Past projects 7
Graphic Novels Rock!
Funded May 22, 2022Thank you for donating to my project, Graphic Novels Rock. My students are given the freedom to choose the books they want to read in my classroom. Graphic novels are favorites of my students. I love how accessible they are for all levels of readers to read, especially in the beginning of the year while we are building our reading stamina. Many kids have already enjoyed the books since getting them two weeks ago.
Students in my classroom are typically engaged in reading workshops, which means kids can apply the skills learned in that day's lesson while reading a book of their choice. Therefore, it is important to have an engaging and diverse classroom library. The additional graphic novels will give my students a wider variety of books of which they can choose to read. All students tend to like graphic novels, but they are especially popular with reluctant readers. These texts can help foster a love of reading.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.Speedy Brains With Speed Stackers
Funded Apr 28, 2022My students and I thank you for your donations to help fund our "Speedy Brains with Speed Stackers" project. The students were thrilled when they saw me unbox the materials. They have used speed stackers in gym class, and they could not believe that we would now be able to cup stack in our academic classroom setting.
The exciting thing about using speed stackers to improve our performance in academics is that the students do not know they are improving skills such as cognition, memory, and reading comprehension while they are stacking. They simply think they get to engage in a fun activity. I am "tricking" the students into improving their brains by having an end of the year cup stacking tournament. It is also a great way to build community and foster confidence. And, to simply have fun!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.Books to Help Us Grow
Funded Jan 18, 2022My students and I would like to thank you for your donations that were used to purchase new books for our classroom library. We love having a variety of high interest, high quality texts to choose from right in our classroom. And, it is always exciting to get new books!
Students have been battling over who gets to read the new books first. Many of the kids especially clamor over who gets to read the graphic novels, such as our new "I Survived" graphic novels and the new books in the "Babysitters Club" graphic novel series. Thanks to your donations, I have seen kids who normally try to avoid reading actually get excited about reading again.
Again, we thank you for your generous donations.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
New Books for Infinity House
Funded Dec 4, 2021My students and I would like to thank you for your donations that were used to purchase new books for our classroom library. We love having a variety of high interest, high quality texts to choose from right in our classroom. And, it is always exciting to get new books!
Students have been battling over who gets to read the new books first. Many of the kids especially clamor over who gets to read the graphic novels, such as our new "I Survived" graphic novels and the new books in the "Babysitters Club" graphic novel series. Thanks to your donations, I have seen kids who normally try to avoid reading actually get excited about reading again.
Again, we thank you for your generous donations.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
Battle Books
Funded Jan 11, 2020Thank you for your generous donation to help us buy new novels for our classroom. The books purchased are all titles that are part of the Wisconsin Battle of the Books Competition; therefore, they are popular, high quality books. It is often difficult for students to check them out of the school library since these titles are in such high demand. Now, all of my students, not just the students who are participating in the competition, can easily access the texts in our very own classroom. The books have already been flying off the shelf. My students and I are grateful for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
Fantasy Fiction
Funded Mar 21, 2019Our class is excited about the new books that were purchased with the help of your donations. Students have been checking them out of our classroom library - some students even created their own fantasy book clubs with the new novels.
I feel it is important to offer students choice in what they read. Our reading instruction is based on the reading workshop model, which is a teaching method where the teacher uses a mentor text to teach various reading mini-lessons, and then the students practice the skills using a book of their choice. Therefore, it is vital that our classroom has a wide range of engaging texts for students to choose. The books that were purchased with your donations have already been utilized by students to read while they are practicing their new learning.
Although I have diverse readers with diverse tastes in my classes, I have found that most sixth grade students enjoy reading fantasy books, which is primarily the genre of the new books. We will certainly make great use of our new titles.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
Infinity House Book Drive
Funded Feb 14, 2019My students and I are always on the hunt for a great book. Often times, students want to read quality fiction books - they just don't know what books to choose. I was able to use the funding you donated through Donor's Choose to stock several high quality fiction titles in my classroom library for students to read.
Using past Wisconsin Battle of the Books lists and past Newbery Award lists, I purchased texts that are high quality and highly engaging. I also chose books in a series to help hook reluctant readers. My students are now battling over who gets to read the new titles first.
We all thank you for your generous donations. Your generosity has helped create new enthusiasm for books.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Radke
This classroom project was brought to life by Herb Kohl Philanthropies and one other donor.