Past projects 5
From the Book to the Big Screen!
Funded Feb 1, 2024Thank you for sponsoring our movie experience. The students were surprised by the authentic movie ambience provided by the popcorn popper, hot dog roller and actual movie snacks. It was an upgrade from microwaved popcorn! Then there was the actual movie. The students really enjoyed the musical aspect and comparing the movie to the previous film and the novel.
That element was most impressive for me. To hear them discuss casting and analyze character development displayed their growth as readers and thinkers. They collectively agreed that the original novel was the best story telling and each copy is "watered down." We talked extensively about the value of writers in our society and how they are necessary for our growth and entertainment. The teaching/learning implications were greatly appreciated.
Again, thank you for allowing us to bring books to life and continue to foster the joy of reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alexis
Sweetly Spinning Stories
Funded Jan 22, 2024Many of us know that reading is truly becoming a lost art. That's why this little book club brings so much glee. The members are passionate about reading and really try to resonate that passion for others to experience their joy. Our annual book giveaway is one of those ways to foster the love of reading in young people.
Although they love the art of reading, they also recognize the role tangible items play in building interest. That's why they wanted to add a little something special along with the book. Building the accompanying reading wheel with candy and fidget spinners was the added element of joy. By the time we were done, even their fellow high-shoolers were interested in receiving a book!
That energy was matched when we made our delivery to the local elementary. The kids were so excited, their faces lit up and their smiles were ear to ear. That goes for the book-clubbers as well! They get to experience what it's like to be on the giving end. Overall, all parties seemed please and received a gift that will give for a lifetime. Thank you again for making this possible!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alexis
Rousing Reading Challenge
Funded Mar 21, 2023Our Rousing Reading Challenge was a huge success! We had never seen anything like it done and the students were super excited. One student even said "What are we doing? Setting trends for the English department?" That was exactly the reaction I was hoping for. Getting high school students interested in reading is a huge undertaking. This activity allowed us to escape the mundaneness of the classroom and interact with text in a tangible way.
The students were engaged in reading silently, then conferring with group members for answers to the questions, and finally participating in hands-on activities like sculpting answers visually with clay and unscrambling words from the text on a magnetic board. They also had to scavenge to find symbols that answered questions. Using multiple modalities really helped them to get into the text and appreciate literature on another level.
The event happened at the end of the school year but the students requested to do it again. They were thoroughly impacted and after being able to see and hear other reading interpretations from different students in other classrooms, their perspectives were broadened. Overall, my department can't thank the donors enough for enabling this wonderful event that allowed us to liven up the high school English classroom and thoroughly engage students in the reading process.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alexis
Color Me In-terested!
Funded Oct 29, 2022Investing in this color printer allowed me to really serve my students and school in a variety of ways. The students enjoyed capturing a celebratory moment of their academic success with a vibrant selfie frame used by our college and career bound students on Academic Signing day. We did a unique segment called "Caught you Reading" where students received $5 gift card rewards if they were caught reading a book around school and they REALLY loved that. Teachers were motivated through our testing prep initiative as they were inspired by the colorful event posters.
Overall, the presence of color is a very simple way to increase engagement from everyone involved, and it proved so in this case. One student even said "the packaging is so cool I don't even want to open it!" It just goes to prove that education really is about engaging the whole person and aesthetics can go a long way toward impact. I thank all of you all so much for this product that will undoubtedly continue to help our students achieve academic success directly and indirectly. Thank you donors!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alexis
"Reading Is Fly, So Soar with Eagle Wings Book Club!"
Funded Sep 16, 2022I can't say enough how starting this book club has added a new level of interest to my role as a teacher and another platform to affect student learning. The welcome boxes and starter books afforded by your generosity were the perfect start to our book club's adventures. The starter novel "Dear Haiti, Love Alaine" was a great conversation starter and offered a valuable lesson in evaluating reading on multiple levels. We even managed to capture the attention of the authors as an added bonus!
My students were pleasantly surprised by the handmade objects in their welcome boxes. Accompanied with a few sweet treats, they were definitely a win. The highlight of the boxes were of course, our novels. While some found the book to be a tad lengthy before getting to the juicy bits, a great deal loved the fact that the narrative was presented via letters written by the main character. I was able to expound upon the use of epistolary form in literature and it sparked an entire conversation about authors' craft and opening themselves to various forms of reading. The setting of the novel being largely in Haiti, allowed for many personal connections with areas some of the students were familiar with and we all had a chance to dabble in mini language lessons inspired by the text. The novel included factual and fictional history, cultural traditions and overall relatable concepts of family and coming of age which we spoke about at length.
We also tagged the authors of the novel on social media and they responded with an offer to join one of our meetings via Skype or Zoom. Our schedules have yet to connect for said meeting but we are in contact via email so my students are excited about an actual Q&A session with authors in real time. Overall, this experience has been wonderful for my students and they are genuinely appreciative of the opportunity. Thank you all again for making this happen!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Alexis