Past projects 18
Just Mercy: A Reading to Remember
Funded Apr 8, 2022Reading Just Mercy with my class was one of the highlights of our year, and we have you to thank.
We read short passages in class in class together each day, and then students used sticky notes to reflect and respond. Using these initial ideas, we entered into discussion that was often quite profound. My students insightfully spoke about topics like poverty, racial profiling, child incarceration, and justice. This book offered many doorways into issues students turned out to be quite passionate about and that connected with our prior studies. The empathy with which my students treated the persons described in the book made me so proud. All of us looked forward to our daily reading and discussion. Many times I was asked if we could keep reading!
After finishing, students completed a short research project based on one of the issues raised in Just Mercy. I believe the book and their research will have lasting impacts on their hearts, minds, and tendencies toward social justice.
I sincerely thank you for your generosity and support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 3 other donors.Real Books for Virtual School
Funded Nov 15, 2020My students have gotten so much bang for your buck with The Kite Runner! Since the beginning of January, we have been having fantastic Zoom discussions about it weekly. My students have loved talking about these characters, their psychology, and the complexity of their relationships. The discussions have also allowed my Muslim students, my immigrant students, and my Farsi-speaking students to share their experiences and expertise to enrich the reading for us all.
My students wrote a passage analysis essay on the book, which was a great process to improve their writing skills. We've also used the novel to study grammar and syntax.
The culminating project was a "50 Things" poster. Students each displayed 50 images, symbols, and quotations that they felt best represented The Kite Runner. They will be presenting their posters to the class via Zoom on Friday, and to celebrate the tea motif in the novel, we've decided to all enjoy a cup of tea during the presentations. I am so excited.
My students have expressed their enjoyment of this book on multiple occasions; several were always reading ahead. I feel very fortunate that, because of you, I was able to provide them with their own copies to treasure, something to remind them about a bright spot in their difficult remote learning experience.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
The Age of Miracles: A Dystopian Fiction Reading Selection
Funded Aug 22, 2019The two novels you supplied my Dystopian Literature class with were part of a book club and group research project that took place over the course of two months, and which continues to inform the work my students are doing now.
My students selecting books according to their interests and read and discussed them in small groups. The two new selections you allowed for really engaged them! After finishing the novels, they selected a topic that emerged in the novel to research and create an informative presentation on. The group that read "The Age of Miracles," for example, wanted to explore climate change further, specifically the global water crisis. They were responsible for learning, researching, and presenting their topic not only to their peers but also to a panel of adults. After their presentation, they underwent an oral defense. The day of their presentations and defenses was the highlight of our year so far. I was so proud of their collaboration and the products of their hard work.
Currently, my students are moving to a formal research paper phase, where they individually conduct additional research. I feel this is excellent preparation for college and beyond.
It has been fun to connect the literature with real world issues that students care about. Their initial curiosity was sparked by the novels you donated, and we are so very grateful for these inspiring books. Thank you for making a difference in my classroom and in my students' intellectual lives.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 3 other donors.Challenging Texts, Challenging Minds
Funded May 30, 2019I believe it is important to hold students to high standards, to constantly challenge them. These texts do that on many levels.
Reading sections of Wilde's novel certainly challenged their reading abilities. Sustaining focus, working through the text, deciphering vocabulary and meaning were all skills the students worked on with this text. Often, I photocopied pages from the book and asked students to annotate, which they worked quite hard on. As a result, the depth of their understanding and thinking about the text was far greater than if they'd had a less challenging or more superficial reading. Their essays showed great insight, too!
August Wilson's "Fences" challenged my students in a different way. In that play, we were confronted with difficult and complex ideas about race, family dynamics, and American history. Although the play was fun and engaging to read aloud together, the discussion topics it provoked were serious and sometimes contentious. This was an opportunity to work on civil discussion skills and strategies, and my students rose to the occasion.
Finally, I wanted to challenge students to expand their ideas of great literature-- who writes it, who reads it. Representation is important, and I want students to see themselves in the content of our course and also to explore the writing of those who may be different from them. Black authors and gay authors have not been staples of our high school's English curricula, but your gift helps bring about a change we've needed.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
Pencils and Patience: We Need Supplies!
Funded Sep 6, 2018The supplies you have provided are used daily by all my students, so it safe to say they are making an impact! My walls are covered in student work done on the chart paper and colored paper, work that students both enjoyed and were challenged by. They use their journals throughout the week to write and respond to poetry and current events. The journals are where some of them are discovering that they actually enjoy writing! They also look forward to writing their seasonal poems, which they get to illustrate with water color paint. I hope you enjoy the photos that give a little snapshot of how your donations have helped them engage in creative, fun, and interesting ways. In general, I have simply felt more effective and efficient as a teacher because I have the basic resources I need for my classroom to function and my students to feel well-equipped to learn. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for both your time and generosity in supporting us.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
This classroom project was brought to life by Neukom Family Foundation and 3 other donors.The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Alexie
Funded Mar 27, 2018The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven has been excellent to work with. The book is a series of vignettes, each with its own issues and conflicts. This structure has allowed for many satellite texts that enrich and extend the learning, and for a variety of fascinating discussion and writing topics.
