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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Stemmer from Brooklyn, NY is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Stemmer is requesting

Coming of Age in the City: Making Meaning

My students need these novels by the brilliant Jacqueline Woodson to both practice their comprehension and develop a life-long love of reading.

  • $508 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Stemmer for her next project!

Help Ms. Stemmer

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Ms. Stemmer for her next project!

My Students

My students represent the nations of the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East, but they live in the heart of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Some are second or third generation immigrants, while others are brand new to the country and just learning English. All of them are bright and eager to learn.

My school is devoted to providing our students with the resources they deserve, but we are a struggling Title I school.

We are always in need of books for our students, who have limited access to books and as a result have a hard time both with decoding and with comprehension. For this reason, students need to be able to carefully annotate their novels and develop a love reading.

This year, I am endeavoring to purchase books for each one of my students to keep forever. We will be reading Peace, Locomotion in the 6th grade, and From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun in the 7th grade, both by Jacqueline Woodson.

My Project

These materials will inspire students to read and to see themselves in the larger world. Students will see themselves not only in the characters themselves, but in the city they are growing up in and facing challenges many of them have encountered.

Melanin Sun is an African-American boy growing up in NYC in the mid-1990s with a single mom who comes out to her young prejudiced son.

Locomotion is a young boy also growing up in NYC, living with a foster parent, and trying to keep in touch with his younger sister. Both of these novels will engage students by telling stories they can relate to, either because they themselves are in these challenging situations, or because they know someone who is. We have all been touched by prejudice, LGBTQ issues, and absent family members.

Engaging with literature that challenges students' way of thinking, while also reading about the experiences of children and families they can relate to will strengthen students' ability to read as well as develop their social-emotional maturity.

Ms. Stemmer Elijah Stroud Middle School Grades 6-8

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

At this school, more than 50% of students are Black, Latino, and/or Native American, and more than 50% come from low-income households. Learn how your donation to this school supports a more equitable education.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Ms. Stemmer

Brooklyn, NY 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

75 students impacted 7donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Peace, Locomotion • Amazon Business $8.22 25 $205.50
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun • Amazon Business $6.34 30 $190.20

Materials cost

$395.70

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.94

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$431.64

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$76.17

Total project goal

$507.81

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $507.81

6 Donors

-$265.52

Donations toward project cost

-$227.19

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$38.33

match offer

-$240.53

Match offer toward project cost

-$204.45

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$36.08

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$1.76

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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 Ms. Stemmer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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