 10	Lakeshore Learning	$39.95	2	$79.90
EE129 - Lakeshore Vocabulary Builder Books	Lakeshore Learning	$39.95	1	$39.95
TT235 - Lakeshore Sight-Word Readers - Level 1	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
TT536 - Lakeshore Sight-Word Readers - Level 2	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95
TT933 - Lakeshore Emergent Readers - Set of 20	Lakeshore Learning	$49.95	1	$49.95

Vendor Shipping Charges				$26.97
State Sales Tax				$0.00
3rd Party Payment Processing Fee				$6.74
Fulfillment Labor & Materials				$17.00
Project Cost Excluding Donation to Support DonorsChoose.org				$320.00
Optional Donation to Support DonorsChoose.org				$70.24
Project Cost Including Donation to Support DonorsChoose.org				$390.24
2 Donors				-$390.24
To Go				$0.00