Past projects 12
AP English Students Need Contemporary Novel by an African-American Woman
Funded Dec 8, 2023Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students are creative, critical thinkers who will benefit from this complex and engaging novel that connects to their lives. During these trying times where education is in flux, this book will help our students continue to develop their skills as well as see themselves in literature. Given all of the uncertainty and adversity now, your willingness to continue to support important causes like this is inspiring! On behalf of my students and our entire staff, we sincerely thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
AP English Students Need Contemporary African-American Novel
Funded Feb 15, 2023I cannot thank you enough for igniting a love of reading in my students. Throughout their educations, my students have been forced, for better or worse, to read canonical novels and plays. Such a curriculum helps prepare students for college, however many students, especially struggling students, can never seem to embrace the classics. Your generous donations helped put Brit Bennett's Vanishing Half, an energetic and engaging novel, into the hands of my students and the vast majority have claimed that it was the best book they have ever read.
In class, we completed a group project for the novel. Each group was assigned a specific section of the novel and they had to do a presentation on their section as well as write an analysis essay about their section. In their analysis, students focused on the unique style, diction, tone, and syntax of the contemporary novel that was both relevant and rigorous. Your impact has truly been transformational and I sincerely thank you for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
DC Students Need Culturally Affirming Novel
Funded Feb 7, 2022Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students are creative, critical thinkers who will benefit from this complex and engaging novel that connects to their lives. During these trying times where education is in flux, this book will help our students continue to develop their skills as well as see themselves in literature. Given all of the uncertainty and adversity now, your willingness to continue to support important causes like this is inspiring! On behalf of my students and our entire staff, we sincerely thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
AP English Students Need Contemporary African-American Novel
Funded Jan 26, 2022Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students are creative, critical thinkers who will benefit from this complex and engaging novel that connects to their lives. During these trying times where education is in flux, this book will help our students continue to develop their skills as well as see themselves in literature. Given all of the uncertainty and adversity now, your willingness to continue to support important causes like this is inspiring! On behalf of my students and our entire staff, we sincerely thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective and 2 other donors.Urban Students Need Contemporary Novels by Writers of Color
Funded May 28, 2020Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students are creative, critical thinkers who will benefit from these complex and engaging novels that connect to their lives. During these trying times where education is in flux, these books will help our students continue to develop their skills as well as see themselves in literature. Given all of the uncertainty and adversity now, your willingness to continue to support important causes like this is inspiring! On behalf of my students and our entire staff, we sincerely thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.AP English Students Need Contemporary African-American Novel
Funded Oct 10, 2018Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students are embracing this beautifully complicated book and finally have the opportunity to read a more contemporary novel by a writer who looks like them. We are currently in the middle of the Kindred unit and it is off to a great start.
When approaching the teaching of a novel, we always start with provocative essential questions that both hook students into the text and drive our instruction. Some of our essential questions for Kindred include:
How does the slave experience connect to the modern-day experience of African Americans?
How much can/should a person endure to stay alive? Why do people accept abuse and not fight back? How do past events inform the actions of people in the present? How can a person gain control of another person's body or mind? What does it mean to be free? How do authors make choices about how to structure a narrative? How do different sections of a novel combine to create a cohesive whole?
Students have been engaging with these questions as we read the book and are able to make many connections to their own lives. The project for the book asks students to research a time period that they find interesting and gather information on how average people lived during that time. They will then create a historically accurate narrative in which they or a character they create are transported to this time period and must fit in and conceal their true identity in order to keep safe and/or achieve some objective. In other words, their stories will follow a similar structure as Kindred but in relationship to a different time period.
In addition, students will also write an AP essay in response to the following prompt:
Some works of literature use the element of time in a distinct way. The chronological sequence of events may be altered, or time may be suspended or accelerated. Choose a novel, an epic, or a play of recognized literary merit and show how the author's manipulation of time contributes to the effectiveness of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
In the meantime, we are engaging in close reading activities for key passages from the novel as well as conducting research about the Antebellum period. Many students have already remarked that it is their favorite book we've read all year. I cannot thank you enough for making this unit possible, and we sincerely appreciate your support of our students.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
This classroom project was brought to life by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation and 3 other donors.AP English Students Need Contemporary Latino Novel
Funded Feb 17, 2018Words cannot express how grateful I am for your inspiring generosity. Our students embraced this beautifully complicated book and finally had the opportunity to read a contemporary novel by a writer who looks like them. The unit around the text was a great success.
