Livia Stone's Giving Page

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My students and I are very grateful for the donation that we received. We received a class set of the Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the teacher's manual for Things Fall Apart, and a 256-pack of Crayola markers. The class set of novels benefited my class because the students were able to be familiarized and exposed to a new story from a different part of the world. Additionally, our school library does not have much variety, and most of the books are the same old stories that my students have read time and time again. The markers helped because they are numerous and vary in color; they give my students the opportunity to make visual creations to illustrate their ideas and demonstrate their learning. My class enjoyed the story, and they always want to use the markers—whether for class assignments or for extra credit work. We appreciate your generous donation! Please continue support other classrooms the way you have supported mine.”

With gratitude,

Teacher

First off, I want to start by telling you all about the wonderful change Tears of a Tiger has brought to my students. Students that I have been trying to get interested in reading all year long are begging to keep reading this book. In fact, the first day we read the novel, I had many students attempt to read ahead. Finally, these students are engaged in a book, and I could not be happier!

Secondly, I want to tell you just how much I have been able to cover with this novel. Almost all of our standards are covered in this novel, and it is a very creative and interesting way to teach them for the students. Primarily, we have focused on making inferences and predictions, as well as summarizing. My students are also interacting with some essential questions, that not only teach them the standards, but teach them about life. I feel as if I am teaching them the most valuable information I can.

Because of these things, I cannot thank you enough for your donation to my classroom. It is truly a gift that will keep on giving. Because of this novel, I have been about to teach my students so much about the value of learning and reading, the knowledge they are expected to know and the creativity it takes to analyze a text. Again, thank you.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Haus

I would like to thank you so much for funding my project. As a new kindergarten teacher, I came into the year needing an abundance of materials for my students to use. I feel that one of the most important things a child can have is a love for books and the ability to be able to read. The books that you helped provide for my students have been used by the students individually and I have used them to create units for my classroom.

One book that I purchased was The Polar Express. I used this book before Christmas. We created an entire unit based on the book and activities in the book. The students LOVED the story and everything we did with it. At the end of the week, we had a pajama day to read the story, drink hot chocolate, and watch the movie.

I would like to thank you again for your help! My students have really learned how to love books through reading and they enjoy being able to take the books to look at on their own. ”

With gratitude,

Ms. Ward

Because of your generous support, my students have a beautiful library filled with books. The bookshelf you donated has been invaluable in organizing and displaying books from many different genres. My students work diligently to take care of the books and bookshelf and to make sure that everything stays in place.

The poetry section of the bookshelf quickly became a favorite among students. We have read many poems together from the wonderful collection of books. The students have learned to recognize poetic language and to use it themselves. They have really enjoyed hearing poems in both English and Spanish.

Thank you for helping bring the love of poetry into my students' lives!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Vilcapoma

Again, a million thanks for your generous donation to my class. We have just finished our unit on Seedfolks: It impacted my students in several ways. First, they relished the vivid characters that populated a neighborhood similar to their own. This enabled rich written and oral text-to-self connections. Students were also fond of using their own copy of authentic literature. Each book was loaded with Post-It notes identifying questions, answers, wonderings, and insights. The narrative allowed our class to work with the themes of redemption, community, and hope both during language arts blocks and class meeting times.

I am particularly grateful for the CD and Teaching guide that was also included with the books. Although I hadn't thought to include them in my proposal, they proved to be indispensable. I was able to have my proficient students read chapters independently, while my intensive students were engaged at the listening center; meanwhile, I could work with my strategic students guiding and modeling the skills they need. In this way our class moved through the novel together. The teaching guide simplified many aspects of designing instruction — especially vocabulary and figurative language activities. Students also enjoyed the "Character Poem" activity.

One wonderful aspect of your gift is that along with impacting this group, it will also provide the same engaging learning experiences to my future students. ”

With gratitude,

Mr. Moore