Mrs. Ennis' Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 8

• First Nations Mini Classroom Library

  Funded Mar 16, 2021

  Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to have my students select from our updated "library", but I did lend one of the graphic novels to a student in my World History Honors class who is planning on reading another one. So, although my First Nations/Wisconsin Studies students have not yet read the books, they have spurred the interest in other students which I think is a victory! I love seeing kids actually WANT to read and not see it as just another assignment. These books are different than the typical school texts and I anticipate them being engaging for students.

  I used lists of recommended books about Native Americans from a variety of sources including Firstnations.org. I created my own list based on what I researched. I selected different genres and a wide variety of reading levels so the text is accessible for all of my very diverse group of readers.

  I love the selection and that I was able to include things like graphic novels about Native American superheroes. Seeing a format many are engaged in with characters that are typically under represented, misrepresented, or just left out of books should drive awareness about the Indigenous people of the United States.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 2 other donors.

• Matched Set: Ditch the Rest of the Desks

  Funded Sep 16, 2020

  Unfortunately, my students are not going to be able to enjoy the new tables and chairs until fall. East High School is still all virtual, but slated to go to a hybrid of virtual and face to face late April. I have told my current students about them and they were thrilled with the prospect of having new furniture in the classroom. Because of the social distancing requirements, we will be using desks. So, I do not have photographs of their smiling faces enjoying the new things.

  I do not have access to the furniture at this time, so am unable to report much more about it and it's future use, other than to say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I cannot believe that I received the funding to be able to finally provide my students with the type of environment they deserve and that is conducive to learning. I am anxious to see the day when my students are able to collaborate at their tables, sharing ideas, and problem solving. As a project based teacher, it has been challenging to have students work by sliding desks together and using the floor. I'm hoping the tables will create an even stronger community than already exists in my classes.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose 20th Anniversary Fund and 17 other donors.

• Ditch the Desks

  Funded May 28, 2020

  Thank you for your generosity. Unfortunately, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, East High School (building)has been closed since March 13th. I have told my students about the new tables and chairs, though. We are excited to get back into the building and enjoy using the brand new, never used, not written on, not sticky, fully assembled furniture. They have seen pictures, but that is the extent of their contact with the project.

  I have attached pictures of the delivery of chairs and tables. I have only been in the building a couple of times and am planning on assembling everything soon. I cannot tell you how thrilling it was to walk into my room! All of the old, dirty, broken desks were gone! Instead, there were boxes of new chairs and tables. The chairs, luckily, just need to be unpacked. I get to pull out the power drill to put the tables together - something that I enjoy doing. The feeling of satisfaction, once the room is all together, is going to be stupendous.

  We are all tired of zooms and working in our living rooms, kitchen tables and bedrooms. We miss interactions with one another. The tables, once they actually have students seated at them, will be ideal for collaborative work. They are round so students can easily see one another and share with each other. Not many classrooms have new furniture. This will be a special, well deserved, treat for my students. We are used to things being old and worn. We are so grateful to have these new additions to our learning environment!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

  This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.

• Some Like it Hot... NOT!

  Funded May 17, 2018

  Thank you so much for your donations! The air conditioning unit has made September tolerable in my otherwise very warm classroom. We are able to keep the windows closed and the room bee-free. We are all able to focus versus being drowsy and lethargic. It is a large room so it does have to run a lot, but the temperature difference between outside and the room is noticeable. The reduction in humidity has been wonderful as well! With the changing of the seasons, allergies have been an issue. Being able to keep the windows closed helps.

  The initial reaction by the students was one of curiosity. It's not large, but it does stand out - especially when the big box was dropped off in my room! A student was so excited about it that he helped me install it. He read the whole manual! No more complaining about how hot it is in my room. No more complaining about the noise from traffic and sirens outside as well as the bees or wasps that seemed to always make there way into my room.