To give an example of what a lesson using the book looked like, students read chapter 3 at home. The chapter title is "Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock" and deals with the father-son relationship established previously, but also Vietnam War protests and civil rights. I quizzed students on their reading comprehension when they came to class, then I offered some contextual information including images of war protests from the 60s, photos of Hendrix, and information about Woodstock. We then watched a YouTube video of Hendrix's performance of the National Anthem at Woodstock and discussed how his version was a form of protest. We discussed whether Hendrix was honoring or dishonoring the anthem and honoring or dishonoring the soldiers fighting in the war. Students led respectful and calm discussion on this. It was a way to lay the foundation for discussing recent controversies over the anthem protests in the NFL. We read an article that compared Hendrix's protest with that of the football players. Students discussed whether they agreed or disagreed with the article's argument first in pairs, then in small groups, and finally as a whole class. Because of the novel's perspective, the earlier discussion on Hendrix, and the article, students were able to have a thoughtful and nuanced discussion of a topic that may have otherwise been very polarizing. I was so proud of them as they practiced respectful and democratic political discourse.
This is the kind of learning the book has opened doorways to, and is why I appreciate having it so much. I think the students found it engaging, relevant, and thought-provoking.
Thank you for your hand in making it possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple and 3 other donors.Classroom Supplies Needed
Funded Jun 13, 2016Dear Donors,
Words cannot say the joy and gratitude I felt the day I found a huge box of supplies in my classroom this summer, or the appreciation I feel each day when we use them. When I explained to my students how I was able to provide them with these awesome learning materials, they were astounded that strangers were willing to help us out so generously.
Let me describe just one of the many activities we have already done thanks to these supplies: In my new Black Literature course, we were looking at various fables from the slavery era. After reading a few Brer Rabbit stories, I asked students to write on Post-It notes what they thought the lesson of each story was, and to post their responses on the wall. They read each other's notes and we discussed some patterns and similarities we saw among the stories. Then I gave some historical context for these fables and asked them to reassess what they thought the lessons of the stories were. They made new Post-Its, displayed them again on the wall, and read each other's responses. Then we discussed again. It was a powerful way to teach them about how these stories are perceived differently by different audiences and how they were coded with both moral and survival information for generations of enslaved people. Eventually the students created their own fables modeled after the ones they'd examined. They turned out great!
It's truly amazing what becomes possible when some basic needs like writing utensils and paper are met! I can proudly say that my classroom environment is great for learning, and that is in no small part because of you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
Pencils, Pens, Paper: We Need Supplies!
Funded Aug 9, 2013The resources you have so generously donated, the many school supplies, continues to have an impact day after day in my classes. They are truly the gift that keeps on giving! My students were thrilled and impressed to find packages of supplies at the beginning of the year, and they've been using them for projects and activities ever since.
It's difficult to overstate how much more smoothly both lesson planning and execution of these lessons are when you have all the materials you need already on hand. I have not had to ask my students to go out and buy special supplies, nor have I had to scramble to gather them myself or modify my lessons for lack of proper materials.
Index cards, folders, large paper, dry erase markers, sanitizer: these and other small essentials are items most of us take for granted but are vital to daily learning. Some things technology just can't replace, and I sincerely appreciate your reaching out to support me and my students by providing them.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Funded Feb 27, 2013My students and I cannot express enough thanks for the books you've donated to our classroom. I watched my students get truly excited about The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which was paired with The Catcher in the Rye. I have been teaching Catcher for a number of years now, and I have never seen such fruitful class discussions or such insightful essays as I have this semester when we studied both novels together. The students really impressed me in their enthusiasm for the unit, the willingness to read independently, and in their small group discussions. Perks of Being a Wallflower helped tremendously in not only showing how relevant Salinger's novel still is, but also how valuable contemporary teen fiction can be.
I look forward to using these books again next year with a new group of students, and am very thankful for the opportunity to do so.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi
Words Matter: Writing for the 21st Century
Funded Jan 17, 2012The tools you have provided our class, voice recorders and a digital camera, have made the difference in so many of my lessons that it's difficult to believe we ever lived without these materials. These media devices have helped to take my classroom into the twenty-first century by giving my students experience with a broader variety of technology.
I could go on and on about the many ways the voice recorders and camera have been incorporated into my lessons, but I will instead give an overview of our favorites. Most recently, students worked on a research paper, and we visited the local historical society to conduct research. The students used the voice recorders to conduct interviews with the staff there, which were later used as sources in their papers. Also, students were able to take pictures of the artifacts at the historical society museum to analyze in more depth back in the classroom.
Another great project with the camera involved making tableau vivant for different scenes from the novel Great Expectations, which forced kids to read carefully and make inferences, and then using the photos in the layout for their own "tabloid articles" for that novel. So the digital camera sparked creativity and increased reading comprehension, but also allowed students to use such programs as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
Students also created a film trailer for a novel, and used the recorders to make voiceovers. My AP Literature class created a podcast called "Live Poets Society," in which they read and explicated their favorite contemporary poems with the voice recorders and then uploaded their recordings to the internet.
I personally use the digital camera almost daily to capture student work, which I can then share and analyze with my professional learning group, or use as exemplars for future classes.
Thank you so much for the incredible impact you have made in my classroom. You have given us what have proved to be fun, invaluable, educational tools.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Terenzi