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This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Merski from Erie, PA is requesting technology through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Merski is requesting

Freestyle Fridays...from Rapping to Reading and Writing.

My students need journals to write their poems and raps for a project, and an ELMO so that everyone can share their work with the class without wasting paper on copies.

  • $1,016 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

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Help Mr. Merski

My Students

I teach 8th grade Language Arts and Math in an inner city, high poverty school. 99% of my students receive free or reduced meals. I teach in a classroom where Special Education students are included in the classroom. This project will develop the whole child, creatively and academically!

My students are tough nuts to crack.

Everything is "boring" or "stupid". What I have found is my students use this as an excuse for their lack of confidence in reading and writing. My students LOVE rap music, so I introduced spoken word poetry to them. It was the first time this year that I captured their attention, so I thought, "Why not make this a weekly Friday thing?" The problem is, as a high poverty school in a poor city, the district doesn't have the money to pay for the supplies we'd need to run Freestyle Friday, so we are doing without for now.

My Project

This project will benefit my students because they are reluctant readers and writers, but this project got them excited about reading and writing. I want to do it up right. The students should have NICE, DURABLE notebooks to DEVELOP their writing. We need an ELMO document projector, so that students can SHOWCASE their work, building CONFIDENCE in their writing. By putting the work on the ELMO document projector, it completes the final component of literacy in this project. We will involve every student in WRITING their poems/raps, READING their work to the class, LISTENING to others share their work, and SPEAKING by providing feedback on other poems. These are the essential skills for success in school and the workforce, and skills my students are lacking based on state assessments and my own observations.

I am so excited about this project!

If you could see how exposing the students to Authentic Literacy (the educational theory of what I'm doing) ignited their passion for reading and writing, you'd be amazed! I won't lie, my students are EXTREMELY reluctant learners. I truly feel this project will develop the confidence and interest in literacy that many of my students are lacking. You will make it possible for my students to experience SUCCESS. This is the carrot I need to entice them!

Mr. Merski Wayne Elementary School Grades 6-8

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 Mr. Merski

Erie, PA 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

25 students impacted 41donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
ELMO TT-02RX VISUAL PRESENTER -- ELMO TT-02RX Visual Presenter • Quill $760.99 1 $760.99
COMPOSITION BOOK, 100 SHEETS -- Roaring Spring Composition Book; 9-3/4x7-1/2", 100 Sheets • Quill $1.88 25 $47.00

Materials cost

$807.99

Vendor shipping charges

 $8.08

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$12.12

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$863.19

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$152.33

Total project goal

$1,015.52

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $1,015.52

34 Donors

-$1,011.67

Donations toward project cost

-$863.19

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$148.48

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$3.85

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 Mr. Merski and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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