  The stand-alone air conditioner is going to be a valuable classroom tool for seasons and years to come. Not only does it cool off my room, but it will proved heat in the winter as well as act as a humidifier. There have been times when the boiler for my part of the building has gone out and I've had to have space heaters strategically placed to help heat the room. It is always dry in here in the winter - the humidifier is a big bonus. I talk a lot in my classes. This will save my throat! I don't think many people, be it other teachers, students, parents, or administrators, realize what a difference climate makes in the classroom and learning. I cannot concentrate when I am uncomfortable. How can we expect a 15 year old, especially one with attention challenges, to learn when it is 90 degrees in the room and a bee is flying around?

  Again, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for your generous contributions to my learning environment. Both students and I are enjoying the new comfort that the air condition has been providing.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

• Freedom Train: Slave Journeys Through Wisconsin

  Funded Jul 6, 2017

  Thank you so much for your generous donations! Unfortunately, we were unable to get the classroom set of the Freedom Train book about runaway slaves who came to Wisconsin before and during the Civil War. Amazon Prime was unable to fulfill the full order, but I was able to find alternative materials for my Wisconsin Studies and our unit (units - social issues are a common thread throughout the course) on race in Wisconsin, from the past through the present. I purchased The New Jim Crow and Evicted to provide students with modern perspectives and information on racial conditions. What happens in the country, happens in Wisconsin. What happens in Wisconsin, happens all over. Wisconsin Studies, for me, is a vehicle for discussing bigger issues. My students can relate to readings like Evicted, because it takes place in Milwaukee. A lot of them have lived it.

  My students connect with music which drove me to order That's the Joint. I try to reach them where they are at whenever possible. It can be reading about the history of slavery or lyrics - it is all reading and about comprehending and interpreting what is on the page. I want them to read and for some that means coming up with alternative sources. They can learn so much about history by studying music. It reflects what people were feeling at the time. Rap and hip hop have evolved, but were a vehicle for urban youth to express their experiences. My students can relate and apply this to our class.

  I also ordered a number of books about the Civil Rights movement, such as The Selma of the North:Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee; Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves; and Civil Rights Activism in Milwaukee: South Side Struggles in the '60s and 70's. I also purchased the DVD Africans in America America's Journey Through Slavery and Africa's Great Civilization. We are, obviously, not going to be using all of every material, but pieces throughout the year. I will be using them not just for my Wisconsin Studies course, but also my World History students, and possible AP US or World History in the future (my school currently does not off either one and I am actively trying to get them added to our course list).

  I attached pictures of the books themselves, sample assignments, and student work. The work is from my Wisconsin Studies students. We did not use the materials provided by your donations, but they are similar to things we will be doing in the future. Students were broken into groups and given articles about the Key Stone Pipeline, each with a bias. They were told to figure out what "side" the article was leaning towards and write up a proposal for solving the debate over whether or not to have the pipeline based on this view point. They then presented their proposal to the class. We will be doing debates in the future and this was a warm up to persuasive writing, understanding points of view, and using credible sources. Your books will be used in this manner. I want kids to develop and support their own interpretations of materials. I like to provide a lot of reading options for them in terms of level and interest. These materials are diverse and should appeal to a wide range of students.

  Thank you again for providing me and my students the opportunity to explore issues of race both in Wisconsin and the country with this variety of materials. They will all be put to good use! I'm in the process of writing up lesson plans for comparing documents right now!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 9 other donors.

• Atlas to Learning

  Funded Jul 23, 2017

  Thank you SO much for your generous donations to my project! I rarely use a text book because there are so many other perspectives students need to get in order for them to develop their critical thinking skills as well as confidence in their writing. My 10th graders struggle with writing about their own interpretations of information - they are used to being TOLD what happened rather than looking at the pieces available and reaching their own, substantiated conclusions. These atlases are providing them with another level of information to use to. History is not just about reading a text or a book that is ABOUT what happened. They need to experience it in a variety of mediums. Maps are one of those. I can talk about migration patterns or about trade, but it helps, especially for my many visual learners, to actually SEE what happened where. I do a pre-assessment during the first week of school which includes a map of the world. All I ask for students to label are the continents and oceans. Every year there are more and more answers wrong. Geography is a growing gap in my students' wheel house. I cannot send them out into the world without understanding the globe. This is especially true today with how much more global interaction we have.

