Past projects 5
Feed the Hunger for Books
Funded Nov 4, 2024Many thanks to each of you for your generous giving toward this project. Because of you, my classroom will now be infused with fresh books. The kids will be wide-eyed as we open the box of new titles. This will continue to invigorate my fourth graders with a fresh motivation to keep reading! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morris
This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Foundation and 9 other donors.Keep the Reading Going
Funded Jan 22, 2022Wow! I just received word that my "Keep the Reading Going" project has been fully funded. I am so grateful. Thank you for your generosity!
My fourth graders have grown so much in their love of reading this year, but this will fuel their passion even more. These titles were so needed. What an encouragement! Thank you so much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morris
Books for Hungry Readers
Funded Sep 20, 2021Thank you again for generously donating so that our fourth grade classroom library could grow. Early in my teaching career, I tried to "make" students read (with lots of groaning on their part), but then I discovered something special. If children are exposed to a variety of texts they can access, in a classroom culture where a love of reading is fostered and students are given the time to choose what they read, they will usually embrace reading. That has been the case once again with us.
Each year, I max out my small budget to add a few more titles. I also buy books out of pocket. However, building a vast and attractive classroom library doesn't happen overnight, so I also do an occasional fundraiser here on Donors Choose. When a box of books arrive - like the ones you donated - the kids are wide-eyed!
Let me tell you what has happened each year, but in an unprecedented way this year. Instead of "making" my students read, when I see them sitting staring off and looking bored, I tell them that chances are they haven't met the right book yet. Instead of reprimanding them, I invite them to the shelves with me. There, using what I know about their interests and reading level, I match the kid with a book. Typically, I only need do that ONE time because once they devour a book, they're hungry for me. A key component is our classroom library - which I try to grow bit by bit with award-winning chapter books, graphic novels, high quality non-fiction, cookbooks, fishing guides, joke books, and so much more! Thanks to this tremendous variety - and thanks to givers like you - it is getting easier and easier to match kids with books. Consequently, students are reading more, choosing to read without being told, asking to read, and buzzing about books.
I can think of one student who was reading about three grade levels below benchmark back in August. Reading has always been a struggle for him. Then, after the book box came, he discovered the "Lunch Lady" series (which you helped fund through this Donors Choose project). He is currently on book seven out of ten in that series!!!!! He NEVER has to be "told" to read. In fact, he often sneaks books when he's supposed to be doing other things. (I love this problem!). He now reads only one grade level below benchmark and has so much more confidence. There are other students like him, meeting books they love, developing a love of reading, and growing by leaps and bounds as a result.
Whenever I ask my students why they have grown so much as readers and why they all of a sudden love reading so much, one of the main answers it this: "The classroom has books I've actually wanted to read."
Thank you for investing - not in books - but in students. I can assure you that the books purchased with your gift are being read, not just once or twice, but multiple times. Thanks to you and others, my classroom library isn't the only thing that is growing... my students are too.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morris
Opening a New World Through Books
Funded Mar 16, 2021Thank you for helping "grow" my students as readers by giving to our project "Opening a New World Through Books." In the unprecedented circumstances schools faced during the 2020-21 school year, there were numerous challenges. However, there was also tremendous growth. If I had to summarize how my students grew into one statement, it would be this: "They learned to love reading."
Time and again, as I conferenced with individual students whose scores improved, who no longer had to be told to read, who hoarded books in their desks, who asked if they could borrow books to take home to read at night, whose parents told me their children were asking to read. I would ask them, "So what has made the difference for you this year?" Over and over, the answer was the same: "You have books that I actually want to read in this classroom." Through Donors Choose and your donations, my classroom library grew from old, faded pages and tattered covers to a variety of brand-new books. Yes, classics and old standbys were included, but there were also graphic novels; fresh copies of award-winners; informational books about raising chickens, fishing, or exploring their great state of Maine; cookbooks; "how to" guides; award-winning science titles; joke books; texts that made history come alive; and captivating illustrated stories, both fiction and non-fiction.
Thank you for being a supporter who elevated not only a rural Maine classroom's library but also the literacy of a group of fourth graders. We all thank you for making such a big difference!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morris
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 3 other donors.Helping Readers Thrive!
Funded Feb 5, 2021Thank you so much for investing in children through my "Helpers Reading Thrive" project. Because of gifts from you and others, a box filled with new, engaging books came to our classroom. The students watched wide-eyed as I opened the package!
Each morning, our day begins with a one-hour readers workshop. It is a calm, enjoyable start to the day. While I call students over and meet with them one-on-one or in small groups, the rest of the students immerse themselves in books. They read, and they read, and they read. It is a special time, and students often beg for more and groan when it ends. Every so often, I look up to see a child who isn't reading, and I usually know why. They haven't found the right book yet. I ask them if they would like help, and off we go to peruse the classroom bookshelves together. I do my best to know my students, which helps me introduce them to books they will be interested in. After a few minutes of chatting and looking through books together, the student returns to their reading spot, book in hand, entering into a journey of reading.
In the beginning of the year, it wasn't as easy to connect the students with the right books. My classroom library was outdated and very limited. Thanks to you and others who gave, we now have several fresh, exciting, engaging books in our classroom! The students have buzzed about the new books - from graphic novels to non-fiction, so much so that it has been hard to keep them on the shelves. We are seeing more reading this year - in spite of the challenges of this pandemic - than previous years. Thank you for making that possible. It has definitely been about "Helping Readers Thrive"!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Morris