Past projects 16
Help Our Library Fill the Gaps
Funded Mar 16, 2021The books you provided to fill the gaps in our library are flying off the shelves. The library has only been physically open for eight days now, and all but two books in this project have been checked out. In fact, the Dogman and manga titles have been checked out multiple times in this short period.
These books are playing a very important role in our school. Knowing we need to boost the amount of reading students are doing to overcome learning losses from the previous year of remote learning, teachers are giving students time for silent reading at least two times a day: in English classes and during Advisory. This donation supports our schoolwide effort by providing high interest books students want to read.
The sixth grade and seventh grade students are especially thrilled to find these manga and graphic novel titles in the library. For these two grades of students this is their first time visiting our middle school library and they are amazed at the selection. A handful are coming to the library every day, and even twice a day! That could not have happened without your generous donation.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.We Need (More) Diverse Books in Our Library
Funded Mar 4, 2020For the last couple of years I have worked to increase the number of diverse books in our library. But even though I bought these books, I didn't know the best way to encourage students to read them. I didn't know how to get students to break away from their love of Diary of a Wimpy Kid books to become wider readers. So for the most part, the books sat on the shelves.
Until last fall when I finally stumbled upon the answer to my troubles when reading about the "Read Woke" challenge begun by high school teacher librarian Cicely Lewis. The challenge requires students to read four Read Woke books. (A Read Woke book is a book with a main character that is not part of the status quo.)
I immediately started a plan to implement this challenge in the library. I introduced the challenge, created a chart to track student's reading, and created a display, labeling our Woke books with a "W" sticker. When the first class came to the library I explained the challenge and did a book talk for 5 of the books on the shelves. By the end of the class the display was decimated. I had to go find more books.
I know the challenge is working because now it is okay for 3 students in one class to ask which books have LGBTQ characters. It is part of the reading challenge and expanding your knowledge. Students don't have to feel that others are judging them for asking for such a book.
In fact it was working so well, that I was running out of books. This grant has helped us enlarge our LGBTQ collection as well as our collection of graphic novels with main characters of color. Due to the current stay-at-home orders it has been challenging to get these books into the hand of students, but we are running a library-to-go program at our school and several of these books have been checked out. In fact, if you look at the picture with the bags of books waiting to be picked up by students, there are four of these books inside those bags!
The books in this grant are meant to encourage independent reading, but they are more than that. These books are also providing students with mirrors into their own lives and windows into the lives of others.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 2 other donors.Let's Get "Series"ous in the Library
Funded Mar 3, 2020To start with this grant, funded two weeks before the schools were shut down for Covid-19, is meant to encourage and support independent reading in our students. Luckily all the books arrived just days before the schools closed. Students got a chance to see the books and put their requests in for them. One lucky bunch even got to check them out, and keep them for a full three months, as our original "two week" stay-at-home period came and went.
Once remote learning became the norm for the new school year, it was clear changes needed to be made to continue to support and promote independent reading for our students. Knowing that right now our students are struggling to access materials, and knowing that they are falling behind in their skills, it was imperative that the library act.
First I, the teacher librarian, built a new Cochran Virtual Library website with a variety of reading materials students could access online. Second, so that students could check out physical books, which they have always told me they prefer, I planned and initiated a "Library to Go" program. Students can now request books, including those received in this grant, through the online catalog. Once a week I go to school, find the books, sanitize them and pack them into bags for pickup. In fact, if you look closely at the pictures, you can see that several books in the series are currently checked out.
The students who are able to get to the school to pick up library books have been absolutely thrilled with the resources. Especially our sixth graders, who are in awe at how many interesting books our library holds compared to their elementary school libraries.
Stephen Krashen, a well-respected professor of education at USC, has written repeatedly that research reveals the best way to truly improve reading ability is not through direct instruction but rather by providing students with access to high-interest texts which they can self-select. Knowing this, these books are exactly what our students need in these challenging times.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 4 other donors.Get Graphic Novels Into Our Library
Funded Mar 6, 2020The last eight months have been an adventure for those of us in education, and I would like to take this moment to thank you for your support of the schools. I'd also like to provide you with an update on how the Johnnie Cochran Middle School Library is using the books your donations funded.
To start with this grant, funded exactly one week before the schools were shut down, is meant to encourage and support independent reading in our students. Luckily all the books arrived before the last day of school on March 13. I was even able to show the books to students and get them excited about reading them. But unfortunately, I did not get the books processed and added into the library catalog until Thursday, March 12. The next day, when I had hoped to call interested students into the library to pick up the books, our school board officially voted to suspend school. Absence rates had already skyrocketed to 30% and rather than checking out books, the day was spent furiously making packets of school work and giving students instructions for our "two week" stay-at-home period. Sadly, the new books sat on our shelves for the rest of the spring semester.
