Friday Fund Day: Drop Some Dollars and Help Some Classrooms
With the world being a difficult place for those of any marginalized background, one of the things those of us who are looking to do something can do is donate to those in need. Thousands of teachers each year ask for a little help with seeking supplies for their classrooms via Donors Choose; organizations that do work with at-risk communities like prison populations seek spare change to advocate for and bring literacy to those groups; and nonprofits that provide necessary resources to empower women and people of color are always hoping for a few bucks to make their vital work possible.
Enter: Friday Fund Days.
Book Riot readers have helped fund hundreds of classrooms over the last few years, and we’ll help bring funds to hundreds more. Each Friday, we’ll highlight two classrooms or other literacy-focused, important projects in hopes you’ll help them reach their goals to bring literature, advocacy, and education to others.
Even if you can’t spare money, any social sharing you can offer to the projects each week absolutely helps: you never know who’ll find it and have the means by which to make the project’s fundraising goals reached. More, you’ll bring awareness to the unmet needs in communities around the world, as well as right in your own back yard.
When all else feels hard or hopeless, remember that you can and do make a difference.
This Week’s Projects
1. You ARE a Reader! Stories That Empower Student Identities, Providence, RI ($519)
My Project
“As I head into my second year of teaching, I am inspired and motivated to help my students build a stronger sense of their reader identity. Many of my students last year struggled to see themselves as readers until they had the right book in their hands. During our unit on The Hate U Give, students had to think critically about issues that are relevant in their own communities. This was a turning point for many of my senior students in 1) starting to see themselves as readers and 2) experiencing the power of literature firsthand.
Providing ELL students with texts that have challenging themes AND accessible language is part of giving our most vulnerable population an equitable education.
This coming year the ELL group in my classroom will have doubled and we need resources to provide our students with books that are accessible for them and can kick-start their love of literature. Thank you for considering and supporting our project!”
Nearly all the students in this classroom are from low-income households. Their teacher is requesting El Odio Que Das (The Hate U Give) by Angie Thomas and La Casa en Mango Street (The House on Mango Street) by Sandra Cisneros.
2. Slam Tradition With Slam Poetry, San Francisco, CA ($482)
My Project
“Taking 9th graders through a poetry unit can often times be a difficult task as they struggle to understand the technique and the artistry of work written decades before they were even born. Elizabeth Acevedo’s trailblazing novel written in a variety of poetry structures allows students to access the more difficult concepts of poetry reading and writing because many of them see themselves in this text!
Students will read and listen to the author herself reading many of the chapters in the book so that they are also exposed to the art of slam poetry.
The unit will consist of Socratic seminar discussions, group annotation, group projects and finally a writing of their own poetry collection to showcase for their peers.”
Nearly all the students in this classroom are from low-income households. Their teacher is requesting The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
The lives of students can be impacted by your generosity; donating to or simply sharing their classroom needs on social media can make such a huge difference. Thank you for being part of their learning journey.
