Past projects 11
Fahrenheit 451: It Was a Pleasure to Burn (Not Really!)
Funded Apr 9, 2025When I checked my project page over my morning coffee today, I was hopeful that I would get 1 or 2 donations that would be well-timed with the matching funds today. I never imagined that this project would be fully funded today! It was so exciting to see the updates throughout today, and even more exciting to see this project fully funded within HOURS!!!! I cannot wait to share the good news with the students tomorrow. I am so appreciative of selfless, caring people like each of you, who will have a lasting impact on the best students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.Help My Students Succeed with "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
Funded Apr 1, 2025I never thought this project would get funded so quickly! This happened due to your selfless generosity. My students' educational experience will be even better because of each of you.
Thank you for the impact on my students, my classroom, and my curriculum. Looking forward to teaching this important novel!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 6 other donors.A Bug's Life?! Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" in AP Lit
Funded Dec 16, 2024Thank you for your selfless generosity. As a result of your donations, each of my students will have their own copy of "The Metamorphosis." They will be able to use the book for notes and annotations, tying directly to the AP Lit Big 6: Character, Setting, Narration, Structure, Figurative Language, and Literary Argumentation. They will use color-coded annotation to keep their notes and highlights organized. Kafka's important work, "The Metamorphosis," has been cited 5 times on the AP Literature and Composition exam. Even without being directly cited, students have the option of using this work of literature for their responses to the Free Response Question.
Thank you, again, for having a direct positive impact on my classroom, and for enhancing the educational experience for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
More Lit for Ap Lit: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Funded Oct 3, 2024I cannot adequately describe the joy that you brought to my classroom and to my students with your generous donation to this book project. Students were thrilled to have their own copy of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" for this unit of study. They worked in their copy of the book to highlight and annotate for the various areas of focus for AP Literature: Structure, Character, Narration, Setting, Figurative Language, and Literary Argumentation. These aspects are referred to as the AP Literature Big 6. By focusing on these 6 areas/aspects, students will be well prepared for the upcoming AP Literature and Composition exam in May.
As part of this unit, students listened to the audiobook (which we highly recommend!), then watched the movie. Since they were so familiar with the book, they were able to notice differences between the book and the movie. The final project was "Mapping Janie's Marriages." This project allowed them to fully explore character development, as well as how Janie breaks societal norms for that time period and setting.
Thank you, again, for your selfless donation. You have made a difference in my students' lives and they will never forget it. And a thank you to SONIC for matching those funds!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 6 other donors.More Lit for AP Lit: The Awakening by Kate Chopin!
Funded Sep 30, 2024As a result of your generous donation, my students have their own copy of "The Awakening." We are in the middle of this unit, with students annotating their books to align with the AP Literature Big 6 Ideas. Those are Character, Structure, Narration, Setting, Figurative Language, and Literary Argumentation. Students are using color-coded annotation/highlighting to distinguish among the Big 6 Ideas. This provides further support as they work on skills to succeed on the AP Literature and Composition Exam.
"The Awakening" allows students to explore many themes and ideas. Most prominently, students are reading about a character who defies the cultural and societal standards in her time period and in that setting. Discussions are lively and the students are all engaged.
We are grateful for people like you, who take the time to support students in their learning. Happy New Year and thank you again for supporting my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
Yearbook Photojournalism: Help Us Get a DSLR Camera!
Funded Feb 20, 2019This project enabled my students to learn photography, and build a better yearbook for their entire class.
We not only photographed events, sports, clubs, activities, classroom settings, but we were also able to learn about photography skills. Students learned about camera angles, photography composition, journalism in photography, telling a story through pictures, and how to capture moments with different viewpoints. Students were then able to apply the skills used with a so-called "real camera" to the cameras which are embedded in their phones.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Donor and 5 other donors.Yearbook Photojournalism: We Need a DSLR Camera!
