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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Hays from Saint Petersburg, FL is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Hays is requesting

Building an Inclusive Classroom Library for My Boys

Help me give my students books that will inspire them to take challenges, grow, make mistakes, dream, believe and succeed.

  • $385 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. Hays for her next project!

Help Mrs. Hays

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mrs. Hays for her next project!

My Students

My students are just starting third grade and we have a lot of work to do to be successful. One key skill we are working on to accomplish that is our ability to read independently with engagement and stamina.

Our school is a Title 1 school where students receive free breakfast and lunch.

Additionally, we have extended learning time built into our schedule so that our scholars can focus on, develop and strengthen their reading skills and comprehension.

These kids are eager to learn and determined to pass the grade level and move up. At just 8 and 9 they know the importance of education and all express the desire to go to college and earn a degree. The best start to that is within the classroom and through building their enjoyment of reading. At this age, they truly need to see their lives within the lives of characters and they need to be expert readers in order to do well with testing.

These students want to thrive and have so much potential. I'm excited to see their growth and know that we will make gains with the assistance of series reading through diverse literature.

My Project

If funded, these books will become a part of the classroom library. Everyday the students have an independent reading station and they also are invited to take home books so they can log their 30 minutes of reading at home as part of their homework.

However, many of the books I have collected for the classroom library are not reflective of the diversity of my students - the scholars need to be able to see themselves and their experiences in fiction so they can have validation, make connections, be inspired by fictional role models and foster empathy.

These books that I have selected for the project will provide more options - options that include characters who look like them, talk like them, and have similar experiences and backgrounds. Series reading helps students progress with comprehension since they don't have to learn new characters - they are already established and the students come to love, understand and relate to the characters in their books.

The sets I chose, "Julian's Word " and "EllRay Jakes" were picked specifically because the characters have similarities with my students and the stories are what they need developmentally. Multiples were chosen of the series books so several students can enjoy the same text and progress within the series at once.

The individual books are diverse and inspiring - often highlighting character building and imagination.

Mrs. Hays Midtown Academy Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mrs. Hays

Saint Petersburg, FL View local requests

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. Learn more

16 students impacted 2donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Hays is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
EllRay Jakes Rocks the Holidays! • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
EllRay Jakes Is Magic • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
Gloria Rising (Julian's World) • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
Gloria's Way (Puffin Chapters) • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
Stories Huey Tells (Stepping Stone, paper) • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
EllRay Jakes the Recess King! • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
EllRay Jakes and the Beanstalk • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
Ellray Jakes the Dragon Slayer • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
Ellray Jakes Walks the Plank (EllRay Jakes, Book 3) • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken • Amazon Business $5.99 3 $17.97
EllRay Jakes Is a Rock Star • Amazon Business $5.09 3 $15.27
Julian's Glorious Summer (A Stepping Stone Book) • Amazon Business $5.06 3 $15.18
Julian, Secret Agent (Julian's World) • Amazon Business $4.99 3 $14.97
More Stories Julian Tells (Julian's World) • Amazon Business $4.99 3 $14.97
More Stories Huey Tells (Stepping Stone, paper) • Amazon Business $4.99 3 $14.97
The Stories Julian Tells (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) (Julian's World) • Amazon Business $4.71 3 $14.13
Julian, Dream Doctor (Stepping Stone, paper) • Amazon Business $4.50 3 $13.50
EllRay Jakes Stands Tall • Amazon Business $3.29 3 $9.87

Materials cost

$292.56

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$4.39

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$326.95

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$57.70

Total project goal

$384.65

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $384.65

2 Donors

-$384.65

Donations toward project cost

-$326.95

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$57.70

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Hays and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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