Past projects 6
Literary Learning Communities
Funded Mar 25, 2023Thank you so much for your generous donations! Please know that your investments in my classroom go a long way to reinforcing the literacies of aspiring students. Each of the books on this list was preselected by students themselves. It is my hope that seeing their interests reflected on our communal bookshelf will further their love of reading.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 6 other donors.Summer Reading List
Funded Sep 29, 2022Thank you so much for inspiring the literacy practices of my students. The opportunity to read diverse and rigorous texts will go a far way in reinforcing their scholarly development. We plan to use these texts as the basis of book clubs and discussion. It’s our hope that the books will spur future interest in reading.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake
This classroom project was brought to life by Smarties Candy Company and 2 other donors.Sips for Spectrum
Funded Jun 8, 2022Thank you all so much for investing in the community of our classroom. This coffee machine will go a long way in establish a safe space for LGBT+ identifying students. We hope this this will create a new focal point in which they can gather and express their true selves. Thank you!”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake
This classroom project was brought to life by Optimum.Sips For Spectrum
Funded Apr 7, 2022Thank you all so much for your contributions. The coffee machine for Sips For Spectrum will go a great way in cultivating a safe space for our LGBT+ identifying students. Thank you for making this space possible and giving these students a reason to feel invested in our school community.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 7 other donors.Black Literacy Day
Funded Feb 9, 2022Due to all of your generosity and kindness our project has been funded! Thank you for realizing the vision of Black and Brown students seeing themselves reflected in text. While it may seem like a simple gesture the ability to see oneself in a positive light and beat back against narratives of trauma and instead pace toward joy is empowering. And you have ensured that our students can see themselves in the mirrors of success that they deserve.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 14 other donors.Enhancing Remote Learning Possibilities
Funded Aug 26, 2020Thank you so much for your contribution to our virtual classroom. During these unprecedented times, our classrooms have taken on different forms moving from the physical to the virtual space and places in between. While this transition is never seamless it had been made easier and more accessible by your generous donations. Of the utmost importance in the classroom is ensuring an accessible and welcoming environment for all students. The simple technologies of a microphone and lighting ring ensure, that some semblance of normalcy and equity can exist in our virtual space.
Both technologies are utilized in the course Writing Seminar. A course heavily focused on developing the core literacies of incoming High School freshman. As such it's pertinent that these students are able to clearly decode the information being presented. The use of the microphone is instrumental in meeting this goal. The microphone is used in tandem with slide presentation software such as Google Slides or Microsoft Powerpoint, while presenting during a Zoom call, closed captioning allows for students to read my dialogue while hearing it simultaneously. Consider the brick and mortar parallel of a teacher scribing while dictating information, the combination of the two ensures student comprehension. This is further enhanced by the translation capabilities of closed captioning. While speaking, students have the ability to read my English spoken dialogue in Spanish or a language of their choosing. A large swath of the student population are English Language Learners and such features allow for their seamless participation in our classroom.
The lighting ring serves a dual function of setting the ambiance of our virtual classroom, after all a well-lit classroom is an inviting classroom, and also allows me to be mobile on multiple devices. What this means, rather than stay stationary behind a desk, I can utilize the stand for my phone and laptop. While students are viewing me through the webcam on my laptop I can easily check student work on Google Classroom through my phone and monitor the attendance. This too contributes to the setting of the classroom, as anyone who facilitated a class can attest body language is everything.
These contributions might seem minor, by no means are they groundbreaking innovations, but they do, however, make a world of difference to my students and myself. Even the most minor contributions make a decisive impact. Namely, the ELL student who can now more comprehensively follow along with prompts of impromptu checks for understandings. Or, the student that is a kinesthetic learner and responds more aptly to body language. These little differences make each of the students feel welcomed and invited into a classroom as we were in the physical building.
Your kindness in your contribution is genuinely appreciated. These unprecedented times have illuminated the kindness of souls invested in the communal trust of education. Please know, it sends a powerful message to our students that they know that you care and are deeply invested in their education and success.
Thank You,
Mr. Blake and Students”
With gratitude,
Mr. Blake