Past projects 15
Please Make Me Fall in Love With Reading!
Funded Oct 20, 2017My freshmen have fully embraced choice-book reading this semester! Many of my students, even honors students, admit to me that they rarely or never read for pleasure. Some of them say they don't like to read, but when I really get them talking about it, I find out that they don't have much time to read after homework, sports, and family obligations. I decided it was important to help them fall in love with reading as I did so many years ago.
We started an SSR habit. In my classroom, "SSR" stands for "self-selected reading" time. For the first 15-20 minutes of class, they can read whatever they want to read--a novel, a biography, a graphic novel, a book of poems, etc. I found that they looked forward to this time each day. If I thought our schedule was too full and told them that we'd have to skip SSR for that day, I'd have a mutiny on my hands! After a couple of months of daily SSR, I can assure you that my students ENJOY reading.
I truly appreciate what your gifts have added to my classroom. By continually adding the newest, most popular young adult books, I have more opportunities to hook the kids. Thank you for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 5 other donors.Compassion Learned Through Memoirs
Funded May 7, 2015I love to read. One reason I became an English teacher was because I wanted to spark the love of reading in other people. Many stories, poems, and books come before me "asking" for a place in my curriculum. Time is limited, and every year I carefully evaluate the works I'm teaching and what skills and concepts I can teach through them. When I discovered The Boy on the Wooden Box, I knew that it was worthy to be a core text in my classroom. Rarely does one come across a book that resonates with such human emotion, intrigues high school readers, and lends itself to meaningful application of curriculum standards.
Most of my students enjoy reading in groups, but some prefer to read alone. On any given day, during our reading time, groups of three or four students are huddled around tables reading together while several other students are stretched out on the floor, book in hand, lost in the story. With this memoir, students thought a lot about perspective and mood. They were impressed that Leon could tell his horrific story without resentment or hatred. About half way through the book, they started thinking about their own memoirs. What story would THEY tell? And...how would they tell it?
As a teacher, I deeply appreciate the opportunity to give my teenagers a book that matters, a reading experience that can help them be more compassionate people, and a text that can serve as a mentor to them as writers. Thank you for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
Literature That Leads To Citizenship
Funded Oct 12, 2012My classroom overflows with new books! Thank you so much for helping to fill my shelves through your generous donations. Along with the classic works I teach such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Romeo and Juliet, my students now have access to dozens of young adult novels that are written to challenge their minds and entertain them at the same time. I believe reading encourages students to grow in their ideas, their relationships, and their understanding of the world around them. THANK YOU for helping me place high quality fiction in their hands!!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 8 other donors.ATTENTION: Great Literature Needed!
Funded Jun 1, 2011I wish you could have seen the excitement on my students' faces when we opened the box that held our new books! The first day we had the books, I asked the students to conduct quick, five-minute previews of the books and share a little bit with the class about each novel. Some of the students were so excited about the books they previewed that they wanted to take them home with them that very day. I had to hold them off until all my classes could see the new books! As soon as they were available for check-out, almost every title was checked out. I can't tell you how this encourages me as a teacher to see my kids get that excited about reading!
Normally when I assign an independent reading project, my students roll their eyes and spend the first week or two trying to choose a book. This time, they were excited to jump into their independent reads, and some students finished their selections so quickly that other students could check out the same book within the project dates.
Perhaps the greatest gift you gave to my students is the awareness that there are still people in the world who care about teenagers, that there are complete strangers out there who care enough to donate money for their reading pleasure, that other people (besides teachers!) think reading is important!
Thank you so much for your gifts to my students! These books will be enjoyed semester after semester as I meet new faces and work to get them excited about reading! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 3 other donors.Save the Creative Writers!!
Funded Nov 16, 2010Thank you so much for recently donating to my project! My students are loving the new books and the Writer's Toolbox that we purchased through Donors Choose. When we use the toolbox the wild ideas start flying, and the students can barely keep themselves from talking over one another as they express all the possibilities in their minds. It's very exciting to see my classroom so full of energy! One of my students just finished a first draft of her first NOVEL and was so excited to borrow one of the books about how teens can get published. Your gifts have added so much to our morning writing time. Thanks again for your generosity! ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. McDowell
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and one other donor.