We've helped Fund 4 Education Programs (part 4)

We are making spirits bright this holiday season! This 4th project we helped fund is at Washington Elementary School in Caldwell, ID in Mrs. D'Orazio's 3rd Grade class. Here is what she says about her students:

"I have a wonderful group of 3rd graders who are excited to learn! We are so excited to be in the classroom this year after two years that felt inconsistent. Many of my students come to school to feel safe and secure, so being in the classroom is an extra big deal! The majority of my students come to school hungry for food, education, and love, and are dependent on the school to meet a variety of needs."

Here is her project idea:

"This year, I have noticed significant gaps in students' reading and writing skills due to the inconsistency of being in school over the past two years. I am working to build up students' writing skills by using mentor sentences that model what good writers do in their writing. Students are engaged with the process and are beginning to take ownership over this part of their learning! Every week I read aloud a picture book to my class and our mentor sentence for the week comes out of that story. 

First of all, they LOVE being exposed to new stories this way! Students then spend the week looking for parts of speech, making notices on language use and spelling in the sentence, thinking about how to add vivid verbs or amazing adjectives to the sentence, and ultimately end the week writing their own sentence modeled after the mentor sentence.

With your help, I will be able to acquire the remaining mentor texts that we will need this year. You will not only be helping my current group of 3rd graders, but my future 3rd graders as well because I will be using these same books for years in the future!"

It is wonderful to see her vision as a 3rd grade teacher come to life and to know her commitment to getting her students back on track is a gift in and of itself.

Here kind words to us:

Dear The Raise Collection,

Thank you so much for contributing to our classroom! We can't wait to enjoy these mentor texts as we work to become better 3rd grade readers and writers! My students will love having new books in the classroom to choose from as well as learn from as we study them more deeply. Thank you again!

With gratitude,
Mrs. D'Orazio