Past projects 6
Building Literacy for My Heritage Spanish Speakers
Funded Dec 18, 2024My students are fully enjoying this amazing book,Esperanza Renace (Esperanza Rising) by Pam Munoz. I am amazed about how much they are engaged and understanding the story line. For most of them this is the first time they have read a novel in Spanish. Some have even have asked to borrow a copy to take home and practice reading.
We are analyzing things such as figurative language in Spanish, while also delving into vocabulary, character analysis and theme.
They thoroughly enjoy our daily 25 minutes of reading, making predictions and questions The benefits of exposing them to not only good literature, but a work of a famous latina writer, while being exposed to Mexican history, themes of equality, strength and the power of your community will definitely leave an impact in, my students for years to come.
Thank you for providing us with his priceless experience.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson
Diverse Literature for Diverse Learners
Funded Aug 21, 2021My students and I are so thankful for your generous donation. About 90% of my students have no access to multicultural books. Since my class is a diverse group of students, very seldom do they get to see someone that looks like them in the books they read. Almost all of the books I requested are culturally relevant to my school; therefore my students have been able to select books that reflect who they are as individuals. They have developed the habit of daily reading by choosing the books that best fit them.
We devote 15 minutes of class daily to engage in silent reading, and it is so rewarding to see them enthralled in their books.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 4 other donors.Reading Through Quarantine
Funded Oct 2, 2020This generous donation of books to my classroom has been significantly more meaningful this year. Most of my students do not have access to books and by making my library larger, I was able to deliver books observing social distancing. My students are able to borrow and return books they read in a safe manner.
I found out that a lot of my students do not like reading on their devices, and that the only way they enjoy reading is when they are holding a book. So, having a variety of books allows all types of readers to enjoy this amazing collection.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 5 other donors.Next Generation Readers
Funded Oct 15, 2019This particular selection of books, that you have generously donated, is very important. Most of these books are as diverse as my students. At Fern Bacon, we are working hard to build a strong culture of readers. I want my students to be able to read anything they want while identifying with the diverse characters showcased in these books. Since reading not only provides them with a larger vocabulary, but it also teaches them empathy as they connect with characters in stories.
This new selection of books will make our morning reading more interesting since every morning my students read for 10 minutes. They also take these books home so they can read beyond the classroom.
Since our new books arrived, they have been in high demand. I also read a chapter of one of these books every Friday to expose them to different genres.
They still can't believe how is it possible for people that do not know them to care enough to spend money on them.
I tell them that this is an opportunity for them to remember to pay it forward sometime in their future.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson
Multimedia in the 8th Grade Classroom
Funded Nov 1, 2017I am so thankful for this opportunity. My students have been struggling with recording their slide tutorials. They had to speak to the microphone above the screen, which ended up picking up every sound in the room. This made their voices difficult to understand and muffled at times I've had to ask other teachers to allow them to go to their classrooms during their free time, sometimes even sending them to record in the hallway. Some would come at lunch time to record under a makeshift office cover, which unsuccessfully blocked the surrounding sounds.
I am planning on providing my students with innovative opportunities to reach outside our classroom with these mic/headphones. We would be able to have Online Skype conferences with pen pals in other states, make tutorials teaching other students or adults how to do something, record a slide presentation for a project, record and make interviews, and other activities that these microphones will provide.
My students are super excited about having the ability to record like in a studio instead of trying to find a place to record their work. They are really excited about creating Podcasts about their family heritage project.
Most of my students come from low income homes and most do not even own a cell phone or computer at home. Their parents are not very familiar with computers or technology, so introducing my 8th graders to this exciting way to use technology could make a huge impact in their lives opening a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities for them.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson
Books to Open Teens' Minds
Funded Oct 12, 2016This amazing donation has benefited my classroom in several ways. It was difficult to help my students find motivation to read because they come from homes where reading is not encouraged or practiced; they also struggle to read at grade level and have difficulties accessing books outside their homes.
The majority of my students are English Learners that come from homes in which literacy is not observed or practiced. I provide my classes with 15 minutes of Sacred Reading Time in which we all engage in the joyful art of reading for pleasure. Having these many books has allowed me to offer my students more variety and updated books to choose from.
Another factor is that I have a plethora of reading levels in my 8th grade Language Class ranging from 4th to 10th grade. It was very difficult for me to provide them with this wide range of reading material they required. These books have added a new set of exciting, invigorating and challenging books for the different reading levels.
My students are able to check out these books and take them home, which for most of them is an advantage. Some have no access to a library near their home or our school. Besides this, our librarian is only here 2 days a week. They find it convenient because besides this I do not put any pressure to return the books as long as they are reading them.
As you can see, these books have opened up a new world of possibilities to assist my 8th graders in becoming life-long readers and book lovers.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Johnson