Past projects 4
If the Music is Good ... You Dance!
Funded Feb 12, 2025Thank you so much for your generous donation to the MAKOS Dance Crew! Your support has allowed us to purchase a powerful BOSE wireless speaker for our dance practices. Having a speaker is essential for the Dance Crew, and allows them to practice routines and create memorable performances. Most importantly, the students don't have to remember to bring in their own speakers from home anymore. The girls were so excited to have a speaker dedicated to the Dance Crew that they created an 'unboxing video' for their social media accounts right away!
Your belief in our team and commitment to supporting the arts means the world to us. We are excited to use the new speaker to practice and perform. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity; it truly inspires us to keep dancing and striving for excellence!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Fernandez
Windows and Mirrors: Help Students See Themselves and Others
Funded Sep 3, 2019Thank you so much for donating these awesome books to my classroom. I can't wait for each child to hold their own copy of these wonderful titles! I hope they are able to 'see' themselves in these titles, and also 'see' others who are very different from themselves. We can't wait to start reading them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Fernandez
High Interest Books Please!
Funded Feb 20, 2019Thank you for giving the gift of a great book to my students!
Most of the school year teachers in my school are expected to teach directly from a textbook. We are expected to use a predetermined comprehension and vocabulary skill lesson that has practice pages and a reading comprehension test to match. It is not until after our state-wide tests that we are allowed some freedom to choose children's literature to share with our kids. Many times teachers find a class set of books that are stored in the library. These books may be many years old, and in many ways are out of touch with the lives and experiences of our kids today. Because it is expensive to buy a whole class set of new novels many teachers 'make it work' with what is available. This year I didn't have to do that! Thanks for your generous donation which made it possible for my students to have some new, high quality literature to read.
In class, we are currently practicing reading with expression. We are making sure that we really understand how and why characters speak the way they do. What motivates the characters we are reading about? How do we know what kind of character they are? How do characters change and develop over the course of the story? Can what we think of each character change as well? These questions make for lively class discussions. Instead of slamming their text books shut, my students are often heard asking "Can we finish one more chapter?" What more can a reading teacher ask for?
You have allowed my students to fall in love with a book. Hopefully they will continue to search out great books to read. I can't thank you enough!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Fernandez
Diverse Books Please!
Funded Nov 28, 2018Thank you so much for your generous donation of books to our classroom. As you know, all of the students in my class are either of African American or Latinx descent. I believe it is so important for them to see themselves reflected in the books they read in school. It is also important for them to read about characters of different backgrounds from their own. Your donation of 'Amina's Voice', and 'Ghost' will provide both of these opportunities.
So much time in class is spent on teaching skills in order to prepare for standardized testing. While this kind of skills based reading is important for their success, the joy of reading can be lost. When the kids saw these brand new books they were so excited to have a chance to read them. They are fascinated by the look and feel of new books, which is a feeling I hope they keep with them forever.
Students will be reading these texts with their reading partners, discussing characters, themes, big ideas, and the author's message. They will be discussing the text in small groups and will be responding in creative ways. We are all so excited to READ! Thank you for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Fernandez
This classroom project was brought to life by CRUNCH and 5 other donors.