Past projects 23
Sparking a Love of Reading
Funded Oct 24, 2018When you walk into the start of my class, you'll notice students nestled into their spots quietly reading books of their choice. The room is silent except for the turning of pages. You'll see just about every student immersed into a story not realizing how much vocabulary they are acquiring, how they are building empathy for characters, soaking up quality writing styles, and sparking their own imaginations. This is what reading time is for and it took a lot of work to get to this point. Over the years of teaching, the one thing, the one catalyst for getting students to read was a well stocked classroom library. When students are surrounded by books, when teachers can book talk and have copies in the room, when students can pick up a book right when they finish one or need something different, you get a room full of readers. Most importantly, when a student walks into a room and sees that books are the heart, they will know how valuable being a reader can be. Thank you for being a part of my goal in creating passionate readers. I could not have done this without your help!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolf
Let's Unplug!
Funded Aug 14, 2018Over the past year I've been making it a personal teaching goal to ensure that every student finds a book they absolutely love by the end of the school year. While this is easy for some students, it has posed quite a challenge for many. As I journey through this school year I have immersed myself in the world of young adult literature; buying books, reading books, talking about books, writing about books, researching, and finding ways to place books the the hands of all my students. This goal to instill the love of reading in each student has transformed me as a teacher and I could not have done it without your help.
The books you have donated are talked about and passed around the room for students to look at, and usually are gobbled up by the end of the school day. Each day we allow time for free reading so they can get into books and find one they love. They use their books for mini lessons I teach in class and by allowing them to use a book of their choice, engagement has increased significantly in the room. Student are finding characters they love, imagery that inspires their writing, and plot twists they cannot wait to talk about. My favorite days are when I see reluctant readers sucked into their books, barely coming up for air!
As the school year progresses, I pledge to continue my quest of expanding the love of reading and making sure these donated books fulfill their purpose and hopefully sink into the hearts of many students. Again, thank you for helping my reading goal come alive and fulfilling my passion of teaching.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolf
Great Reads, Great Minds
Funded Apr 5, 2018Last Friday, after supervising the hallway as the morning rush brought in 400 7th graders, I walked into my classroom to find almost all of my 1st hour students sitting together in a giant group they called "Pangaea." All of them, with books in hand, couldn't wait to start their time to talk about books with each other, a morning ritual we have started since our wonderful classroom books were purchased with your donations.
Almost 50 nonfiction books were purchased with your donation, and almost all of them have been looked at and read since the start of school. Every morning we start the day with book talks and reading time. Students share their favorites and pass them around, students swap with each other, or take time to find something new. With having an updated, fresh classroom library, students have quick access to books to keep their reading spirits and enthusiasm for learning alive. The class challenged themselves to read at least 25 books this school year and they are well on their way!
Because of your donations, I have students running up to me telling me how excited they are to have finished a book, or that they finally started reading at home. I have students who hated reading yet have found a book they loved from our own classroom library. Because of your donations, students have something to be proud of when they arrive at school. Because of your donations, I have something to be proud of when my students arrive at school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Wolf