Past projects 42
Books to Welcome Them Back
Funded Mar 27, 2021Oh, the Joy of an In-Person Reading Community! Thank you so much for your generosity in supporting our young scholars as they create a community of readers with the books you have donated.
Favorites have included "Playlist for the Dead," "Everything Sad is Untrue," and "Clap When You Land." Students are reading every day in class, and building an independent reading habit at home. These books have been a source of endless delight.
As we continue with our fall semester students will be forming Literature circles to build more community with these great reads. Thank you so much for supporting our classroom library to help our scholars reconnect with a love of reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and one other donor.Inspire Compassion and Anti-Racism with Stamped
Funded Sep 29, 2020When I first read "Stamped," Jason Reynold's remix of Ibram X. Kendi's book "Stamped from the Beginning", I knew my students would love the "not a history book" look at racist and anti-racist philosophies and practices in the U.S. The book is clear and persuasive about how to be anti-racist in our beliefs and interactions, as well as how institutions can shift to greater equity.
Though we were in distance learning, it was September, and I was certain I'd be back with students in-person before the end of fall semester. I imagined in-class literature circles with Stamped as one of the choices among other culturally sustaining works. Alas...the best laid plans...
So, in January, I took a reading inventory of my students, and chose 25 of my 10th graders to mail the copies of Stamped that you generously provided. Many students used it to inform our "Cultural Inquiry Project."
I can't wait to meet the students who received the book when they stop by to return it for future students. We are so grateful for your support in this wild time. It has made this distance learning dance a little sweeter.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 8 other donors.Build Our Library Of Latinx Authors!
Funded Mar 7, 2020Thank you so much for providing sets of "The Book of Unknown Americans," "Under the Feet of Jesus" and "When the Moon Was Ours" by Latinx writers Cristina Henríquez, Helena Maria Viramontes, and Anna-Maria McLemore. Our students are eager for texts that illuminate culture and identity, and these books helped fill a gap in our offerings by Latinx writers.
Due to school closures we have not yet had a chance to use two of these titles, but "Under the Feet of Jesus" was a vital read for my 12th grade AP Literature students, who used them in literature circle study. In the spring we will have another safe in-person book distribution, during which time all these titles will be available for students to check out as we explore culture and identity through diverse perspectives.
Though the pandemic has changed how we connect, books are a timeless way to share another world, and relate it to this one. Thank you for supporting us in this challenging time. Now, more than ever, we must elevate public education into the art form our students deserve.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by A group of anonymous donors and 6 other donors.Chronicle of a Novella Unit Foretold
Funded Sep 12, 2019Thank you so much for providing sets of "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and "Under the Feet of Jesus" by Helena Maria Viramontes. Last year, on our last day in-person, my AP students got to select between these two works to deepen their analysis of literature and to broaden their connection to the work by these two Latinx authors.
Though school closure and the pandemic has changed how we connect, these books allowed students to collaborate in literature circle groups and deepen their understanding of literary analysis. We held virtual Zoom Socratic Seminars on the two works, and students practiced analytic responses to prepare for the AP Literature test.
This year, students will again be able to chose between these two works for literature circle study with safe book pick-ups at school. Books are vital medicine in hard times, offering an escape from our hectic days. I am so grateful for your generous support of our rich classroom library. Now, more than ever, we must elevate public education into the art form our students deserve, and these books help in that mission.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 11 other donors.We Rise into Earth Guardians
Funded Oct 25, 2019Thank you so much for providing a set of "We Rise" by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an indigenous climate change activist. Our students are hungry for texts that help them understand how to make a difference today in our environment. This work will help us deepen our understanding of how we can work toward climate resilience, even in the midst of so much devastation.
Xiuhtezcatl is an inspiring young person who uses his story, his culture, and his creativity to raise awareness about climate change and activism. He offers ways to address issues we are all facing at an alarming rate. Our students, many of them in STEMM pathways, are the ideal audience for this work.
Though the pandemic has changed how we connect, we will offer safe in-person pickups of books like "We Rise" to bring vital resources to all our students. Thank you for supporting us in this challenging time. Now, more than ever, we must elevate public education into the art form our students deserve.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by District Partnership Program and 5 other donors.Books They Can't Put Down
Funded Aug 13, 2019As I write this I sit in a room full of 29 exuberant 10th graders who are all immersed in the worlds you have made possible for us. Each student has selected a book from our class library, and many of them have been drawn to the latest titles you, Generous Donor, have provided. I have students who finish their independent reading time and compare where they are in "Children of Blood and Bone," a title many rushed to pick up. Other students are enjoying and raving about "They Both Die at the End," "All-American Boys," and "The Astonishing Color of After."
