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This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Francolino from Chicago, IL is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Francolino is requesting

Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader!

My students need tools to ignite their burning desire to read, write and change the world though the power of words!

  • $999 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mr. Francolino for his next project!

Help Mr. Francolino

Keep the momentum going! Make a donation to Mr. Francolino for his next project!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” When I first asked that question to my students, I was quickly met with blank stares and strange smirks. Thus I realized I cannot simply tell them that they’re unique and extraordinary kids-- I have to demonstrate that unwavering belief every single day. Fortunately, they make that task of mine easy as they consistently prove their enormous potential. Their endless curiosity, their burning desire to read and write, their intrinsic motivation to succeed and their self-awareness at such a young age begin to encompass their extraordinary qualities. This is all despite the fact that they face significant challenges.

The odds are seemingly stacked against my kids.

They attend public school in Chicago at a low income school in a district that has gone through significant budget cuts. My students are native Spanish speakers and are learning English as their second language. They have disabilities--some are on the Autism Spectrum, others have speech impairments, ADHD or behavior challenges. They, however, do not view these realities as barriers. Their cultural and language realities, their socioeconomic backgrounds, and their (dis)abilities inform their identities--as future changemakers in the United States.

My Project

These materials, therefore, will serve as the essential tools to build competent and confident readers and writers.

Reading is what allows our class to go on a global field trip!

Whether it’s slipping on the shoes of a student in Africa or going back in time to discover Ancient Egypt. Reading is exploring, reading is thinking, and reading allows our class to empathize. As for writing, that is how our class uses what they read to take action. Whether it’s writing letters to the president, putting our imagination into words, or sending Flat Stanley around the world to learn about its vast cultures, our class intrinsically values the power of words and the power of writing.

The sight word activities will empower students to recognize high-frequency words that are often not spelled phonetically in English--considering my kids struggle with the fact that “said” is spelled the way it is and not “sed.” The variety of text sets will allow students who do not have the luxury of taking trips abroad to do just that. Students will be inspired to inquire about our diverse world as they learn about the cultures of Pakistan and China. The books on “getting along” will provide the explicit instruction from which we could all seemingly benefit. Books about grammar will begin to allow my students to understand that “read” can be pronounced in two different ways, despite that “eight” and “ate” are pronounced the exact same way. The writing tools will establish the foundation for a lifetime of writing considering as Edward Hopper said, “If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” (If I had the ability to teach them to paint then, perhaps, I’d disagree with Mr. Hopper.)

Mr. Francolino Pulaski International School of Chicago Grades PreK-2

More about Mr. Francolino

Chicago, IL View local requests

More than a third of 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

15 students impacted 18donors

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

See our finances

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
GA328 - Learning to Get Along Book Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $87.50 1 $87.50
WG326 - What Is Grammar? Book Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $79.99 1 $79.99
TT503 - Learn-To-Write with Mentor Texts - Gr. 2-3 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $79.99 1 $79.99
AA937 - Children of the World Book Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $79.50 1 $79.50
FG360X - First Picture-Story Composition Book - Set of 10 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $22.39 2 $44.78
FB504 - Building Character Book Set • Lakeshore Learning Materials $42.50 1 $42.50
GG737 - Sight-Word Steps • Lakeshore Learning Materials $39.99 1 $39.99
AA339 - Level P Book Bin - Gr. 3-4 - Library 1 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $39.99 1 $39.99
AA338 - Level O Book Bin - Gr. 3 - Library 1 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $39.99 1 $39.99
AA337 - Level N Book Bin - Gr. 3 - Library 1 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $37.99 1 $37.99
AA336 - Level M Book Bin - Gr. 2-3 - Library 1 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $35.99 1 $35.99
DD956 - Correct the Sentence! Daily Journal - Gr. 3-4 - Set of 10 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $34.99 1 $34.99
TT949 - Level P Extra Book Set - Gr. 3-4 - Library 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $30.00 1 $30.00
TT948 - Level O Extra Book Set - Gr. 3 - Library 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $28.00 1 $28.00
TT944 - Level M Extra Book Set - Gr. 2-3 - Library 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $25.00 1 $25.00
TT947 - Level N Extra Book Set - Gr. 3 - Library 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $25.00 1 $25.00
TT508 - Fishing for Sight-Words - Level 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $17.59 1 $17.59
TT507 - Fishing for Sight-Words - Level 1 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $17.59 1 $17.59
EE809 - Magnetic Fishing Poles - Set of 2 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $10.39 1 $10.39
AR803 - Interactive Language Notebook Reproducible Activities - Gr. 3 • Lakeshore Learning Materials $9.99 1 $9.99

Materials cost

$806.76

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$12.10

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$848.86

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$149.80

Total project goal

$998.66

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $998.66

14 Donors

-$821.01

Donations toward project cost

-$712.86

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$108.15

Matching donations from our partners

-$160.00

Match offers toward project cost

-$136.00

Match offers to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$24.00

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$17.65

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. Francolino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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