Past projects 15
Brainy Fun for Rainy Days
Funded Dec 20, 2024We are so thrilled to see our middle school students interacting and playing these "old school" games! They love checking out and playing the games when they can't go outside during lunch due to weather. UNO is the current favorite!
Since our state passed a law preventing students from being able to have their cell phones during the school day, they are talking to each other more and learning to have fun together without their digital devices. This has been an adjustment! We are so thankful to have these games on hand to help them discover new ways to enjoy each other's company.
Thank you again for your generosity to our students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by CFP Foundation and ESPN.Phonics Recovery for Struggling Readers
Funded Feb 10, 2023After learning phonemes and graphemes, working in their workbooks, and practicing drills, students who get to play these phonics games to reinforce their new skills are ALL SMILES! The middle schoolers we have who are still learning letter-sound associations need to laugh and "play" with their reading interventionist to relax and feel good about their progress.
Thank you for your generosity to us as we work to meet every student where he or she is and give them the skills they need to become lifelong learners and readers!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
Books to Inspire Friendship and Creativity!
Funded Mar 30, 2023I am so excited to share these beautiful new picture books with our self-contained special needs students! They will love the bright colors in We're All Wonders and Maybe Something Beautiful, and the ideas presented in What Do You Do With a Problem and The Rabbit Listened will help us teach them critical thinking and kindness.
The books for more advanced readers will also be so appreciated! Wonder is a favorite, and I am excited to have an additional copy that students can borrow. Also, the graphic novel version of The Odyssey will really bring this classic story to life for my middle schoolers!
Thank you for your generosity and love for my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 2 other donors.Great Reading Choices on Display for ALL Readers!
Funded Nov 30, 2022The beautiful new, natural wood rotating bookcase has given me space to display books in a way that the spines show easily and the books stay organized and neat!
Thank you so much for your generosity! Our middle schoolers like graphic novels like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, science fiction like Harry Potter, and stories that build empathy like Wonder. Now they can see more options in an organized, attractive way.
Encouraging our students to read is my passion because I believe reading skills will help them in all their endeavors!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by an Anonymous Classroom Supporter and 5 other donors.Give Us the Magic of Reading!
Funded Nov 28, 2022Our students are loving the new fantasy novels! When students read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, they made awesome connections between their mythology research projects and the characters in the novel. They enjoyed all the plot twists and how the author used the plot twists to reveal new traits in the main character, Percy. Now, students are engaged in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It is a more difficult novel and a classic, but our sixth graders are embracing the elements of fantasy in the book and using the characters of Edmund and Peter to have real-world discussions based on questions such as: can money buy happiness? are selfish people ever really satisfied? how do we describe a mentor?
Thank you again for your generosity to us!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by Seed to Read and 5 other donors.Awesome Books for ESOL Students
Funded Jan 13, 2022The Spanish books that you bought for my students are being enjoyed during independent reading time. For some of my students, this is an incredibly soothing time for them as they speak little English and struggle to communicate throughout the day. When they read these books, they can relax and enjoy the fun learning experience of reading in their home language.
Your generosity is so appreciated! Students throughout the building are reading some of these same books in English, so it helps my students connect with their peers when they have experience with the same stories.
Reading has been an amazing joy in my life, and to see that joy in my ESOL students is extremely gratifying! Thank you!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
Winning Books Make Winning Readers
Funded Dec 2, 2020I wish you could see and hear the excitement when new books arrive! Our students love independent reading time when they choose the books that interest them and have a few minutes to leave the pandemic and all of life's other stresses behind them and enjoy a great book!
The books you provided by funding this project are all South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees. You can be sure that these books are not only highly interesting to middle schoolers, but also that they are well-written to build empathy, help students in their paths of self-discovery, and reinforce fundamental reading and writing skills.
Thank you so much again for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by FamilyAlbum and 3 other donors.Culturally Relevant Books for Reluctant Readers
Funded Oct 23, 2020If we want students to enjoy reading and to think that reading and education is for THEM, we must give them books with characters they can identify with by authors who understand and respect their culture.
In providing culturally diverse books for our school, you've made it possible for Hispanic students to read classics like Charlotte's Web in their native language as well as amazing books by Hispanic authors such as Julia Alvarez and Pam Munoz Ryan. You've helped black students to see literary heroes and heroines that look like them and have shared family and social experiences. You've encouraged white students to read books that open their minds to the diverse cultures that surround them.
You've shown all my students that they are important and that literature is for them. Thank you again for your generosity to my students!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Donor and 5 other donors.Colorful Creations Make Characters Come to Life!
Funded Dec 4, 2019My students were so excited when we opened the box with all our new craft materials! Thanks to your generosity, they now have access to a wide variety of colorful markers, pencils, and gel pens. They used the colored paper strips to write their words of inspiration and the colored paper, pencils, and markers allowed them to show what they have learned about two great works of American Literature.
Students could choose between creating a mind map showing the themes, characters, plot details, quotes, and more from either The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Students chose specific colors to connect the ideas on their mind maps. Rather than just taking a traditional test, they showed their learning creatively.
No longer will they have to share pencils and wait for someone to finish with the red marker! I can let them express their knowledge in different ways that build confidence and allow them to think outside the box. I deeply appreciate your gift toward this project that has enhanced my classroom and given my students more opportunity.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by Quill.com and one other donor.Read Me--I See Myself in This Book!
Funded Aug 7, 2019Three days a week, my students have time during class to read a book of their choice. Reading for pleasure improves vocabulary knowledge, builds empathy, and decreases stress. By choosing a text that interests them, one they can relate to, my students are much more likely to develop a reading habit and find a joy in reading that will far outlast their time in my classroom.
Teaching in a diverse school, I interact with many students that come from a culture different from my own. My students have different religious beliefs, habits of attire, perspectives on their roles in society, and expectations in their homes. While I can love every one of them, I cannot always relate to every one of them. The books that we received through this grant help them feel welcome and understood in my classroom.
While I've had a Hispanic student checkout one of the books written in Spanish, I've also had a white male check out a book about a black male because he wants to understand more about the culture one of his best friends has grown up in. I believe all good things start with listening to others and accepting ourselves as well as the people around us as valuable contributors. With our new books, my library helps my students make those choices. Thank you so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 3 other donors.