Past projects 4
Making Shakespeare Modern
Funded Mar 30, 2023Thank you again for your generous donations to help supply my students with new copies of Romeo & Juliet! This update was vital to continuing forward with the curriculum as our current texts were in very rough shape; some books were ripped, missing front or back covers, had damaged spines, and even some missing sections of the text. Your kindness helped to provide the update we all needed.
These new books will reach 60 students during the 2023-2024 school year. The "No Fear" versions of Shakespeare texts offer side-by-side Old and Modern English translation, allowing students access to the content and supporting all reading levels. With these new books, students will be encouraged to analyze this Shakespearean tragedy while examining the impact of the story on modern society; making those text-to-life connections is the key!
Again, I appreciate your generosity and please know that you have made an impact in our school community.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Davis
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Help Grow Our Classroom Library
Funded Nov 30, 2021Thank you so much for contributing to my project to help expand our classroom library. Through your generosity, students have been able to continue having access to high-interest, modern novels. As part of my high school classes, students are encouraged to read for enjoyment and discuss their books with other classmates and staff members at bi-monthly book talks. Their taste in books range from young adult fiction to horror and dystopian so I try to always have options on hand. Students are always excited when they enter my classroom and see the reading timer on the board, ready to go. Those 10 minutes a few times a week allows students the time to read something they have chosen and that interests them. So far this school year, students have independently read 127 books, many of which were included in this project. These books drive rich conversations among my students and allow them to discover new stories and genres, something I would not have been able to do without your help.
Many students have also chosen books from this project as their final independent study to finish off the year. This in depth reading analysis encourages students to read with a critical lens and have academic conversations about theme, author's purpose and text structures. This unit always creates excitement in the classroom and these new books have certainly added to that.
Please know that the impact you have made on our classroom is no small one - I appreciate your donations so very much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Davis
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Making Mythology Modern
Funded Jul 20, 2021I cannot thank you enough for your contribution towards this project for my Mythology students. As a newly offered elective, I wanted to create excitement, interest and curiosity around Greek Mythology and provide opportunities for students to find connections in their everyday lives - teaching The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel has done just that!
The story of Odysseus and his journey is brought to life with vivid imagery, fast-paced text and plenty of literary devices in this graphic novel. Being able to provide students with the visual representations of characters and settings has allowed even the most struggling readers to grasp the epic and stay engaged in the classwork. The use of color and ability to see facial expressions drive discussions around mood, encouraging students to make emotional connections to Odysseus and allow for great analysis opportunities. This graphic novel format has brought the epic poem into today's world for a whole new generation of readers to enjoy and I am beyond grateful that you helped bring this into our classroom.
Thank you again for your generosity and partnership in making mythology modern for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Davis
This classroom project was brought to life by Emerson Collective and 5 other donors.Building a Diverse Classroom Library
Funded Jul 12, 2020I wanted to thank you again for your gracious donations to our classroom in support of the "Building a Diverse Classroom Library" project. Your contributions help drive and implement an exciting new initiative in my Honors English Classrooms called Collaborative Reader Workshops. The sole intention of the Collaborative Reader Workshop is to provide students with choice in what they read, encourage daily reading for enjoyment and facilitate monthly book discussions focused on a particular literary aspect. This project helped to provide my students with over 50 titles to choose from in a variety of genres and with a variety of characters and topics. Allowing the students to choose what they wanted to read sparked instant investment and interest and more than 2/3 of my students have utilized titles from our new classroom library!
Independent reading time is provided 3 times a week in class as part of our regular schedule. Providing a time and space for students to read for enjoyment - and see their teacher doing the same - has yielded a positive response. And while an English teacher reading may be a bit obvious, we have had other members of our school join our Friday Book Discussions, including members of Administration, Guidance, Special Education and even Science! Having other adults in the school also read these selections, share what they are reading and encourage students to read for pleasure has revitalized my Honors English class.
Our classroom library has allowed the Collaborative Reader Workshop to function and provides students with a wide variety of books to consider. While the students are not able to be together because of the pandemic, this has created many opportunities for them to work together, share what they are reading and learn from each other - we have stayed connected in a time we are apart and your donations helped drive this initiative.
Thank you so very much.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Davis
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 10 other donors.