Past projects 26
The Play's The Thing! Plays for Emerging Players!
Funded Dec 31, 2013I continue to be humbled by the generosity of the Donors of Donors Choose . First, let me say thank you for your generosity and support of our classes and of the arts. As an educator I continue to see first hand the power of theatre in my student lives and encourage the creativity that it challenges them to achieve. This spring, thanks to your donations we were able to purchase two class sets of plays, "Fires In The Mirror" by Anna Deavere Smith and "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder. While "Our Town" is a classic and everyone should read it at some point it was the work with "Fires" that truly captured the imagination of my students.
We began the unit reading the play in class, aloud. One of the amazing things about this play is that there are so many voices represented just like a school or classroom. Diverse perspective allows students so many different ways to access a text and my students dove in head first. They got excited and read with gusto. In many cases I was able to show them pictures of the "real" person who Smith conducted the interview with that the monologue was created from. This always resonates with students, that our stories can become theater. After reading each of my students selected a monologue to learn and then perform for their class. It was riveting to see them take on such a challenge and work to create a monologue based on someone who lived or is still living. There was a genuine authenticity that came across in their performance and it was exciting to see them take on the work.
Inspired by the work of ADS, as the kids call her they are now writing their own plays based on interviews they conducted a few weeks ago. They will be filming their scenes and editing them together to create a short film. Indeed, the benefits of this play keep coming.
Thank you again to you all for your donation to our class. As you can see, having diverse texts can lead to a world of possibilities.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne
Materials for Budding Performers!
Funded Aug 20, 2013One of my favorite things about Donors Chose is when the box of materials arrives and I get to explain to my students that people they don't know believe in them and want them to succeed! Their eyes get big, even as high school students, in disbelief. It is hard for many young people today to understand philanthropy. Thanks to your example, I am able to begin having this conversation with my students and hopefully it will be something they pay forward in the years to come.
In our drama class students have been able to use the materials provided by this grant to do scene study, monologue practice as well as research for a design project they are currently working on! For our current project in groups of 4 students will each be taking on one of four design concentrations and creating designs for A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller. Each group was designed a different decade from the 20th century. It is exciting to see them use the resources from our grant in class.
Having accurate and quality resources at my fingertips allows me to empower students to take learning into their own hand, literally! In an era when we as teachers do so much online, there is a lot to be said for placing a book in a young persons hands and see their eyes light up as they discover new things!
Thank you again for your support of our project and my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne
Writers Need A Space For Inspiration to Flow!
Funded Aug 29, 2012It has been a busy Fall in our classroom so far this year! Thanks to your generosity my students have been writing up a storm and building skills that will last a lifetime. I could not be more proud of the work they are doing and it would not have been possible with out you!
One of the greatest contributions has been the lined post-its! It seems silly, I know but the truth is, when providing students another vehicle for collecting information, note taking, brain storming, reflecting, or simply organizing their thoughts they buy in if often much more!
Thank you again for your contribution to our classroom! It is with help from people like you all that Teachers are able to go above and beyond in the day to day lives of children.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne
This classroom project was brought to life by Kia Motors America and 7 other donors.English Classes Need Paper for Publishing!
Funded Dec 3, 2011Let me first start by saying thank you a million times over for your generous donation to my classroom. It is with the help and support of people like you that children will continue to be inspired to learn and to inspire teachers to keep up the hard work. Even when faced with the adversity of teacher cutbacks and budget deficiencies, knowing that when I needed you, you were there with out hesitation makes this job just a little easier.
The materials you helped to purchase- post-its and copy paper are being put to good use! My seniors are in the process of crafting MLA style research papers on the humanitarian of their choosing! Their choices have covered a wide range:
Harriet Tubman, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, W.E.B. DuBois Clara Barton Just to name a few!
If you have ever done a research project before you know it can be littered with notes here, notes there organizing information, adding details, crafting the best essay they can. Having the copy paper to provide students with resources to support their learning can be so overlooked but with your donation I am able to provide the kids with what they need!
Thank you again for your support of EDUCATORS and STUDENTS!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne
We Are Off To See The Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard Of OZ!
Funded Dec 22, 2009Thank you so very much for your support of our classes. Our Literature and Film course on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is off to a great start. We are half way through our trimester and the students have jumped in feet first. In our first six weeks we have been able to:
Learn about the life and times of L. Frank Baum
Read aloud the first half of the book
View the original 1939 film
Explore the universal themes that exist in both the book and the film Analyze Dorothy as a "classic hero" as per Joseph Campbell's Stages of the Heroes Journey
In the remainder of our trimester students are looking forward to finishing the book, watching The Wiz and Return To Oz and parts of the mini series Tinman.
This has been a fantastic course so far as we have examined what home means to us, where our strength comes from, what it means to be a hero, and why we may have to leave where we are from to really discover who we are (a point especially relevant for our graduating seniors).
To our fantastic donors, we thank you for supporting our journey into OZ. With out the support of donors like you many students across the country would never be exposed to original source materials like L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne
Costume Technology Needs Supplies!
Funded Nov 21, 2009First let me say, thanks to all of you for your contributions to this project. It is such a joy to see students discover a new medium for creation and artistic endeavors. The crochet hooks your donations made it possible to buy have been a great addition to the Costume Design and Construction course. It makes it possible for students who may not be able to provide their own materials to participate in a unit every student enjoys.
One of the great things about the materials we were able to get is the range of hook sizes provided in each package. By allowing students to experiment with different hook sizes only exposes them to more possibilities for utilizing the art form. Also please know that these materials will be used for a long time to come- supporting dozens of students in the long run!
Thank you again for your support of arts and theater in the schools. As you can see from the posted pictures it is a great adventure for the young people in this class!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Towne