Funded Nov 3, 2016Your generous donations have had a widespread impact on not only the students in my Yearbook class, but also on the entire senior class and school. My students were able to photograph so many events, with high-quality photos that surpass the quality on cell phones exponentially! We have thousands of pictures from which to choose...and we had so much fun choosing which ones would be used in this year's yearbook. The students fully understand that the yearbook is all about the school community, and should tell that story. They also know that the yearbook serves as a record, historically, of the school, its events, and its impact on the neighborhood. They have succeeded!
The coaches of the various sports teams are grateful that there are as many pictures as we have. They plan to use those pictures to help the students improve their skills. For example, the yearbook students have attended multiple games for each sport, and have captured the action using the sports mode. That, in combination with one of the zoom lenses, resulted in scene-by-scene type pictures; when you scroll through them, you can see the step-by-step action. The coaches will be using those pictures to train the athletes in their positioning, stance, and movement.
This donation and its impact will last for many years to come. Thank you for being such an influential part of my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Make It Real For My Students!
Funded Nov 21, 2014Thank you, again, for your generous and selfless donations to my project. On Friday, May 1st, 2015, I took 33 students to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. The trip was completely free for my students, all because of each of you. Many of these students had only seen live theatre via school-based performances. Seeing professional actors and actresses perform live was a first for most of them! The theatre itself is small and intimate, with a 3/4 thrust stage and 120 seats. Not a bad seat in the house! Our seats were on one side, and in the front. Quite a few students had front row seats, and were close to all of the action. I was able to see most of their faces throughout the play, and they were engaged and enthusiastic. One of the most unique aspects of the student matinee performances is the talk-back with the actors after the play. About a half-dozen of my students asked questions of the actors. It was an incredible day for them, and even more so for me. We are already planning next year's trip back!!
Thank you, again, for your support of this project. Despite budget constraints that we all may face personally and professionally, these amazing students continue to get direct experience with the arts due to thoughtful, selfless people such as you.
Have a wonderful summer!
~Emily Cohen”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
"What's In A Name? Romeo And Juliet, That's What!"
Funded Jan 19, 2014On the first Friday in May, we traveled to the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre to attend the live performance of "Romeo and Juliet." May 2nd was a beautiful day in so many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect! The sun was shining, and the day we were eagerly awaiting was finally here!
My students benefited from this trip in many ways. Each year, as I begin my Shakespeare unit, I am faced with dread from many students. They think that Shakespeare is difficult because of the language and structure of the lines. They don't view Shakespeare's plays as necessary to their lives. What we discover through our journey together is that the themes are universal to today's society and issues. The language, albeit challenging, is not insurmountable. And, much to their surprise, many of the students who dread reading the plays actually enjoy them!
Shakespeare's plays were not written with the intention of reading them, however. Shakespeare wrote his plays with an audience in mind. We are meant to see the plays performed! For many of the students who attended this free trip, it was their first time seeing a Shakespeare play. Quite a few have seen filmed versions of the plays, but that's not the same, which they quickly discovered. They really enjoyed seeing "Romeo and Juliet!" What was even better is that several students who attended this performance also went with me last year to see "Othello" at the same theatre. They were enthralled with one actor's performance as Iago, and were so excited to see him in the role of Mercutio this year!
Even better was to hear the students express that they want to continue to see Shakespeare's plays performed live. Thank you for your generosity, which allowed me to take my students to the theatre, for free. You have impacted the lives of 23 amazing students, who will never forget this trip and experience!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen
Take 2! More Intro. To Business Books For My Students!
Funded Oct 22, 2010My students are enthusiastically using the classroom materials you generously provided. The Introduction to Business textbooks have been a welcome addition to our classroom community! My students are juniors and seniors, and will be entering college and the workforce with additional information as part of their educational resources.
Many of my students take an interest in politics and the economy. They may have had a basic exposure to economic and business-related concepts. However, with the presence and use of these textbooks in the classroom, they are expanding their knowledge on a daily basis. It is quite exciting for me to be a witness to it! My day is made brighter when I experience their enthusiasm about a topic which is important to me.
My hope is that you, the donors, realize what an important part you continue to have in this process of learning. Your participation only started with your donation. Your impact on my students, both present and future, will continue to be important.
Thank you for everything that you did to help turn my dream into reality!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Cohen