Past projects 5
Inspired Readers Become Inspired Leaders
Funded Nov 19, 2021We appreciate the generous donations to our classroom. The books that have been ordered and we have now been using in our classroom, have helped my 7th and 8th graders learn about struggles that real people have faced around the world. These struggles were seen through the eyes of people who have faced discriminiation due to their race, gender, or religion. By reading true stories about discrimination, students are exposed to "real-world" problems that many people face and also learn how to cope with these struggles and persevere when it seems as if everyone is against you. These books were used in book clubs where students also applied their knowledge and learned how to read nonfiction narrative text which is quite different than reading informational text. Students had to learn how to distinguish from informational ideas presented about the topic, to the narrative story lines that were happening around the topic. Students discussed these topics and created thematic statements about their books. Students continued to work on themes by creating and performing their own anthems about their books which helped them capture the heart of the stories, but also allowed them to be creative about the positive message students learn in these books.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Darcy Castellanos
Books Give Students the Gift of an Imagination
Funded Jan 25, 2019The students have not been able to contain their excitement over the new edition of books. The books are being used on their reading logs, where students have to read at least 30 minutes a day at home and record their progress on a log. Some students read so much, that they were re-reading books. By getting new books, students were able to access a lot more titles and fulfill their reading log requirements. We also use these books to silent read in the classroom, and students loved the Amulet and R.L. Stine books so much, that I have even been reading them with them during this time to see what all the hype was about.
My students love fantasy fiction so much that I have even designed a unit around fantasy fiction. This is also a great genre that builds up the students' vocabulary because the words used in the fantasy worlds are usually complicated and multi-syllable and the students are motivated to read the stories so this pushes them to read books that are normally too hard for them to read. Inkheart is almost a 500 page series and some of my most struggling readers are pushing themselves to read this series. The Uglies and Pretties books also keep flying off the shelf. Its amazing to watch how motivated the students are to read these books.
Our class has students of all varying reading abilities and I had the students help decide what books they wanted to add to the donors choose list. Thus providing more inspiration for wanting to read because the students handpicked the books. I have some students who read at a 3rd grade level, but don't want to read books that they consider "baby books." Having a series like the Amulet series that has an interesting story, cool cover but is a level Q is a book that is accessible for all of my readers and everyone wants to read the series because it is a graphic novel and that helps my struggling readers to not feel self-conscious about reading.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Darcy Castellanos
Help Motivate Readers Which Will Inspire Future Leaders
Funded Apr 10, 2018We are so appreciative of your donations. Reading is a skill that is useful in every avenue of our lives. In this technologically-driven age, it is really hard to keep students' interests in reading alive. They do not always see the power in storytelling or how this will be a useful tool in the future. By giving them books to read that motivate them to want to read, they actively working on these skills, while also realizing that reading can be fun and fulfilling!
When the students received the packages of all of the new graphic novels, they literally tore open the boxes. We had to create a wait list for the books because the books were being read so fast they were flying off of my library shelves. There was one day the students actually asked if they could read for 90 minutes straight because the books were so good. I was the most impressed with seeing how the students would have the most intellectual discussions about their graphic novels without being prompted. They would suggest titles to one another, and describe why a book was good such as the Amulet series. I would even hear these discussions in the hall.
I really appreciated how the students also cared for the books better than the other class books. I think this was due to seeing the process of this Donor's Choose and realizing that people were donating their hard earned money for books in their hands just for them. Seeing this process made them more encouraged to realize how beneficial it is to help out others when you can. We are so fortunate to have so many people willing to help improve students' lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Darcy Castellanos
A Powerful Reader Becomes a Powerful Leader
Funded Nov 3, 2015We have been so fortunate to have so many generous donors to fund not 1 but 2 of our donors choose projects. We've had to cut 130,000 dollars from our school budget cps. Unfortunately, it is our most impoverished students who feel this lack of funding the most. Many of our parents do not have the funds or resources to get their students books, Internet, technological devices or a subscription to our weekly news reader. Your generous donations made all of this possible for my students. It is so empowering to be able to give students access to resources that will Truly help them become better readers, which helps them be more successful in their future. As my dad always says "readers are leaders." Thank you for helping my students become successful readers and hopefully future leaders!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Darcy Castellanos
No Child Should Be Left Behind Without a Kindle
Funded Sep 29, 2015Your donations have had a tremendous effect on our students. In this day I know that we look at technology and the Internet as a normal part of our lives, even my 3 year old knows how to swipe my phone to look for photos and his games. However, the internet is a luxury for most of my students. This is quite frustrating as a teacher because we have so many applications, books, and additional resources on the internet that are available to our students to help them learn and yet many of the students have no way to access these resources.
Your donations helped our students purchase 10 kindles and protective cases so that they can use these resources. Most importantly the students are working on a program our school purchased called "Study Island." This helps each individual student with his or her reading and math skills at their individual levels. Some students can work on this program at home, but the majority of my students use the kindles in class along with staying after school so they can use the kindles for the program, vocabulary definitions, and read books Ondine. You have really made a difference in these students' lives and helped their parents out too who definitely stress about how to work two jobs and get their students to the libraries to access the internet. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Darcy Castellanos