Past projects 12
Superheroes Among Us
Funded Apr 1, 2020Thank you for your generous contribution to our Superhero project. Although we were not able to be together for our annual banquet for academic and extracurricular achievement, I was able to print commemorative cards and signs for the students who would have been honored. I sent them via snail mail, an unusual occurrence for today's kids, and I heard back from several how much they appreciated the colorful Superhero posters. They recognized their designs from months before, and I think it provided some comfort for a graduation ceremony unlike any other before it. Again, thank you for all you've done for us. Much appreciated!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
Good Writers Read Great Writing
Funded Mar 2, 2020I am happy to report that the resources you so graciously provided for my classroom have already been in use. In fact, the package arrived the day my writing students were preparing draft for submission to a contest. We took only a moment to recycle the packaging and add the titles to our classroom library database before we dove in.
One student had a question about a sentence variety, so he consulted the Stanley Fish book; another student wanted to know about reaching a particular group of readers, so she checked out two other sources. Meanwhile, I perused the "How to Get Your Article Published" book for tidbits I could share with this, and all subsequent, classes.
In short, these books about writing have already helped my writers improve their work, and, with any luck, some of them will end up published in the current contest...or another real world opportunities your generous donation helped fund.
Thank you again so much! We are humbled and appreciative...more than you know.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 4 other donors.Powerful Picture Books for (Nearly Grown) Kids
Funded Aug 14, 2019When we opened the package in sophomore English, the students got so excited: "You mean we get to listen to a story out loud, like we did when we were so much younger???" Not only do they get to listen to stories--a wonderful experience as well as an exercise in active listening--they get to use the texts to support their learning. The book on problem solving has helped them in planning their collaborative work. The book on opinion writing has supported them in planning their own persuasive essays. Others in the collection, especially the one on "What to Do with an Idea," have been popular picks, and I already have a request to reread it. While it is easy to think of teenagers as a species all their own, they are kids at heart, and this project reminds them of how much they loved reading back then and how much they can gain from doing it now. Without your generous donation, we would not have had this chance to share this joyful experience. I can't thank you enough, and my students echo my sentiments. We appreciate you and all you've done for us!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.MindSpark Conference to Spark Creativity & Innovation in Our District
Funded May 6, 2019Teachers often ask students to take risks, but we don't always take risks ourselves. The mindSpark institute on creativity and innovation prepared us for risk-taking in our learning and in our teaching. Instead of relying on "what we've always done," we were provoked to innovate what we ask students to do as well as how we think about learning. This institute gave me the chance to reconsider my role as a thinker, creator, and designer of students' experience.
We focused on many problem solving scenarios, reflecting on our processes and our purposes. We applied this understanding to our classrooms, especially in terms of how we communicate our expectations to students, how we cultivate learning conditions conducive to creativity, and how we measure concepts like originality and innovation.
While I enjoyed many aspects of this institute, a few highlights include the deep conversation we engaged in. It's not often teachers get the opportunity to work alongside other professionals, particularly ones from such a diverse array of schools, museums, and education-related contexts. I also appreciated the variety of games, challenges, and tasks, which I will be able to easily modify for my students' needs.
Most helpful, perhaps, was the discussion of how we establish expectations and provide feedback for students so they are empowered to take the types of risks we hope they will take, knowing that it is a safe, supported choice. There are multiple activities I will recreate from this institute for my students, but I am particularly excited to implement some collaboration strategies to foster stronger community. For example, I plan to set up a series of problems to solve. I will offer some constraints and establish some ground rules, and then let them figure out to work together to find multiple solutions. We did this activity in the institute with a mystery: who committed the burglary? Each person had a separate clue, and we had to put the clues together to figure out "who did it," but without moving or writing down anything. This forced everyone to share clues and to participate equally.
I appreciated the way collaboration was specifically scaffolded in this game, and I also really liked the way it compelled us to figure out not only what the answer was, but also how we were going to go about working together. The fact that it was a fun, engaging exercise makes it easy and intuitive to bring back to my classroom. This is just the type of new learning my students need, and I am so grateful to have these resources to help give it to them. Thank you so much for your support. It will make a big difference in my school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
This classroom project was brought to life by Morgridge Family Foundation and 2 other donors.Game On!
Funded Jan 31, 2019Since I started "word game Fridays," my students have exhibited a notable increase in engagement not just in vocabulary study, but in attending my class. They've asked if they can play "Wordical" next time because their friend in second hour was raving about how much fun it was. They want to do a tournament. They hope that the classes can sometimes play against each other. They ask to borrow games during advisory because they finished their work, so can't they please play again?
This is a dream come true for a teacher: a student looking forward to class, asking to try something new, seeking out more opportunities for what you've introduced.
And you made it possible!
I can't thank you enough for helping me bring this idea about word study to life. It has made a huge difference, and it will continue to help others in years to come.
We appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness so much. It means the world to me to be able to spark interest in words and inspire everyone to participate actively in my class!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
Survey Says . . . Books Like These, Please!
Funded Oct 25, 2018I barely had a chance to catalog these exciting new books before they started jumping off my shelves! I'm not surprised since these are books the students chose themselves in a survey I gave them. The books cover such a wide range of genres and interests that nearly everyone's needs have been met by this project.
I have several books now that complete a series we don't have all the books for yet in the school library. I have a few newly released titles from authors they love, and I have some new publications I think they will like based on other books they recommended for the classroom library. In short, I will be able to answer a resounding "Yes!" when a kid asks me, "Do you have a book you think I will like?" Not only is that my favorite question, but I get especially happy when I can respond affirmatively to so many different kinds of readers.
Without your support, this would not have been possible. Thank you so much for your generous donation. The fact that you took the time and expense to give to our classroom means so much to me and to the eager students ready for a new literary adventure.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.Making Poetry Pop
Funded Apr 20, 2018We received the package with all the books and magnetic poetry kits and easels yesterday and already the books have flown off my shelves. The kids love narrative verse; for many of them, these novels move more quickly for them so the length is not intimidating, and they can invest more deeply in the plot. Ellen Hopkins is a popular author, so I'm pleased to introduce them to new authors in this genre. I've also had a "win" with a reluctant reader in my class who picked up Kwame Alexander's book Rebound. It is about a basketball player and it is also told in verse. This is his only interest; the fact that this book hooked him has already made my school year brighter. In my advisory, I was able to get a few boys who don't normally participate working on the magnetic poetry project. We had a contest last April for National Poetry month, and it was a huge success. Having more options this year will help me keep this fun project going. I'm so excited that we have these resources now -- in August -- and that the kids are already creating their poems. Knowing that poems matter all year round, not just April means this project has already made a huge impact. Thank you so much for what you have done to bring this to life!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
Pushing Genre Boundaries: Exploring History and the Future in Literature
Funded Feb 10, 2018We are so excited to have such good, varied, intriguing new books in our collection!
I've been toying with the idea of incorporating more choice in the honors literature course. I know I appreciated in my honors literature course the opportunity to read specific books the rest of the class wasn't reading. While book choice introduced me to Invisible Man and East of Eden, I like the idea of small literature circles where students can work together in pairs and trios on particular books that interest them all.
Teenagers in general seem drawn to dystopian novels. However, they think The Hunger Games originated the genre. I selected a variety of classic dystopian novels to expand their horizons and give them a deeper appreciation of the literature that has come before.
Moreover, I found that many of them were drawn to a short story they read, "The Sniper". This gave me the idea to get The Things They Carried - one of my favorite books. It's not every day you can be so responsive to student interest. That's what is great about Donors Choose and generous people like you!
As a result of this funded project, I've been able to plan nearly an entire quarter around high-interest choice books. I'm currently teaching them how to ask thoughtful questions of a text at a variety of critical thinking levels. Then, they will work independently to host "book clubs" during class. I know my book club keeps my interest in reading at a pique since like-minded people share with me not only their passions but their questions and ideas. They challenge me to reconsider my interpretation of what I've read, just as I hope my students will do for each other.
We would not be able to innovate our classroom through book clubs, and I would not be able to offer so many choices without you.
Thank you from the bottom of our literary hearts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
If You Build a Library, They Will Read!
Funded Nov 23, 2017As you can see from the pictures, this project added so much content to my classroom library. While we had a good start before the arrival of this wonderful gift, I can now say I have more books in each genre my kids can't get enough of not to mention books that are good for developing as well as advanced readers.
My check out list for books is growing because demand is high. And names keep popping up over and over again. I have repeat readers who are doing it for the pleasure of it not because it is assigned! That is the goal, of course, of a reading program: to encourage kids to find what they are interested in and keep them going with titles that fit their needs.
I am so excited this year with the increase in reading options and the increase in reading activity in my classroom. We are so appreciative of your support. We could not do this without you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
Books Are the Building Blocks to Better
Funded Oct 18, 2017What a way to start a day: open three boxes full of high interest, widely various books!
You can't believe the gratification I felt when not one, not two, but twelve of my twenty kids asked to borrow a book from our new stash before I had even put my classroom name and number in them! One student remembered seeing the movie The Outsiders and was riveted by the S.E. Hinton book. He is one of my most reluctant readers. Another student told him how much she enjoyed the book version of the movie. They don't often speak, but this book sparked a conversation about books between them. I love to see these kinds of connections because a peer recommending a book makes an even bigger impact than when we teachers or our librarians do. Our class was so excited about this morning's gifts, in fact, that we headed straight for the library and spent the rest of the class period nose deep in books, as you can see from our pictures. You are directly responsible for this amazing day of literacy in my classroom, a day that will continue every time they open one of those treasures! We can't thank you enough.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Dieckmann
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.