Past projects 4
Expressing Ourselves Through Handmade Books
Funded Aug 14, 2019The experience of creating handmade books for my students has surprised me because they immediately took ownership of their creations, wanting to take them home immediately to begin filling them up with art, photos, text that reflected their personalities. We have been talking about how this is a year of transition and transformation for them as they go from our small, protective performing arts school into the much larger 7th-12th grade secondary school. Many of my students have been at this school since kindergarten, and have grown up in the arts, but making handmade books that represent them at this stage of their lives, full of their thoughts, personal art work, photos, writing, poems, hopes, and goals is something new and moving to them in a way I hadn't anticipated. Every day they ask, "When are we going to work on our books?" They have asked this so much, that we now have designated times during the day when they are able to work on them.
Their attitude and love for their handmade books is in sharp contrast to the beginning of this book making process, when I first introduced this project. They weren't excited about this in any way, and I even had one student tell me, "Do I still have to do this, if I'm just going to go home and throw it away? I must admit, my heart sank as I tried to
explain the artistry and history of making a book by hand, only to see blank stares, at best, looking back at me. Things began to change when I took out the materials and began instructing them in how to use them to make signatures, then how to bond them, then how to use various art mediums to fill their pages, all to tell their stories about themselves and their place in the world now. I can say without reservation, that this project is deeply meaningful to them a they chart their year of transition into middle school and beyond. The are beginning to understand that their voices truly matter, and their lives are worthy of being recorded in this way. I will most definitely do this project with next year's students.
Thank you so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Riley
This classroom project was brought to life by Conboy Foundation and 2 other donors.Telling Our Stories Through Photography
Funded Aug 6, 2018I am blown away by all or you who donated to this project! This is going to mean so much to my students! You have no idea how much this will impact them. Your generosity has shown them that you believe in the arts, and most importantly, in them. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Riley
This classroom project was brought to life by The Home Shows Coalition and 5 other donors.Expanding Our View of the World Through Current Events
Funded Dec 14, 2017I can't emphasize enough the great impact Junior Scholastic news magazine has had on my Sixth graders. They love reading these articles, especially the articles on controversial topics, such as immigration and gun control. Students have told me that they are learning about people and places they had never known about before. The articles are highly engaging which means my students can spend a good of time reading without getting restless, and they have lively conversations with each other about the topics they are reading about. I have had students ask for more time to read and discuss these articles as a whole group, and it teaches them to learn to converse and listen respectfully.
As a teacher, I love the skills they are learning about, such as analyzing an author's claim and evaluating his argument and the evidence used to support his ideas. We discuss if the evidence supports the claims or not and why. The best part for me, is that they are learning to listen to each other and opposing points of view without getting angry or hurt. Students are reading to find evidence in these texts to support their own opinions, and they can articulate why they think the way they do. They have stood up in class to present their ideas and opinions citing the information they've found in the articles in Junior Scholastic Magazine. I would subscribe to this magazine again in a heartbeat.
During independent reading time, students are free to choose a book they want to read, and many students choose to read Junior Scholastic. It is such a joy to see their enthusiasm for news where it was non-existent before. As my students are learning to analyze text and evidence, they are beginning to see for themselves the great differences between what constitutes news and fake news, but the beyond that, they are learning about the world beyond their hometown, and for that, I am most grateful to our donors!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Riley
Help Build Our Classroom Library with Variety!
Funded Jan 30, 2012Please accept my sincerest apologies for not getting this letter out to you sooner. I want to thank all of you for your tremendous generosity in purchasing these books for my classroom. They are very popular, especially among our most reluctant readers, who not only read them avidly, but recommended them to each other and then wrote about the books in reviews. For the first time in my teaching career, I had a long wait list for some of these books! Students read them over and over again, using the information in them to even write original stories, individually and in small groups.
Without the generous help of people like you, classrooms across the United States would not be able to reach all students with the books that thrill them the most and turn them into avid readers. I want to personally thank you for your support and for making it possible to turn reluctant readers into enthusiastic learners and readers. You rock!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Riley
This classroom project was brought to life by Wasserman Foundation and 28 other donors.