The excitement and engagement around reading is palpable. When students are given choice, and time, and a community that nurtures young readers, their "book lives" thrive. Soon we will write our first "collage" essay entitled "My Book Life," where they will reflect on the books that were instrumental to their growing up. Books nurture students' social-emotional well-being like few things can, and the stories of those books are always compelling.
I love what happens when new books infuse our already robust library. Students come up to me breathlessly, clutching their chosen book, telling me why I have to read it. Our own struggles get put into much-needed perspective with these books, and our community becomes more empathetic through our reading practice. Thank you for enriching our community!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by An Anonymous Funder and 5 other donors.Luminous Atlases To Reimagine Our Roots
Funded Jan 9, 2018Our students set out on an ambitious project: seek out an elder, conduct an interview, create a map, and preserve oral history in the form of a class anthology.
The work was inspired by Rebecca Solnit's Atlas series, sets of which you generously donated to our classroom. Students loved reading the essays in these atlases, and analyzing the corresponding maps. Those detailed works of art became inspiration for student's maps, and it was amazing to see the creative visual interpretations of moments from their interview narratives.
You also provided us with a student printer so that our scholars could use it print out templates for intricate maps.
Thank you for supporting this project that has resulted in a multi-class anthology of our "Untold Los Angeles Roots." I am so excited for students to receive their copy of the collection.
Here's to Supporting the Art of Public Education!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
Books They Can't Wait to Read
Funded Oct 25, 2018National Novel Writing Month is in full swing in our classroom, and your generous support has helped students in this heroic endeavor. This box of books showed up just in time to give students several more options for mentor texts, and students have been excited to check them out and read outside of class.
One of our favorites is "Long Way Down," a novel-in-verse that spans 60 pivotal seconds on a 7-floor elevator ride, where a young man is deciding whether he will avenge his brother's death or betray "The Rules" of his neighborhood. Another is "The 57 Bus" which reads like a novel, but is a true story of a tragic encounter on a bus that forever changed two people's lives. Yet another is "I'll Give You The Sun," which follows twins as their relationship fractures and their lives turn upside down, with each chapter alternating between the two siblings.
These mentor texts ignite student creativity as my young novelists strive to create worlds that never existed before. Thank you for supporting us with engaging stories that fuel our imaginations!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose.org Community and 4 other donors.Bring "Ceremony" to Literature Study
Funded Sep 13, 2018My 78 AP Literature students and I are deeply grateful for your contribution to our first novel unit. Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, is a story about healing, both from the wounds of war and from the intergenerational trauma suffered by Native Americans as a result of colonization.
The book is challenging: Tayo is struggling with "battle fatigue" and is a bit "unstuck" in time as he drifts through both childhood memories and war flashbacks. He seeks healing with his fellow war vets, but ultimately seeks help through native ceremonies which reconnect him to the earth and his people.
It was a powerful way to start our literature analysis with an author who represents voices we don't often hear from. Students mapped the plot in creative ways (see our pictures for examples!), and participated in thought-provoking Socratic Seminars to explore crucial themes.
Thank you for supplying our large group with enough copies, and for giving students the opportunity to live through Tayo's journey.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham
This classroom project was brought to life by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 4 other donors.Bring Ceremony to Literature Study
Funded May 30, 2018My 78 AP Literature students and I are deeply grateful for your contribution to our first novel unit. Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, is a story about healing, both from the wounds of war and from the intergenerational trauma suffered by Native Americans as a result of colonization.
The book is challenging: Tayo is struggling with "battle fatigue" and is a bit "unstuck" in time as he drifts through both childhood memories and war flashbacks. He seeks healing with his fellow war vets, but ultimately seeks help through native ceremonies which reconnect him to the earth and his people.
It was a powerful way to start our literature analysis with an author who represents voices we don't often hear from. Students mapped the plot in creative ways (see our pictures for examples!), and participated in thought-provoking Socratic Seminars to explore crucial themes.
Thank you for supplying our large group with enough copies, and for giving students the opportunity to live through Tayo's journey.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Kight Witham