Thanks to Bill Gates and his partnership with DonorsChoose, every project that receives a contribution today will be matched at 50%. In other words, if you donate $10 to a classroom, your impact is really $15. This helps speed up projects earning a fully-funded status and waves of classrooms around the U.S. meeting new needs. Why DonorsChoose? The organization requires teachers to develop the project they wish to see fulfilled, outlining the items desired and their associated costs. Members of DonorsChoose ensure the projects are legitimate and, once funding has been met, ensure materials land in the hands of those project creators. This setup means teachers get exactly what they desire, at the lowest prices and through the safest measures possible. As much as many think donating a pile of books to a classroom might be helpful, it often ends up creating more work for already overworked classroom staff. DonorsChoose does the heavy lifting instead. Open your wallet today and help build some fantastic classroom libraries with the help of your donation’s doubled impact. Here are a few great projects to start with and, of course, any classroom project you find worthy will especially benefit from your generosity today. The information below is current as of writing. All of the classrooms listed have at least 50% student population at or below the poverty line.
Building a Library We LOVE Fairfield, Alabama $356
My Students
My classroom is located in a Title I, urban school and district. The students here are very eager and outgoing. They love to learn and although we don’t always have the resources, I love teaching them how to be creative, resourceful, and to think outside the box!
My Project
With everything in the world moving at such a swift, technologically advanced pace, students have started to lose their love for reading. It is difficult to get students to sit still and actually read a physical book on their own. However, if our classroom library presents them with books that they find enjoyable, entertaining and relatable, it is my hope that they can find their love for reading again. I am sure my students would enjoy this selection of books and we are very appreciative of your donation to our classroom.
Social Justice Literacy in Denver, Colorado $995
My Students
Our students are majority Latinx and Black high school students attending public high school in Denver, Colorado. Students are motivated and dedicated to preparing for the realities of university and the workforce through high-level education and college-credit opportunities.
My Project
We will kick-start the school year this August by reading “The Hate You Give” together as a class in our 11th grade ELA classroom. Students will also have the opportunity to take their hardcover books home to read afterschool and on the weekends.
Critical Consciousness Through Realistic Fiction in Lowell, Massachusetts $1416
My Students
My 7th grade students are brilliant, hardworking and creative. Many of them come from socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds that sometimes create barriers to their learning; however, when they are presented with challenging and meaningful tasks they rise to the occasion. It is my goal to provide my students with as many tools as is possible to increase their literacy and engagement in the educational process.
My Project
Each year my seventh grade students spend the first two months of school engaging in a realistic fiction unit. For this coming school year, it is my hope that I can present students with a work of realistic fiction that represents the realities of the society in which they are growing up. By creating a culture of critical consciousness students will be able to better understand the world in which they live, while also learning how to take action against oppression through this understanding.
Instilling the Love of Reading in Inner-City Youth, Atlanta, Georgia $2,039
My Students
“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” —Mother Teresa Poverty can be unbelievable, and the stories can seem so unreal. Some of my students never witnessed success in the classroom due to their home environment, and they don’t see a future. I tell my students that success starts with them. My students are eager to see what the world can offer them, in the midst of the storm many of them face on a daily basis.
My Project
My students need high-interest novels in order to help with reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. When students relate to stories they read, they comprehend a lot better. Watching my students read and not give up is the joy of my day. Seeing my students want to learn more about the subject they’re reading is so special. This donation will take my students to another level academically, socially, and emotionally. My students are those who’ve been doubted all their lives. They’re the ones who have acted out in class because they didn’t want everyone to know they had reading challenges. They’re the ones who didn’t do homework because they were afraid to ask for help. These students have been passed over most of the life. They all come to me with a deficit. My average reading level is 2nd grade. However, I love teaching this group and watching them grow. This challenge cannot be done using today’s outdated textbooks, with characters they cannot relate to. I’ve had success by bringing in outside resources to teach the same standards just in a way they can relate to themselves. My school is in one of the poorest and highest crime areas in Atlanta.
Long Way Down books! Show Low, Arizona $579
My Students
Our students are creative and wonderful kids! We are a rural school in Arizona. My students are amazing and often do not have access to the basic necessities needed for school. I have been using this program for years, trying to get my students the items to help them become better readers, better athletes, and smarter students. Your donation is greatly appreciated and the products will be well taken care of for many years to come. Thank you again for donating to us!
My Project
My students are very interested in a new book I purchased for my classroom. There is a waiting list to read the book. There are two versions of this book available. I want to have several copies to allow any student interested in the book to be able to read it. There is a novel he wrote and a graphic novel included in the project. New literature is needed in my classroom library. Your donation will bring these new books!
Equality, Diversity, & Representation in Our Classroom Library Johnston, South Carolina $348
My Students
My students are made up of many different boys and girls. Some of my classes are all boys or all girls, and some are mixed groups of boys and girls. They are spirited and fun, but a lot of them come from high poverty homes. The students I teach love coming to school, and they get excited about anything that is new. My students are practicing the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and they are inspired to find new ways to implement them. Please help them with materials to grow our classroom and learning opportunities!
My Project
These materials will make a difference to so many of my students who do not enjoy reading because they have never been given a variety of books to choose from. The selection of books chosen to purchase for my classroom are grade-level fiction books. I hope to give my students a better appreciation of reading and maybe some of my students will end the year actually liking to read. The only way to reach them is to give them more options to choose from until they pick up a book that speaks to them. Only then will their love for reading take hold. These materials will affect the lives of my students in a tremendous way. In this high poverty area, my students have a very limited access to books. Even if their parents can take them to the local library, it is an extremely small facility with few books. Many of my students do not enjoy reading because they can never find a book they are interested in. I believe if my students could see a wider variety of literature, maybe they’d enjoy reading a lot more. It could only take one book to teach a child that reading is a fun activity for life-long learning.