  Again, thank you again. These atlases will be put to good use. They are very high quality and will last for years to come.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

  This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and 3 other donors.

• Guns, Germs, & Steel: World History Through a Different Lens

  Funded Apr 19, 2017

  Thank you so much for your generous donations! I could not believe how quickly my project was funded! It makes me truly feel valued for what I do to get support from the community at large!

  Guns, Germs, and Steel offers students a way to examine world history from a different lens. Rather than the standard textbook/text questions and lectures/notes, it shows students that there are endless ways to examine history. History isn't just about certain individuals who have been deemed worth studying; dates that matter to some but not all; and events that are limited to certain parts of the world. My students come from a variety of backgrounds. I have immigrants from all over the world in my classes and want to teach in a non-American and European centered manner. GSS offers a global perspective on how history created the world we live in today. I focus on convergence of cultures and collective learning. World history is about the whole world. Events were happening all over at the same time and my essential questions center on how did we get where we are; where are we going; and so what or why do should we care about the past? I encourage students to explore their own histories and to feel confident in their own points of view. We all are going to see things differently. GSS exemplifies this idea of it being okay to come at a subject from a different angle.

  Due to the diversity of learners in my classroom, GSS will be a supplemental resource. I will be using excerpts and chapters to compliment my curriculum. Modifications will be necessary for my lower level readers as the text is somewhat dense and higher level. I am anticipating teaching a World Advanced Placement class at East High School in the next year or 2 depending on administration and district approval. It is currently not offered, but would follow our school's SIP if it was as we are trying to get more students of color to take AP courses and, in doing so, are expected to develop lessons that will reach a broader range of students. The idea is to attract students to these courses who would typically be uninterested or intimidated by AP curriculum. GSS is an ideal book for AP students learning how disseminate secondary sources, bias, perspective, and the use of evidence to support an argument (such as that who had the technology and resources were the "winners").

  I already have students picking up the books from the box that just arrived and showing interest in them. They have watched the videos and enjoyed them. I am enthusiastic about their curiosity already! Anything with "Germs" on the cover intrigues high school kids... they love being disgusted by diseases and how they impacted civilizations!

  These books will see a lot of use and, hopefully, love in my classroom. I embrace any opportunity to engage my students in reading and questioning how we see the world around us!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis

• Mapping the Way Through World History

  Funded Dec 29, 2016

  My students and I are extremely grateful for your generous donations! We've had the map, but had to wait to have it properly mounted on the wall over the blackboard. We are currently studying the Crusades and this was an invaluable resource! The students have to determine what "home field advantage" is when examining the sides of war and how Jerusalem eventually fell to Saladin's army. Students were finally able to see how much terrain the Crusaders had to cover in order to even get to Palestine. We were able to have rich discussions about the issues they would have faced both during the journey and upon arrival.

  Students were surprised to see a new map in the room! The current world map isn't even of the world. it is just Asia with a tiny bit of Europe and the top eastern corner of Africa. Not only was it not of the actual world, it was from the Cold War! It will make for a great source when we start studying post WWII. It has East and West Germany as well as the USSR.

  In addition to World History, I teach Wisconsin Studies. I have a large, comprehensive Wisconsin map but no U.S. map. Thanks to your donations, now I do. It has been difficult to talk about migration, movement of Native American tribes, wars, etc. with just a Wisconsin map. I used the overhead with a slide show to do it, but that doesn't have the same impact as having an actual map on the wall to continually refer to while lecturing!

  These maps will be used for years to come (until the globe changes again?). I am so grateful to have these bright, colorful, easy to read additions to my room. They are dry erasable, too, which is a huge plus.

  My current and future classes thank you.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Ennis