Past projects 5
It's the Final Countdown!
Funded Mar 30, 2023I am blown away by all of the support you have provided me! I AM STOKED to bring these AMAZING stories to my students! Thank you again for your kindness and generosity by contributing to my project. Once the books have arrived and I have shared it with my students, I'll upload some pictures and share some feedback from my readers. Again, thank you again for your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Monroe
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.Representing Diversity in Book Clubs
Funded Nov 30, 2021Thank you so much for your generous support in order to bring more diverse texts to my students! It brings me so much joy to talk to the kids about the books they are reading and offer books that they can't put down. I strongly believe it is important for ALL students to see themselves in the books I offer and I can't wait to share these amazing texts with the students!
Words cannot express my gratitude for your generous donations!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Monroe
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.Diverse and Social Justice Books at a Distance
Funded Jun 15, 2020Thank you so much for your generous donation! Your donation supplied social justice books towards two Plan B Fourth Grade classrooms. Plan B classrooms are classrooms that started virtually/remotely at the beginning of the school year, but once it is safe enough to return, these students will be back in the building.
As we began our year virtually/remotely, another fourth grade teacher and I surveyed our students to see which books they were interested in starting the year with and packed their choice in their supply bag for pick up. Students were able to safely pick up their materials. Those without transportation had their materials were delivered to their homes.
Then students participated in digital book clubs using Google Classroom where they met bi-weekly with their group and the teacher. Students were required to read each week and come prepared with completed work based on their individual book club job. Students would also use Flipgrid, which is a digital platform to focus on social media and digital citizenship skills while posting a video and providing feedback on their work.
We have not offered all the books yet to students, but the students have really enjoyed reading these modern stories that are relevant and interesting topics to them. It has generated great discussions about current events too, such as the Black Lives Matter Movement and immigration. Having literature that reflects these important topics have offered a doorway to authentic discussion of humanity, ethics, and personal experiences to build our classroom communities and relationships, which would not have been possible without your donation. Thank you for your support!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Monroe
Inspiring the Next Generation
Funded Jan 22, 2020Thank you so much for your kind and generous donations! I’m thrilled to offer these books to my students!
One of my favorite parts about my career is to help kids discover and inspire them to follow their passions. I hope these books not offer more awareness, but motivate my students to make this world a better place. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Monroe
Seeking Sparks With Diverse Poetry Books
Funded Jun 29, 2019Thank you so much for your thoughtful and generous donations! With your contributions I was able to buy five different, free-verse poetry books for my fourth graders. Compared to last year, I saw a HUGE, positive difference among my students' attitude towards poetry because of these books.
At the beginning of the quarter, my students were able to preview book trailers and select their top three choices. Then I put them into groups and was able to give everyone one of their top two choices. Each week students were assigned a certain amount of pages to read independently and complete a book club job in a Google Slide. Depending on the size of the group, these jobs mainly include a snazzy summarier, discussion director, quote collector, imaginative illustration, creative connector, and travel agent (focusing on the setting). Each group met weekly to share our jobs and discuss the book. Afterwards, we would rotate jobs for the next section. The last two meetings, I had students conduct their own book club meetings in order to observe their progress with their speaking and listening skills.
Since it was the beginning of the year, this process provided me with the opportunity to also observe my students' independent work habits, get to know my students' personal connections to their book and build relationships with all my readers. I also enjoyed helping my students reflect and brainstorm solutions to 'hiccups' in our original plans, when there was a conflict with schedules, student(s) in the group not properly prioritizing their tasks and/or learning how to collaborate in a digital space. My favorite part was helping my students develop their empathy towards others through our discussions and understanding the world around them more.
All of my students enjoyed their book. I noticed many checking out either their own copy or another one from their author. Last year, I saw only a few students taking the time to checkout or buy other poetry books towards the end of our unit. These books also gave my struggling readers a sense of accomplishment due to the structure of the text. When I announced that all the books would be available for independent reading the rest of the year, I had many students share with me which one they wanted to read next.
Your contribution helped me carry out one of my biggest philosophy with reading with being able to provide great texts that are "windows, mirrors, or doors" for my students. You have made such a major impact in my students' lives and future ones as well! Thank you again!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Monroe