As remote learning became the norm for the new school year, it was clear changes needed to be made to continue to support and promote independent reading for our students. Knowing that right now our students are struggling to access materials, and knowing that they are falling behind in their skills, it was imperative that the library act.
The thank you pictures help to tell the story of what I did. First I built a new Virtual Library website with a variety of online reading materials. Then, so students could check out physical books, which they really wanted after spending hours on the computer each day, I planned and initiated a "Library to Go" program. Students can now request books, including those received in this grant, through the online catalog. Once a week I go to school, find the books, sanitize them and pack them into bags for pickup.
Stephen Krashen, a well-respected professor of education at USC, has written repeatedly that research reveals the best way to truly improve reading ability is not through direct instruction but rather by providing students with access to high-interest texts which they can self-select. Knowing this, these books are exactly what our students need in these challenging times.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 2 other donors.Let's Add a Little Love in Our Library
Funded Aug 13, 2019When I asked for this donation for the school library I was searching for manga series that would interest my female students. I asked around for ideas but was having a hard time finding what I needed.
Then I thought about popular series I had seen in the past and ordered those hoping they would still spark an interest today. And let me tell you...we hit a home run! These books are always checked out.
The books are being read as part of our school's push for independent reading. We want students to read on their own, for fun, picking titles of their choice. The research of Stephen Krashen, a noted education professor at USC, shows this is the best way to improve reading skills.
All sorts of students are reading these books, from seasoned manga readers to English Learners and Special Education students. Nothing can be better than that. Thank you so much for helping us stock the library with the high interest materials needed to develop readers.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.Graphic Novels Are for Girls Too
Funded May 6, 2019Thank you so much for the donation that helped us get the "Yona of the Dawn" graphic novel series in our library. The books were processed and added to our graphic novels series section. And the checkouts began immediately!
Unfortunately the books were only available for checkout for two weeks before summer break collection, but in that time three girls powered through as much of the series as they could. They were checking out two to three books at a time. And when library books could no longer be taken home two weeks before school ended, one student came in during every break to finish the series.
The best part too, was that other girls saw the these students excited about the books and are now planning to come to the library the first day of school to check them out. These high-interest books are clearly engaging students as independent readers, giving them the practice they need to keep developing as readers. We can't thank you enough for making all this possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.Our Library Needs More Heroes
Funded Oct 26, 2018The My Hero Academia books are so popular we can barely keep them on the shelves, as you can see by comparing the before and after photos of the processed books on the library shelf. In fact, in the two months since we put the books in circulation the series has had 75 checkouts, an average of 5 checkouts per book.
This manga series has a single purpose in our curriculum, to encourage independent reading. The more our students read, the better they will do in all subject areas. But in this day and age of YouTube and video games, it is challenging to find books that will get students reading and off their electronic devices.
Clearly this series IS engaging them. Thank you so much for helping us get these My Hero Academia books into our library collection.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.Fairy Tales Do Come True
Funded Apr 13, 2018The Fairy Tail books are a great success in our library. These books flew off the shelves. As soon as one was turned in, another student would grab it off the shelf.
These books are supporting students' independent reading at our school which is so vital to improved reading ability. Sixth grade classes read at least fifteen minutes per day in class and regularly come to the library to check out books. This is their chance to self-select high interest books to read, rather than spending all their reading time with assigned texts.
The students were excited to see the Fairy Tail books in the library. They told me they had seen the TV show and that was why they wanted to read the books. Thank you again for the donation which is encouraging our students to read.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
The Nominations for Most Requested Books Are...
Funded Jan 25, 2018These books are a hit! The Dragon Ball Z books have a waiting list for checkouts thanks to the sixth grade boys. And it has been a real pleasure to see students' eyes light up as students realize yes we DO have Lovely Bones and Frozen Charlotte and new Bride of the Water God books!
The majority of students at our school read below grade level and would be classified as reluctant readers and/or English learners. If they do not see a book that "looks interesting" in the library, they will not take a chance and try anything else.
These new books are making it possible for me to get books they truly want in their hands so that they will read independently and start to develop a love for reading that will benefit them in all their school work and in their lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 3 other donors.Score a Goal for the Library!
Funded Dec 3, 2017Thank you so much for helping us get updated soccer books in our library just before the World Cup! We received the books, got them processed and created a display to let students know all about our new soccer books. If you look closely at the pictures, you will see that in the last photo only five of the soccer books remain on the shelf--we had to fill in the display with other sports books to keep it going. The books have definitely been a success.
In our school library students have the chance to check out personal reading books every two weeks. We hope to promote reading for the purpose of developing personal interests, and also to get books in students hands so they can improve their reading abilities.
There are several boys in particular at our school who were refusing to get books. They all play for club soccer teams, but do not like reading. They were the first students to check out the soccer books and I am now fighting with them to bring the books back so others can get their chance to check the books out.
That is the type of fight a librarian loves to have in a middle school.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Schlatter