Past projects 6
Writing BIG and Small in ELA!
Funded Jan 19, 2020Thank you so much for your contribution to my project. Although we were not able to get all of the materials that we originally sought, we were able to get so many wonderful tools to help my students learn.
When we were in class, no student ever had to worry about whether or not they had a pencil that day. We had plenty of loose-leaf for everyone. I had stacks and stacks of written work, and my bulletin boards were covered in writing from my kids. Students were able to work in groups with individualized tasks, and we had folders to keep all of our papers neat and orderly. Anchor charts adorned the edge of every wall.
None of this could have happened without your support. We are all so sad to be stuck at home, and we miss the learning environment of the classroom, which you helped create. Because of you, we had a warm, inviting space where everyone had the resources they required.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer
Social Justice Warriors: Engaging with Society Through Reading
Funded Oct 25, 2018Thank you so much for generously donating to my classroom. Your contributions have led to a year's supply of reading for both the 6th and 7th grade here at MS 353 Elijah Stroud. We have only just begun, with the 6th grade reading Peace, Locomotion first and the 7th grade reading Monster first. Already, the kids are anxious to read ahead and find out what happens in each book.
Because of you, these kids get to engage with a text that challenges their thinking and asks them to analyze various perspectives on identity and how it shapes our worldview. Students are starting to think about the role of the justice system in America, how different kinds of people are treated within that justice system, and what might need to change. In the 6th grade, students are learning about what makes a family, how writing is a way of preserving memory, and their own views on the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Each year I wonder if I'll be able to teach these books again, if students will have the opportunity to have "conversations with the text" though their annotations, and if we'll get to have the same deep discussions. If I didn't have your help, I would not be able to provide my students with the materials necessary for this kind of work. But because of your kindness, another years' worth of students is able to experience these books and discover a world of literature they might otherwise never engage with.
I really and truly am grateful, and I know the kids are too. This world is a better place with a person like you in it.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 18 other donors.Bringing Black Authors to Life: Jacqueline Woodson
Funded Feb 8, 2018Thank you for contributing to my Donor's Choose project. Because of your generous donation, my students will get to read a novel that not only reflects aspects of their life back to them, but also pushes them to think critically about the world around them. In addition, they are being exposed to one of the great writers of our time, Jacqueline Woodson (who was named 2018 National Ambassador of Young People's Literature).
We're only a few days into the novel, and already the conversations my students are having are pushing their thinking and forcing them to grapple with questions such as gender identity, the interplay of race and society, and how societal norms affect our way of thinking. It's an exciting time (although occasionally depressing) to have these conversations in the current political landscape, and because of you my students have an opportunity to start thinking about issues that they will no doubt have to make important decisions about not just for themselves, but for the future of our country.
Thank you for making this all possible.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer
Coming of Age in the City: Making Meaning
Funded Oct 19, 2017When I found out I would be teaching 6th and 7th graders (instead of my usual 8th graders) this year, I panicked. But then I realized that Jacqueline Woodson can be taught at any middle school level, I just had to find the right books! So I decided to go with "From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun" (which I taught in 8th grade, but could easily translate to 7th), and "Peace, Locomotion" (for my 6th graders). While my 7th graders are still reading our other class novel (we'll do Melanin Sun in the Spring), my 6th graders are already deep into Peace, and they LOVE it.
What does this have to do with you? Everything! Because of you, my students are learning how to cope with complicated emotions (losing a loved one, making friends, living with extended family) as well as how to write long, sophisticated paragraphs in which they incorporate textual evidence to support the myriad inferences they are drawing from the novel. Because of you, class 602 has gone from struggling writers to fervent freewriters, eager to share their thoughts with their classmates. They LOVE talking about how Lonnie (the main character) interacts with his teachers and friends, and comparing Lonnie's experiences to their own. Students who normally shy away from class discussion have discovered a love of reading out loud to their classmates. Students who are better at decoding new vocabulary are now gently supporting their classmates in their pronunciation as these struggling readers read aloud to the class. I've even had kids ask me if we can read more about Lonnie (this is, after all, technically a sequel to an earlier book about Lonnie). It is truly something to behold.
In sum, everyone is getting ready for a relaxing holiday break, and even on this, the last day of classes before winter break, students came prepared to read and write, eager to share out, and to show off their ever-increasing writing skills. I am, as always, humbled by your generous donations. I know the students are grateful too. Here's to a happy and healthy 2018!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 6 other donors.Help the 8th Grade Delve into Mystery!
Funded Apr 20, 2017The Westing Game has been a beloved novel for generations. Although I had never read it before student teaching, it became an instant favorite and I couldn't wait to teach it in my own classroom. The Westing Game is an especially wonderful novel because it is written in proper Standard English, is a complex and engaging mystery, and has all the silliness, fun, and excitement perfect for middle schoolers. Middle school can be a challenging time as young teens start to feel more grown up, yet still delight in being children. For this reason, The Westing Game is an ideal text.
In our class, students read to themselves, read aloud to each other, and listened as I read to them. Because students had their own copies of the novel (thanks to your generous donation), students were able to annotate the text, making them detectives, just like Turtle! Students annotated not only for clues, but also for character development, setting, dramatic irony, and suspense. Based on their annotations, students were able to make thoughtful predictions throughout our reading, and were excited to discover whether or not their predictions panned out.
Although some students struggled to get into the novel in the beginning, once they were hooked, they were hooked for good1 Students like Justelle delighted in highlighting important details and making connections during classroom discussions. Rosanie couldn't put the book down, and so she finished it within days (but was sworn to secrecy while the rest of her classmates caught up). Yanique looked forward to class everyday, and even stopped me frequently in the hallway to tell me about what she had just read and what she thought would happen next. Kayshaun was our one-man in-class peanut gallery, clicking his tongue or exclaiming noises of shock as the plot thickened.
Once again, thank you for your generous donation. Because of you, a new generation of students will remember The Westing Game fondly and, someday, will pass that love on to others.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer
Avid Readers Need Xeroxes!
Funded Sep 2, 2016Dear Donor,
Thank you for your generous donation to my classroom at MS 353 Elijah Stroud. Our school is the local Middle School for the neighborhood of Crown Heights, in Brooklyn. We are a Title 1 school, and many of our students suffer from myriad deficits. Some students have jobs outside of school in order to help support their families. Some students lack access to basic necessities like food and shelter, which means they definitely don't have access to computers and printers outside of school. MS 353 is a haven for many students, providing not only academic instruction, but everything from a meal to a computer to type one's written work.
Your generous donation has provided my students with the ability to print their typed work. This has allowed students to feel pride in the work that they have done. Students now see reflections of their dedication as they walk the halls of the school because their work is hanging up on bulletin boards. Students cheer when they find that their essay has been posted as an exemplar in the classroom. In addition to printing student work, I have been able to teach poetry by giving xeroxed copies of poems to individual students, provide copies of rubrics which students use to guide their own work, and make copies of self assessment questions so that students can reflect on their own learning. Without your support, this would not be possible.
This unit we have been reading a book that we found in the supply closet, because that is the only book that we could find that had a full class set. It's an interesting book, written in verse form, but there are so many great novels out there that I would love to read with my students. The next project I hope to tackle is to purchase individual copies of a novel by Jacqueline Woodson. By purchasing each student his or her own copy, I will be able to teach him or her how to annotate text, write in the margins, underline important sections, and highlight new words.
I hope that you are able to go into the Holiday Season knowing that you have donated to a truly important cause. You have given to students who look to school as the one place where they can find the help and support they so desperately need. You are a part of what makes this place special for my students.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Stemmer