Past projects 5
Books That Tweens And Teens Can't Wait To Read
Funded Dec 3, 2024Thank you so much for helping me bring books into my classroom. My students will be so excited to see these new titles on the shelves. Your donations will help my students as they build their reading stamina and develop a life-long reading habit. Thank you again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haley
Book for Teens: Let's Keep Them Reading!
Funded Dec 1, 2021Your generous donations brought dozens of new and engaging books to my students; thanks to you, students are enjoying these new books every day in my classroom.
In my ELA 7th and 8th grade classes, we start each day with at least 10 minutes of free reading time. At first, it was a struggle for students to engage with written text for that long; the year and a half of virtual and hybrid learning strongly affected my students' abilities to focus when not on a screen. Now, however, almost all of my students look forward to that quiet reading time, in large part because they now have books at hand that they can't wait to read!
Students arrive to class, pick their book from the shelf or bin, and many start to read before I can even take attendance. They struggle to stop reading when we need to move on to our next activity -- this is a problem I love to have in my classroom! Over and over, students gravitate to the titles you helped bring to my room -- these are recently released graphic novels and novels that have characters similar to my students. These books have diverse characters with a variety of experiences, orientations, interests, family backgrounds, and problems. Students talk about these books and recommend them to their friends. Nothing makes me happier than hearing a student tell a friend, "You should read this one -- it's good!"
Thank you so much for bringing the gift of reading to my students -- you have made a big difference in their lives this year.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haley
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 7 other donors.Feeding the Book Love: Books to Keep Teens Reading
Funded Jul 2, 2020It is a magical thing to witness a teenager discover a book they love. Though it often takes some time to match the right book with a student, it is such a pleasure to see students devour a good book. And when they finish, they wonder if there is another book out there that will keep their interest. That's where this project comes in -- now I can hand students more books by the authors they love.
Once students see that there is a book out there for them, they are thrilled to learn that there are more like it. So, after a student comes to me to excitedly announce they have finished "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander, I can hand them "Solo" and feel confident that they will like that book also. This is important, because in order for students to build the reading habit, they must have many positive experiences with books.
Thank you so much for filling my classroom with the books kids want to read. Now, during our daily reading time, students need look no further than my shelves to find books that they want to read. And the biggest proof of success: when they recommend a book to a friend. Your gift has gone a long way in helping my students see themselves as readers.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haley
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 4 other donors.Diverse Novels So All Students See Themselves When They Read
Funded Mar 2, 2020I am so excited to be able to share with my students that, thanks to your generous donations, they will soon have easy access to a wide variety of books that feature diverse characters and experiences. I teach a wide variety of students -- they have different backgrounds and experiences. All students, however, want to read when they can connect with the characters in some way. Thank you so much for providing these books for my students.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haley
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 2 other donors.Graphic Novels for Teens: These Are the Books They Crave!
Funded Nov 28, 2018Your generous gift has allowed my group of rambunctious and video game-loving 8th grade students to develop a love and appreciation for the joys of reading for pleasure. I have seen students who resisted reading of any kind at the beginning of the year become students who ask for more reading time, sign out books to take home, and brag about the books they have finished.
In my classroom, each day starts with at least 15 minutes of silent reading time, no matter what. Students walk into class and take their book off the shelf. They track their reading time, book, and pages in a log sheet, and then they settle in to read their books. This is a group of spirited students who often have difficulty following directions or focusing on a task. However, thanks to the routine of reading at the start of class, they are transformed into calm, quiet, engaged students after just a couple of minutes in the room. Another teacher at my school who substituted for me one day recently has been telling others about how astonished she was by their engagement in books -- more proof of the student transformation that has occurred.
All students have been enjoying the graphic novels, but for some the books have worked as a gateway to more difficult and complex texts. For instance, one student started the year reluctantly reading very short, easy graphic novels. During the course of the year, however, he has moved to the more complex graphic novels purchased with this grant, to young adult chapter books (with no pictures). I truly believe the graphic novels have helped him to become an avid reader.
I am confident that the graphic novels purchased with this grant have been the catalyst for his, and others', new love of reading. Thank you for your wonderful donation!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Haley
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 9 other donors.