Ms. Plourde's Classroom Edit display name

Past projects 12

• AP Lit & Comp All Stars: Tools for Success

  Funded May 16, 2024

  Thanks so much for helping to put into place the building blocks for another successful year in AP Lit. Our students will benefit from a wide range of college-level novels as well as colorful study tools that will set them up for success on the national AP exam that they will take in May. We appreciate you!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.

• New and Noteworthy Novels

  Funded Nov 1, 2023

  Thank you so much for helping to fund my project! I am so looking forward to adding some new and noteworthy titles for my students to enjoy. I really appreciate your kindness and consideration.

  Building habits of reading for pleasure and turning my students into lifelong readers is one of my ultimate goals; thank you for supporting me in achieving it.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Nevada Department of Education.

• Game On!: Brain Breaks with an SEL Twist

  Funded May 27, 2022

  Thank you so much for your donations that went toward supplementing my classroom with games and activities that promote socializing and critical thinking.

  Coming out of COVID isolation and distance learning, many of my students had some challenges transitioning back to working for sustained periods of time or being asked to interact with one another in an academic setting.

  If I want them to be able to engage with the work and each other, I need to build a strong classroom community and a safe place to share our ideas. That's where your generosity came in!

  You gave me the ability to purchase fun, lighthearted, interactive games that had students practicing not only their speaking, writing, and critical thinking skills, but also smiling and communicating with each other.

  Thanks again for your hand in making this transformation happen!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Center for Disaster Philanthropy and 5 other donors.

• Game On!!: Giving Reluctant Readers the Action They Crave

  Funded Feb 9, 2022

  Thank you so much for your donations that went toward supplementing my classroom library. This year, I have an enthusiastic bunch of voracious readers of all ability levels. Your generous contributions have helped me to refine and augment my available titles to meet their needs, especially adding in more sports related titles to our collection.

  We begin each day with 5-10 minutes of reading, and students are required to read at least an hour at home per week. I conference with students on Fridays about their reading progress, and we have great conversations with each other around the books that we read.

  We are at the point in the school year where almost all of my students see reading as a pleasurable activity outside of school. Students are also beginning to recommend books to each other and branch out from their originally preferred genres to new explorations. It's so much fun to see their growth and excitement for something that many of them previously viewed as a chore. Only 8 weeks into our reading, my students have finished over 500 books!

  Thanks again for your hand in making this transformation happen!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 4 other donors.

• Mirrors & Windows: Tracking and Caring for Our Classroom Library

  Funded Feb 3, 2022

  Thank you so much for your donations that went toward supplementing my classroom library. This year, I have an enthusiastic bunch of voracious readers of all ability levels. Your generous contributions have helped me to create a functional library check out system as well as get items such as colored cardstock and notebook labels to help us develop reading logs and other procedures.

  We begin each day with 5-10 minutes of reading, and students are required to read at least an hour at home per week. I conference with students on Fridays about their reading progress, and we have great conversations with each other around the books that we read.

  We are at the point in the school year where almost all of my students see reading as a pleasurable activity outside of school. Students are also beginning to recommend books to each other and branch out from their originally preferred genres to new explorations. It's so much fun to see their growth and excitement for something that many of them previously viewed as a chore. Only 8 weeks into our reading, my students have finished over 500 books!

  Thanks again for your hand in making this transformation happen!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 2 other donors.

• Nothing But the Best!: In-Demand YA Titles for All Readers

  Funded May 11, 2022

  Thank you so much for your donations that went toward supplementing my classroom library. This year, I have an enthusiastic bunch of voracious readers of all ability levels. Your generous contributions have helped me to refine and augment my available titles to meet their needs.

  We begin each day with 5-10 minutes of reading, and students are required to read at least an hour at home per week. I conference with students on Fridays about their reading progress, and we have great conversations with each other around the books that we read.

  We are at the point in the school year where almost all of my students see reading as a pleasurable activity outside of school. Students are also beginning to recommend books to each other and branch out from their originally preferred genres to new explorations. It's so much fun to see their growth and excitement for something that many of them previously viewed as a chore. Only 8 weeks into our reading, my students have finished over 500 books!

  Thanks again for your hand in making this transformation happen!”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Center for Disaster Philanthropy and 7 other donors.

• Mind the Gap: Filling the Bookshelves with Niche YA Novels

  Funded Sep 29, 2022

  Thank you again so very much for donating to this project! This has been an unprecedented year for reading enthusiasm in my classroom, and I am so excited to give my students more of the titles that they are looking for. I am always blown away by the generosity of friends, family, and anonymous donors who are playing such a pivotal role in the success of my classroom. My students and I so appreciate your kindness.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 10 other donors.

• New and Noteworthy Novels: the Latest in Contemporary YA Fiction

  Funded Aug 17, 2022

  Thank you so very much for contributing to my recent project to expand my classroom library with some new and diverse titles. My students are so enthusiastic about reading this year; it's truly an amazing thing to watch, and your contribution will keep that momentum going. I really, really appreciate you.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

• Mirrors & Windows for Advanced Readers: Diverse Literature

  Funded Jan 19, 2022

  Thank you so much for your generous donation to fund my "Mirrors & Windows for Advanced Readers" project. While many of my students come to my class as struggling or reluctant readers, I always have a special handful who are avid readers in need of a challenge.

  This project allowed me to purchase high-interest, buzzworthy novels that skew toward more advanced readers. The students and I have loved being on the cutting edge of some of this year's great new releases thanks to you.

  These advanced readers continue to foster their love of reading and serve as role models for their peers thanks in large part to your donation.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and one other donor.

• Mirrors and Windows #2: Books to Reflect My Diverse Students

  Funded Jan 18, 2022

  Thank you so much for contributing to what was a VERY successful year of reading for my students. In the beginning of the year, when many of them come to me quite reluctant to read, I explain to my students that books can often serve as either Mirrors or Windows. Books can be mirrors that reflect back some of our own experiences to us; they can also be windows, offering us insight into worlds and characters that differ from ourselves. Both of these concepts are powerful and necessary as we grow in our reading skills and our understanding of the world we live in.

  Thanks to your efforts, we supplemented our classroom library with books that fit both of these categories. I had students who were IMMEDIATELY drawn to a book because the protagonist on the cover looked like them. Conversely, many students found themselves lost in stories about cultures and experiences very different from their own. I watched my students gain enthusiasm for our treasured daily reading time. They talked about their books together, got excited when they found themselves reading the same novels, and always had their eye on a "next book" being displayed on my shelves.

  Two quotes from my students stuck with me that particularly connect with this project. Bianca M. finished a book in three days because "I've never read a book here that has Guatamalan people as protagonists. . . my family was so excited!" Javonte M. and his mom were so happy to see people of color on his book, that his mom bought herself a copy too, and "now [they] talk about it when they eat dinner."

  Thank you again for your generosity.”

  With gratitude,

  Ms. Plourde

  This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 6 other donors.