When approaching the teaching of a novel, we always start with provocative essential questions that both hook students into the text and drive our instruction. Some of our essential questions for the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao included:
How can literature serve a social and political purpose? How are power and economics interrelated? What role does family play in our triumphs and failures? How does the past affect the present? What does it mean to be an "outsider"? How do different sections of a novel combine to create a cohesive whole?
Students engaged with these questions throughout our reading of the book and were able to make many connections to their own lives. Almost 70% of my students are Latino/a and many of them had never read a novel by a Latino/a writer. The project for the book asked students to work collaboratively to create detailed portrayals of different sections of the book. Six groups of 4-5 students created presentations that included a summary of their section, an analysis of symbols and motifs, a close read of a significant passage (of their choice) from their section of the novel, and an explanation of how their section of the novel contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. In addition to their group work, each student also wrote a prose analysis essay focused on the significant passage their group picked.
This collaborative project helped students build to presentation skills they will need to excel in college. The essays were some of the best I read all year. Many students wrote about family dynamics, race/ethnicity, gender, class, and the American Dream. Almost all students agreed that it was their favorite book we read all year. I cannot thank you enough for making this unit possible.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
Help DC Students Attend a Leadership Conference
Funded Sep 30, 2017Words cannot express how grateful I am for your donations. My students were given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel, network with students from across the world, and gain valuable skills that will help them achieve success in the future. Your gift helped 5 low-income students from Washington, DC public schools attend the national conference of the Future Business Leaders of America in New Orleans, LA. You helped to cover the costly registration fees.
At the conference, students attended inspiring workshops, competed in business competitions, and learned from expert guest speakers. Many of my students had never been outside of the Washington, DC area. Their perspective widened greatly, and I saw a marked increased in their confidence. One student remarked after attending a workshop on public speaking, "I am no longer afraid to give a presentation." The skills the students gained will help them succeed in and transition smoothly into college life.
The students also had a tremendous amount of fun. They got to explore the sites of New Orleans and visit local colleges. They made friends from across the globe that they now remain in touch with. The students had so much fun that they were actually excited when our flight was canceled and we had to stay another day. Your generosity is truly inspiring and none of these changes could have occurred without your support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
AP English Students Need Contemporary Novel
Funded Jul 16, 2015I cannot thank you enough for igniting a love of reading in my students. Throughout their educations, my students have been forced, for better or worse, to read canonical novels and plays. Such a curriculum helps prepare students for college, however many students, especially struggling students, can never seem to embrace the classics. Your generous donations helped put Junot Diaz's Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, an energetic and hip novel, into the hands of my students and the vast majority have claimed that it was the best book they have ever read.
65% of the students at my school are Latino, however many of them have never read a novel by a Latino writer. My students were able to identify with the characters, who are children of immigrants, and were able to see the stories of their own lives alive on paper. My male students, in particular, developed a deep connection to the text. In my experience, male students are the hardest to reach, and I thank you for making this connection possible.
In class, we completed a group project for the novel. Each group was assigned a specific section of the novel and they had to do a presentation on their section as well as write an analysis essay about their section. In their analysis, students focused on the unique style, diction, tone, and syntax of the contemporary novel that was both relevant and rigorous. My students fell so in love with Diaz's work that many are now reading his short stories for fun. Your impact has truly been transformational and I sincerely thank you for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
Help Urban Students Attend a Leadership Conference
Funded Mar 27, 2014Words cannot express how grateful I am for your donations. My students were given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel, network with students from across the world, and gain valuable skills that will help them achieve success in the future. Your gift helped 10 low-income students from Washington, DC public schools attend the national conference of the Future Business Leaders of America in Nashville, TN. You helped to cover the costly registration fees as well as hotel rooms at the prestigious Gaylord hotel.
At the conference, students attended inspiring workshops, competed in business competitions, and learned from expert guest speakers. Many of my students had never been outside of the Washington, DC area. Their perspective widened greatly, and I saw a marked increased in their confidence. One student remarked after attending a workshop on public speaking, "I am no longer afraid to give a presentation." The skills the students gained will help them succeed in and transition smoothly into college life.
The students also had a tremendous amount of fun. They got to explore the sites of Nashville as well as the majestic Gaylord hotel. They made friends from across the globe that they now remain in touch with. The students had so much fun that they were actually excited when our flight was canceled and we had to stay another day. Your generosity is truly inspiring and none of these changes could have occurred without your support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Talarico
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T Foundation and 6 other donors.