Past projects 114
"The Help" will Help us Address Bullying
Funded Nov 25, 2011Thank you for providing the funds to purchase copies of The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Bullying in Schools. For once, the girls in my junior English class could not wait to start reading. The boys are enjoying the book too. A few of them have seen the movie for The Help and continuously talk about the similarities and differences between the book and the film adaptation. We are not finished reading the book yet, but I'm already looking forward to seeing their reactions when they reach the end of the book.
To accompany The Help, I have assigned reading passages from Bullying in Schools. The book has sparked priceless discussion in my classroom.
Without your thoughtful donation, we would not have the opportunity to read a contemporary book that has sparked such insightful class discussion, along with excerpt from Bullying in Schools. We appreciate your generosity. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 4 other donors.The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth
Funded Apr 4, 2011Thank you for your generous donation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the audio CD, for my tenth grade students. Having a mismatched collection of the play has been a major inconvenience and point of confusion for many of my students. Now that we have one full class set, we can save valuable instructional time and not waste priceless minutes trying to get everyone on the right page. My students and I are looking forward to studying Shakespeare's language, in addition to the characters and conflicts in A Midsummer Night's Dream. A few of the students read the play last year and have started sharing some of chaotic storyline with the rest of the class.
Again, thank you for your generous donation. I am convinced that having these resources will make a difference in the lives of my students. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 5 other donors.Home for Bestselling Authors (Part 2)
Funded May 2, 2011Thank you for providing the funds to purchase a bookcase for my classroom, along with five of the books from the Bluford High Series. The box with the bookcase arrived yesterday, and the Bluford High books came today. The students and I are excited to have the bookcase assembled so that we can begin placing our favorite books on its shelves, which include the Bluford High books. My classroom library already includes five of them, and the new five that you helped purchase won't be on the shelves for long.
Thank you for your generous donation and for your commitment to literacy. I'm certain that the bookcase to house our classroom library and the five new books will help my students reach their full potential.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 5 other donors.Students Seeking More Bestselling Authors
Funded Feb 10, 2011Thank you for helping me add to my classroom library. The students were excited as I was to open the boxes and put the books on the bookcase. A few of the students read Monster last year and have encouraged other students to read it also. Other popular titles are The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Speak, two books that some students were able to read at the middle school. Those who weren't assigned to read those titles then have been encouraged by their peers to read them now for fun. All of the Walter Dean Myers books, like Sunrise over Fallujah, have caught the interest of some of the boys in the classroom.
Adding new, bestselling titles to my classroom library full is a great way to motivate my students to read. I hope to add to it so there are books that interest every one of my high school students. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. My students I appreciate it. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
Students Seeking Bestselling Authors
Funded Dec 7, 2010Thank you for helping me start a classroom library for my high school students. The books have come in different shipments, so every day feels like Christmas for my students. They are excited as I am to open the boxes to see which titles have arrived. Last year our Book Club read one of the titles, The Lovely Bones, and that has become a popular title with my students. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is another book that never made it to my bookcase because many of the students want to read it. As soon as it was out of the box, it was in the hands of one of my seniors. Of course the Stephanie Myer and Jodi Picoult books are popular too.
Starting a classroom library full of bestselling titles is a great way to motivate my students to read. I hope to add to it so there are books that interest every one of my high school students. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. My students I appreciate it. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 6 other donors.Home for Bestselling Authors
Funded Dec 17, 2010Thank you so much for providing the funds to purchase a bookcase and five books from the Bluford High Series for my classroom. I was pleased to discover that the bookcase is larger than I had imagined. It's perfect. I have been able to display the beginnings of our classroom library, including the Bluford High books, in my classroom. Students frequently browse the books now that they are displayed in an easy-to-see setting. It's much more inviting to pull a book off of a shelf than to dig it out of a box or a pile on a table.
It always makes me smile when I hear a student recommend a book to a classmate. They look so proud when they tell other students about a book that touched their lives and suggest that other students read it. My students and I appreciate your generosity. Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and one other donor.Hungry for the "Hunger Games"
Funded Dec 3, 2010Words cannot express how grateful I am that you purchased copies of The Hunger Games trilogy, including the audio CDs for my tenth grade students. The entire class has been humbled by your kindness and some have mentioned that it is refreshing to know that adults in the community care about their learning. My students and I are looking forward to continuing our study of The Hunger Games and discussing the roles of good and evil in society. This trilogy is a motivating read and an excellent way to spark the discussion of living lives of consequence. Many of the students have already "devoured" the first book and are eager to read the second and third books in the trilogy.
Again, thank you for your generous donation. I am convinced that having these resources will make a difference in the lives of my students. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 6 other donors.The Color of Water
Funded Dec 10, 2010Thank you for your generous donation of The Color of Water by James Mc Bride, including the audio CD, for my twelfth grade students. Last year this book was read by many members of our community, and the students have been looking forward to receiving copies that they can use. Some of the students are enjoying the book so much that they have already finished reading it! My students and I are looking forward to continuing our study of The Color of Water and discussing the roles of discovering one's identity. This book is a motivating read and an excellent way to spark the discussion of living lives of consequence. While not all students have been able to connect with having a Black father and Jewish mother like James McBride, they have been able to make connections to the hardships in their own lives.
Again, thank you for your generous donation. I am convinced that having these resources will make a difference in the lives of my students. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Townsend Press and 4 other donors.My Sister's Keeper
Funded Jan 14, 2010Thank you for providing the funds to purchase copies of My Sister's Keeper. For once, the girls in my senior English class could not wait to start reading. The boys are enjoying the book too. A few of them have seen the movie and continuously talk about how different the book is from the film adaptation. We have not quite gotten to the end of the book yet. I'm looking forward to seeing their reactions when they realize the book ending and film ending are completely different. To accompany the reading of the book, I have assigned a literary journal where students can draw pictures, pick out important quotes, and make predictions about what will happen next in the book. They have been drawing excellent conclusions and are enjoying this book.
Without your thoughtful donation, we would not have the opportunity to read a contemporary book that has sparked such insightful class discussion. We appreciate your generosity. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 2 other donors.The Power of Words
Funded Feb 3, 2010Thank you for providing the funds to purchase a class set of Webster's New World Dictionary and Thesauruses. When I passed them out, students immediately flipped through them and found new words. We have been reading Lord of the Flies and one student found that "Lord of the Flies" is a synonym for "devil." One student found that "pneumonia" actually starts with the letter P. Another student was surprised to find "gobbledygook" in the dictionary.
I looked up synonyms for "donor" and smiled when I saw "fairy godmother" on the list. Just like Cinderella's fairy godmother did away with Cinderella's rags and gave her the opportunity to go to the ball, you have given my students the opportunity to discover language and learn.
These materials will aid me in providing an education for my students and will encourage them to love language. Thank you for your generosity. ”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Marquart
This classroom project was brought to life by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and 8 other donors.