Past projects 7
Seriously Funny: Using Humor to Explore Rhetoric
Funded Oct 3, 2019I want to begin by thanking you for your generosity. We received our copies of Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris and dove right in to reading and learning. We used the text to learn and discuss how a writer can use satire to reveal deep truths about society, human nature, and the lessons we need to learn about being better to others. My students greatly enjoyed these books and took pleasure in reading these essays--especially during class read alouds. One thing that my students took great pride in was their ability, after reading a few examples from the book, at identifying and describing the target of Mr. Sedaris' satire, the problems revealed through his humor, and the lessons he wanted readers to take away.
Thank you again for your kindness and support. You helped my students learn.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
Seeing Yourself in the Future
Funded Feb 28, 2019I want to begin by thanking you again for your generosity. I am believer in the axiom, "You can't be it, if you don't see it." Your donation has helped the students in my class receive 35 copies of The Black God's Drums and further enabled them to see themselves as heroes and captains of their own fate.
As you can see from the class photos, students read independently at computer stations, following along with an audio recording of the novel. Students love reading their novels independently, and frequently ask for more reading time to finish a scene interrupted by reader response time.
Thank you, again, for your help. Donors like you make it possible for students to see themselves as the heroes of their own adventures.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 3 other donors.An Educated Citizenry: Helping Students Become More Informed About Civics
Funded Aug 22, 2018I want to begin by again thanking you for your generous donation which helped get copies of books about American civics into the hands of my students. During our civics unit, we studied speeches and Supreme Court decisions concerning citizens' rights to freedom of speech and the role of dissent; the right to the four human freedoms as outlined by President Roosevelt, and the arguments that helped to shape our country. At the end of the unit, my students used these books to help shape their own arguments about the essential ideals that can help to preserve our country in the face of adversity and those who would subvert the rule of law. After reading their essays, I am profoundly moved and heartened by my students optimism. Thank you for helping me to help them understand their role in this country's civic life.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 5 other donors.The Help U Give: Engaging Students Through Responsive Texts
Funded Jan 25, 2018I want to begin by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for your donation. Your generosity helped over 90 students across three classes read, discuss, and learn from Angie Thomas' THE HATE U GIVE. My students enjoyed reading about Starr's journey toward activism, debating character motivations, and talking about how they might have reacted in the same circumstances. More importantly, my students enjoyed seeing themselves on the page. Having characters and scenarios with which they could connect made the reading come alive for them. Again, on behalf of myself and my students at George Westinghouse CTE High School, thank you for your kindness and support.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and 9 other donors.Illustrated Shakespeare: Using Comics to Help Students Access the Bard
Funded Oct 18, 2017I want to begin by thanking you for your generosity and patience. Your donations helped to purchase the graphic novel adaptations of William Shakespeare's MACBETH and ROMEO AND JULIET. These texts enabled my students to grasp both the beautiful language of Shakespeare's original work, along with the nuances of plot and character motivation. During our Shakespeare unit, we focused on close reading strategies--that is closely studying how word choice and the use of literary devices impacts the themes of the story. Lingering over the illustrations in the texts helped students to read the scenes carefully, taking in details they might otherwise have missed from solely reading the text. These books helped not only to foster my students' close reading abilities, they also helped to generate many, many, (many) healthy debates, and a new appreciation of Shakespeare's artistry.
Thank you for helping to provide my students a gateway to great literature.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 5 other donors.Great Game! Promoting Positive Behavior Through Gaming
Funded Apr 13, 2017Let me begin by thanking you for your kindness and generosity. Your donations helped to bring gaming to George Westinghouse CTE High School. With the board games purchased through this project our school has been able to establish a "game room" in one of our classrooms during lunch periods, where students can meet their friends and play board games and card games and socialize in a safe environment.
When the students first saw the games, they immediately began peeling off the plastic, setting up boards, and getting down to the serious business of playing. There is now a very competitive Scrabble tournament currently occurring in my 10th grade ELA classroom. One of my colleagues uses the games as a reward for her night school classes; she tells me that rousing games of GUESS WHO and chess have helped her students decompress after difficult days.
Our next steps are to use the games for our 9th grade Family Fun night which will take place during the spring semester. My fellow teachers will be training students on the rules of each game and designating pairs of them to be "Game Masters." The Game Masters will then be responsible for running each game during Family Fun night. These games are not only helping our students have fun, but they're helping them learn responsibility, good sportsmanship, and good citizenship.
Again, on behalf of the students and staff at George Westinghouse CTE High School, I thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin
Finding Yourself On The Page: Engagement Through Culturally Responsive Texts
Funded Feb 16, 2017I want to begin by expressing my gratitude for your donation. The books you donated have helped open my students to the possibilities of reading. These books have helped to show them that their stories matter, too. Also, as a special education teacher, I am always looking to find ways to teach my kids to be resilient in the face of challenges. These novels depict protagonists of the approximate age of my students who face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Yet they persevere. That is a lesson that I know my students have taken away from their reading.
These novels have also helped to encourage social interactions among my students. In my classroom, students read in assigned groups. They've greatly enjoyed reading along and aloud with each other. It is a great thing to hear students laugh over a funny line, or gasp at a sudden turn of the plot, or pump their fists when the protagonists finally win. These novels have helped to make this semester's reading tasks fun.
Again, thank you for your support. You have helped to bring joy to my classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mr. Martin