Past projects 17
Keep Reading Cool In My Class!
Funded Oct 29, 2014It is hard to ask people to give more than they already do, because I know there are so many great causes that need your help. However, I hope you know how grateful the students of my school are to have gotten this generous donation from each of you.
Because of you, my library has been re-stocked and refreshed. There is a "buzz" in my classroom about the "new scary stories" or the "new books by Volpini". My kids are now readers, and being a reader means you talk about new books, you seek them out, and you're actually excited to feel a brand new book in your hands.
I thank you for keeping reading alive and well in my students. In an age of texting and ipads and distractions galore, it is a beautiful thing to see a group of 9th and 10th grade kids completely enthralled in books.
I hope you will continue to give to donorschoose, because teachers like me across America, especially those of us working in inner city schools, simply couldn't survive without you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 3 other donors.Keep My Bookworms Busy!
Funded Mar 29, 2014Thank you so very much for the 50 beautiful, high engagement books for my classroom! The books are cover every genre from memoir, to war stories, from anthologies of hip hop, to poetry. The books are already the talk of the classroom, with rumblings like 'Oooooh isn't that the author of "Snitch"??!' and students are pawing at the new books like they're kids in a candy shop.
The students read in class for 25 minutes per day, twice a week in my class, and they also read at home for 2 hours a week for homework. After they finish a book, they do a book talk for the class in which they pitch the book for their classmates and tell them why it's an awesome book. There is nothing more precious than a high school student (some of them six feet tall!!) passionately talking about a great novel they loved.
My students desperately need to make up for "lost reading time" in their lives. Some of them learned to read later in life than they should have, some of them were never read to at home, and many of them come from elementary/middle school backgrounds where sadly, they were never exposed to the wonder of reading. I'm trying to turn around this negativity towards reading and I'm trying to show them (through having incredible books in my classroom library) that reading is a transformative experience.
Without the help of generous donors like you, I could never keep up with having a hip classroom library that makes my kids WANT to read. The best tool to convince them that reading is worth their time is providing them with great books. You are providing me with the tools to do that.
On behalf of my kids, my school, myself and teachers all across America, THANK YOU for remembering us!! We appreciate it more than you know.”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
This classroom project was brought to life by AT&T Foundation and 7 other donors.Great Books Needed For a High Needs Classroom Library!
Funded Oct 30, 2013Today I had the pleasure of watching my students do a book pass with the boxes of new "donors choose books" we've been receiving over the past week. In a book pass, each student starts with one new book they've never read and a book pass form. They record the title of the text, and based on checking out the cover, back and doing some skimming, they decide if it's a book they want to add to their "what to read next list". After a couple minutes, I yell, "PASS!" and they pass the books in a giant circle, so everyone gets to see every book.
I truly wish you each could have been in the room as they "oohed and aaahed", they begged classmates across the room to pass them books, or they tapped their partner, anxious to show them what the book they were holding was about. This is exactly why having new books in classrooms is so imperative. As a teacher, that buzz around reading is impossible to create with old books they've already read, or have seen for years in a row on the shelves.
Because of you, my students are now reading a variety of high quality, award winning books for their independent reading program. Just today one student selected a non-fiction text about the murder of Emmitt Till. Another student is reading a "how-to" book about scholarship opportunities called "College For Almost Free", while another student chose a new memoir you purchased for us called "Grief Girl", written by Erin Vincent who recounts the tragedy of losing both of her parents in a terrible car accident when she was fourteen.
Every single book you have bought for us is treated as a gift in our class. It is covered, it is shared, students book talk them to each other and my kids know that these gifts are to be loved well and treated well.
With so many opportunities to give your money to other wonderful causes, it is with great appreciation that I thank you for choosing my humble classroom as the recipient of such a gift. You have changed the lives of over 100 young adults in New York City. You have helped them foster their love of reading and reminded them that people across the country are willing to contribute to the path of their education. We thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts!”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
Hurricane Sandy Recovery: Create Readers for Life!
Funded Nov 17, 2012I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time, care and financial sacrifice to be a part of funding my project. Bringing literature and the hope that it brings to my students is a gift and a privilege.
Unfortunately with budget cuts in New York City public schools, it becomes more and more difficult to keep a modern, updated classroom library available to my high school bookworms.
Although my students face extraordinary challenges outside of the classroom including homelessness, financial burden and family tragedy---once they walk into my classroom, they are immersed in the safety and comfort of good books and the wonderful discussions and written expression that accompany a literature classroom. Many of my students are still struggling readers and writers, but they strive to be better---by reading both inside and outside of the classroom.
The books you have each generously purchased will provide my students with choice. It allows them to choose their own escape, and to continue improving their reading and writing through the wonderful world of literature. Although you will likely never meet my students, you will feel the impact of your gift through creating a better future.”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
Help Keep My Classes' Independent Reading Program Going!
Funded May 16, 2012How can I even begin to thank you for giving my students the gift of reading? Although I work at a fantastic school, and I am supported by my administration, there is simply never enough money to have a classroom library that is full and current.My students read the books you give them every Monday in class and they also read for twenty minutes each night for homework. I have started reading their journal entries about the new books you purchased for them, and the kids are absolutely in heaven.
Many of my students use independent reading as a form of escape, and you have purchased dozens of "new worlds" to slip into when they want to get away from real life.
Without the generosity of friends and strangers like you--- my hands would be tied and my students would be re-reading the same, beat up old books. I'm so glad you believe that my kids deserve more, it has made all the difference. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
This classroom project was brought to life by Wells Fargo and 10 other donors.Help Us Fund Our School Newspaper!
Funded Dec 19, 2008Thank you so much for funding this project. Since we have had so few resources, we have yet to put out our first edition for the year. We are looking forward to putting out a January 1st edition and having this printer and ink will make printing our paper in color such an amazing way to keep our student population informed. This is truly an amazing holiday gift. The students are going to be thrilled.
Thank you with all of our hearts”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 6 other donors.In Need of Great Literature for Great Kids!
Funded Sep 2, 2008I am writing to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous contribution to my donorschoose proposal. Thanks to your donation, my 100 students will each have their own brand new copy of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. After we finish, the books will be stored for use by other kids in future years--therefore your gift is literally changing hundreds of kids lives!
I am so excited to teach this novel and knowing that each and every book that lies in my students' hands is possible because of the generosity of friends like you gives me a whole new perspective and sense of gratitude.
Thank you so much again,
Jenn”
With gratitude,
Ms. p.