Past projects 23
Supplies for Project Based Learning
Funded Aug 31, 2015Thank you so much for the art supplies you have provided to my classroom. We use these supplies to make complex and creative graphic organizers that ultimately lead to essays. Students can map the twists and turns of a character to study its development, or follow the trajectory of a symbolic motif throughout a novel. We also make graphic versions of a narrative to study its literary elements.
I'm a great believer in taking a visual break now and then. Some students clearly synthesize knowledge better this way. And everyone appreciates variety in the classroom. People learn in different ways, and I love to offer my visual and hands-on learners opportunities to shine.
Thank you for your generous gifts. We could not explore our creativity so creatively without them!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Everyday School Supplies
Funded Jul 17, 2015My students use the materials you provided to our classroom daily. Paper, pencils, pens, binders -- these are essentials about which we don't need to worry, thanks to your generous gifts. We can go about the practice of learning without stress.
We're trying to close the achievement gap at our school. My theory is that middle class children are surrounded by supplies, books and enrichment opportunities that provide them a leg up from birth to college. I try to recreate such a rich environment in my classroom (and you have helped to make this possible). We're having fun and we're learning. Kids are showing accelerated achievement. Many will be the first in their families to go to college; thank you.
Brain research shows that stress inhibits learning. Thanks to you, my students don't have to worry about supplies, and we can read, and write, and dream.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Broadening the Scope of U.S. Literature!
Funded Sep 15, 2014You kindly bought enough copies of "The Namesake" for each of my 11th grade students to have one. At the end of the unit they will return it, and a new group will read it next year, and the year to come, until they are worn out. Our school is made up of about 75% recent immigrants, and so this book, which explores the issues of immigration and assimilation, will be particularly relevant. It's also a highly literary novel, which means their analytical skills will grow as we read.
Of course you know that public schools are struggling financially, and our school is not able to buy full sets of very many books. The fact that you, via Donors Choose, made this novel available to my students means that I can teach better. I know for certain that when I teach books that have touched me profoundly I am better able to communicate their depth to my students. Lahiri is a favorite author of mine; I know that this book is going to reach my students. My goal is always to open their minds to new perspectives and ideas, and to instill in them a desire to read and learn for the rest of their lives. I do this best when I have a book to share that we can all love and admire. There is something magical that occurs. Thank you for making that magic possible.
Very truly.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
New books for World Literature
Funded Aug 24, 2014I am so grateful for your gift that brought all my sophomores a copy of "In the Shadow of the Banyan." We haven't started reading it yet -- we will as soon as we finish "Othello," probably around January 1. After looking through the book, the students were excited to read it, but wanted to tackle Shakespeare first, since they imagined that would be more of a slog, and they wanted to save the best for later!!
We have numerous students from different parts of Southeast Asia, and almost ALL our students are recent immigrants -- many refugees -- from elsewhere. I think the themes and narrative of "In the Shadow of the Banyan" will touch them deeply and personally, and help them understand that one of the purposes of literature is catharsis and healing. Another wonder of the book is its vivid imagery and evocation of another geographical and cultural world. This too, is an important literary gift.
In order to create life-long readers, it's crucial to introduce students to works that challenge and delight them at the same time. I have no doubt that the book you gave us will do just that. Thank you so much for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Journal Writing Materials
Funded Mar 17, 2014I can't tell you how important the journals you donated to my class are. I didn't take pictures of the kids using their journals, because it is a very private, sometimes confidential act. It is their chance to vent, ask advice, practice creative writing, and reveal themselves in a way that is crucial for teenagers, but not always available to them.
They talk about stress -- that's at the very top of the list. They talk about broken hearts. They talk about addiction to video games, and drug use and all manner of hurt feelings. This is all in the month or so since the new journals, the ones you gave, arrived. In the past I have learned about potential suicides, child abuse, self-cutting, and have been able to provide the students with professional services and the support they need.
In the meantime, for all students who choose to write in journals, their ability to express themselves and become articulate improves. For some students who "hate to write" this is a means to practice when they don't even realize that's what they're doing.
Thank you so much. It seems like a simple gift, but it may save a life, or mend a heart, or teach a child to take control of his life through self-expression.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Classroom Supplies
Funded Mar 12, 2014The supplies you provided us are in constant use. Two things we employed them for recently were posters to trace the use of symbolic motifs with accompanying evidence from the text in "Their Eyes Were Watching God," and drawings that we used to visually innumerate as many details from the text as possible for a party scene from "The Great Gatsby." For visual and kinetic learners these eyes and hands-on projects are extremely meaningful, and providing a variety of activities for all students is crucial to keeping learning fresh. Studies of the brain show that novelty is an important way to engage neural networks and help students learn. Thank you so much for providing the freedom in our classroom to explore literature via a multitude of means. My kids are learning so much, and that is partly because of your generous help.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Composition Books for Journaling
Funded May 5, 2013Thank you so much for your gift of journals for my 145 students. In the classroom we use our journals for reflection on life, our goals and strategies, our emotional ups and downs, our teenage angst (!), and as a way to develop a relationship between teacher and student. We keep an ongoing dialog alive, as they write to me and I write back. It's an amazing way to gain the trust and insight I need to be a better teacher and life counselor for my students. It's also a painless way for them to work on their literary fluency.
Our school is in a high poverty urban environment, which adds a huge layer of stress on children and teens. So many times I hear about real traumas families are facing when kids write about it. Sometimes it helps students just to express themselves and know someone cares, and sometimes I can actually help them by providing community partners to meet their needs. Their journals have also given me the chance to intervene innumerable times for students who are suicidal, cutting themselves, or facing some kind of bullying or abusive situation.
I can't think of any more direct way to contribute to bettering the lives of future adults than your contributions to Donors Choose. Thank you so much.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
General School Supplies
Funded Mar 30, 2013I am so grateful for your Donors Choose donations to my students. We use the art supplies you provided us to create posters synthesizing information about the texts we are reading, with focus on literary devices and evidence from the books themselves. This is an important step for all students, but especially for visual and kinetic learners who comprehend most completely through graphic and hands-on strategies. Brain science also shows us that novelty, pleasure and connection are crucial for searing memories into young minds. The fun we have working together making posters (with contests for most creative and thorough) are a key component in several of our units.
Thank you so much. We literally couldn't do it without you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
General School Supplies
Funded Jul 19, 2012Thank you so much for your generous gift of classroom supplies. My class uses them every day; from pencils and papers to sharpies and colored paper the hive of my room buzzes with activity. Many of my students simply can't afford to buy their own materials -- so the fact that we have a ready supply lessens our anxiety.
This unit we are focusing on symbolism. Students will create posters using the materials you provided, and then the information (including textual evidence) from the posters will help them organize essays that prepare them for college. We couldn't do it without you!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman
Large Sized Pads for Group Work
Funded Jul 23, 2012Thank you so much for your gifts to Donors Choose. Resources being what they are, I am so grateful that your generosity allows me to enrich my classroom for my students.
In this case you gave us poster-sized sticky note pads which we use for group brainstorming and "gallery walks" in which table groups can share their work with the rest of the class. For instance, we may study different symbols in a novel, and share examples of a motif as it appears and re-appears in a text. Each table may be responsible for a recurring symbol, which can be well-documented and then placed in the "gallery."
We are focusing on textual evidence, so students can track quotes and page numbers. When we are done, we have a thorough mapping of a given subject. This gives students the evidence they need to write text-based literary analysis essays.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Richman