Past projects 2
Meaningful and Authentic Civics Education
Funded Oct 10, 2019Thank you for investing in my classroom! I'm thrilled to share some details on how your generosity has impacted 55 incredible young people in Lowell, Massachusetts.
My students represent a wide cross section of society. Some of our children have been in the United States for just a few months, while others are fifth generation Lowellians. Some come from upper middle class families, while others face significant economic hardships and are currently homeless. We all bring different experiences and realities to school each day and it's important that I provide high quality, engaging learning opportunities for every child.
I am passionate about civic education and I have had my eye on We the People resources for several years. My goal was to connect the inspiring, real-world action civics projects my students engage in with meaningful and authentic study of historical content. This isn't easy to do, and traditional textbooks are not designed for this. As you may recall history textbooks are essentially 800 pages of facts, and because of this students usually do not engage with the content.
The We the People resources are different, and they're everything I had hoped they would be. The material is inquiry-based and discussion driven, and my students are invested. We learned about the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence as they debated what natural rights meant to them. They made connections with immigration, gun rights and gun control, LGBTQ rights, trade, the economy, and climate change. My students explore separation of powers and checks and balances through the Federalist Papers and US Constitution in a student-friendly way as they follow current events. They think about big ideas – the role of government, state v. federal power, and the roles of political parties, as they follow the 2020 campaigns. My students have different perspectives on current events and We the People helps us have informed, civil discourse, as well as connect the past with the present. It provides a solid foundation from which young people can grow into active, engaged, and informed citizens.
Thanks, also, for your belief in me. Your generosity has helped make social studies education relevant and meaningful, and I am deeply grateful for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Neagle
The Iliad and the Odyssey with classical 7th graders!
Funded Dec 30, 2016Thank you! You made a real impact in our classroom and I'm incredibly grateful for your generosity and belief in my project.
We received our new books in January and it was like a holiday and birthday party for 55 students all rolled into one. Everyone was excited to tear open the boxes and get their hands on the texts. Our class launched the Iliad in early March and we enjoyed partner and small group activities, dramatic read-alouds, we made predictions and connections, and compared and contrasted different heroes and gods. We also had fun with creative writing using the characters, and students also analyzed the beautiful illustrations and created their own artwork based on different plot events. None of this would've been possible without you.
I'm always interested in learning what students think after class texts, activities, and field trips and this was the first time I ever received unanimous feedback. In my anonymous student survey 100% of respondents indicated they would recommend the Iliad to other students! Here's just a sample of the notes we received:
"The text is detailed but it is easy to understand and the images helped me a lot."
"It is one of my favorite books now personally and I wasn't bored reading it!"
"If you enjoy a good action book you should read this book."
"This book was action packed with good illustrations and it is appropriate for my age."
"It's not confusing and I like how there are pictures to go along with the story so you can understand it better."
"It's fiction and has all the gods interfering which I thought was cool and funny. It's also easy to visualize with all the paintings and sensory details."
"This book tells the story in a way everyone would understand, while learning at the same time."
"There are great detailed pictures to help you create pictures in your mind and it's easy to learn about this great story in a child friendly way."
"You can learn so much about the gods and the people. I also think the book was fun to read. I also loved the pictures, it's as if they tell another story."
"This is an important story in literature that everyone should read. It shows a lot of themes like working together love, brotherhood, honor, respect. You can take a lot from this story."
We previewed the Odyssey text today and we're all excited to begin the story in class tomorrow!
Thanks to you these hardcover books will be enjoyed by hundreds of children and allow them to develop a love of classical literature. The beautiful illustrations brought the stories to life for our students, especially our English language learners and special education students. You invested in children out of the kindness of your heart and I sincerely appreciate your partnership. I'll do my part and ensure these wonderful books are well cared for and enjoyed for years to come. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Neagle