Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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I cannot thank you enough for contributing these amazing culturally responsive novels to my students. They have so many titles to choose from for their book clubs. Student choice and engagement are the beauty of book clubs. When our students have opportunities to make meaning and discuss engaging and interesting books together, they begin to really learn from one another and tackle issues relating to human nature and life's complexities, their identities, and their understanding of the world around them. Our young people are a diverse and complex group of students with a wide range of educational needs, languages, and backgrounds. From what I have learned, there is one certain thing – there is no one perfect approach or response that will adequately meet all their needs and goals. We must understand their diverse backgrounds to ensure their success within our classroom walls. We know that economic disadvantages often create social inequities in students before they walk through the doors and even though education is provided and opportunities are there, they can challenge them. We need to capitalize on students' lived experiences as building blocks of knowledge. Thank you for bringing these novels to the students. Your generosity is appreciated immensely.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Christina Krasic
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 3 other donors.
Receiving this donation has helped my students immensely. I cannot say thank you enough to all the generous donors on this platform who are able and willing to bring these necessary materials into the hands of our students. They have access to an array of materials needed to showcase their creativity and be able to bring amazing projects to life. It has made such a tremendous impact on all the materials available to the students.
We have used these resources to also build community through many engaging and meaningful activities. We also used these materials to plan, create, and build critical thinking skills. Students really enjoyed being able to work in teams to engage in escape rooms and create collaboration posters.
Thank you for all you have done to create these experiences for my students. The true impact is immeasurable.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Christina Krasic
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 7 other donors.
Access to these diverse novels will allow students to expand on their love of reading. The supplies will help them with the active reading and analysis of the novel so they can read books that are engaging, relevant, meaningful all while improving their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills!
When we reflect and look at a culturally responsive classroom through a student lens, we should see engagement, student voice, agency, students being engaged and valued, connections, and active learning. Students feel valued, safe, and willing to take risks in their learning. In order to do that, we need to begin by getting to know who our students are and we do this in many different ways. A few examples include giving them interest inventories, setting classroom norms or values with them, having them (and us) create identity charts, learner profiles, and focusing on establishing who the students and their families are. Relationship building should come first. We need to help them feel valued and that needs to start from the beginning. Students should feel welcome and that they belong. It’s not just posting a fact about everyone’s culture on a bulletin board with their picture; a culturally responsive classroom goes beyond that. The classroom and learning reflect the cultures of the students and it requires a commitment and a partnership of learning alongside the students.
Students need to feel empowered by choice. These are the novels they chose. I think that allowing students choice and considering their opinions and feeling when choosing literature (content) is beneficial. Just assuming that students see themselves in literature we choose for them might not also have the best outcome. They should be involved in the process. The concept of “windows” and “mirrors” should be seen and felt in a culturally responsive classroom.
About my class
Access to these diverse novels will allow students to expand on their love of reading. The supplies will help them with the active reading and analysis of the novel so they can read books that are engaging, relevant, meaningful all while improving their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills!
When we reflect and look at a culturally responsive classroom through a student lens, we should see engagement, student voice, agency, students being engaged and valued, connections, and active learning. Students feel valued, safe, and willing to take risks in their learning. In order to do that, we need to begin by getting to know who our students are and we do this in many different ways. A few examples include giving them interest inventories, setting classroom norms or values with them, having them (and us) create identity charts, learner profiles, and focusing on establishing who the students and their families are. Relationship building should come first. We need to help them feel valued and that needs to start from the beginning. Students should feel welcome and that they belong. It’s not just posting a fact about everyone’s culture on a bulletin board with their picture; a culturally responsive classroom goes beyond that. The classroom and learning reflect the cultures of the students and it requires a commitment and a partnership of learning alongside the students.
Students need to feel empowered by choice. These are the novels they chose. I think that allowing students choice and considering their opinions and feeling when choosing literature (content) is beneficial. Just assuming that students see themselves in literature we choose for them might not also have the best outcome. They should be involved in the process. The concept of “windows” and “mirrors” should be seen and felt in a culturally responsive classroom.
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