Past projects 7
Help Us Become Global Geniuses!
Funded Jan 10, 2016Sometimes we hear other students say things like "I don't read!" or "What kid reads?!" Those statements are definitely not true in Ms. T.'s classroom. Thanks to you, we have books from all over the world that are interesting and relevant to our lives.
Right now, we are in book clubs based on where in the world we would like to study. One book club based in Asia is reading about Malala Youzafzai's quest to make sure that every child gets a quality education regardless of gender. Her story has made us grateful that we are able to go safely to school every day. A book club based in Africa is reading about another another inspiring student. William Kamkwamba helped his village get electricity by leading the charge to install a windmill.
Thank you for giving us the gift of reading about students like us who are making a difference all over the world!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
This classroom project was brought to life by Staples & Think It Up Supporters and 12 other donors.Help! My Students Have Read All My Magazines!
Funded Apr 28, 2014Thank you all so much for your donations to fund our classroom magazine library! When silent sustained reading time rolls around, students are always quick to grab the newest edition of Time or Upfront magazine. Students come to visit me during lunchtime to ask if we've gotten any new magazines yet. These kids are really embracing authentic reading habits thanks to you!
Our magazine collection also helped us with a media mini-unit we completed earlier this year. After watching the award-winning Miss Representation, students studied magazine ads to determine how different groups are portrayed in the media. Your gifts to our classroom are creating critical thinkers in action!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
Here There Be Monsters
Funded Oct 9, 2012It is rare to hear my students asking when we are going to start reading a classic work of literature. But the box of Beowulf paperbacks you all put in my classroom is tantalizing my reluctant readers in a way I didn't know was possible.
Nearly every day, they ask about the chain mail on the front cover, the relationship between the text and the Angelina Jolie movie, and why we aren't reading the gloomy textbook translation. When I explained we were foregoing that translation in favor of one that was both more accurate and more exciting, my students were both curious and excited that you all had decided they deserved the best materials possible.
Thank you for believing in us and showing my students that they matter to people they haven't even met yet.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
Help! My Students Have Fallen in Love with Reading!
Funded Oct 1, 2012I am incredibly overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity my students and I have received from you all. Your gifts have made it possible for my students to continue to experience reading in a way that is meaningful and related to their lives.
Some of these books may not be what you and I would choose to read. They may not be "classics," but they provide a way for students who have felt that school is not a place for them to engage as meaningful readers. These books also help me connect with them and understand more about their home lives.
Thank you again for all that you do for our classroom. Each one of you inspires me to be a great teacher!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
Making Meaning in Reading and in Art
Funded Oct 5, 2011To have students engage with materials they find engaging is every teacher's dream. I am blessed to wok in a discipline where I can allow students to work in many media until they find the one which they like best.
Thank you all so much for providing art materials for my students. Not only do these pre- and post-reading projects allow them to feel successful in an English classroom for perhaps the first time in their academic careers, they also allow students to grasp deeper meanings within the texts we read.
Our classroom would indeed be dull without you all.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Funded Jun 16, 2011My students are taking their test on Their Eyes Were Watching God today. This book proved to be difficult for many of them, and I think they surprised themselves not only by finishing the unit, but by finding real connections between their lives and the lives of the characters.
The eleventh graders in my last block are tough kids. One remarked to me that he hasn't done homework since seventh grade -- not defiantly, just matter-of-factly. These kids checked out of school a long time ago. With your help, I think we're starting to bring them back.
I am so overwhelmed by your all's generosity and belief in what we can do in the classroom. Thank you so much for your support of me, but most of all, for your support for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton
Literature Circles to Create Literature Lovers
Funded Sep 6, 2011My students are so excited to read the books now nestled on the shelves of our classroom! I've been reading each one individually to separate them into ninth- and eleventh-grade books. My students tell me they are jealous!
Two students have already started reading The Help and Uglies as their own enrichment. Both of these students told me at the beginning of the year "I just don't like to read. It's not something I do." You and your generosity helped change their mind. You have given my students the gift of reading. That's a powerful thing.
I am overwhelmed by your all's generosity and your belief in my students. Thank you so much for your support. Come read with us sometime!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Thornton