This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Russell-Heymann from Washington, DC is requesting a class trip through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Mrs. Russell-Heymann's classroom raised $1,803

Nonfiction Aquarium Adventure

My students need a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium to directly observe and experience the animals and topics we are reading and writing about in our Nonfiction literacy unit.

Mrs. Russell-Heymann E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Middle School

Washington, DC Grades 3-5

Celebrating 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 are third graders at a public charter school in Washington D.C. The school serves a high-need population, and is simultaneously high-performing and well-loved by families, students and staff. I teach reading and writing to two groups of third graders who are incredibly hard-working, curious, insightful young people. We have just embarked on a nonfiction reading and writing unit. Most research suggests that nonfiction reading is the most challenging and is also a KEY to ensuring long-term student success across subject areas. My students are most interested in learning about sea life – sharks, dolphins, whales, and fish. We have probably taken every book on sea life out of the public library! We are teaching them not only about the features of nonfiction books (index, diagrams, labels) but also the strategies to ensure comprehension, and they are soaking up what they are reading. However, so many of our students have never seen any of these sea creatures in real life, and so they are unable to fully picture what they are reading about. They are lacking the necessary background knowledge to access the information in their books, and so comprehension is much more difficult. We want them to SEE these animals up close, so that when they are reading and writing about them, they are calling upon REAL experiences with the topics. The Baltimore Aquarium is an incredible resource, which will enable my students to see sharks, fish and dolphins, to read the non-fiction texts to learn more about the displays, to take notes and keep track of their learning, and to discuss their observations in real time. We want to ensure that every single third grader has the opportunity to access the same rigorous and authentic learning experiences, but the socio-economic diversity of our school makes that a challenge. Our students' families cannot all afford the expense of a trip to the Aquarium, but the trip is most important for the students who have the fewest resources at home. Your help will enable every single student in the third grade to spend a day immersed in the under-water world of the Baltimore Aquarium, and to come away with a treasure-trove of information and experiences that will help them become stronger nonfiction readers and writers, better informed scientists, and more confident students.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Half of students from low‑income households

50 students impacted 47 donors

Project tagged as

Washington, DC
Grades 3-5
Literacy
Climate & The Environment
Students with Disabilities
Charter School
Virtual Trips
Half of students from low‑income households

Mrs. Russell-Heymann E.L. Haynes Public Charter School Middle School Grades 3-5

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Washington, DC View local requests

Half 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

50 students impacted 47donors

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Where your donation goes

Destination Partipants Total

Baltimore Aquarium, Baltimore MD
(The ticket price will get the students admission to the Aquarium, plus a Dolphin Show!) 50 students, 6 teachers $1,447.50

Trip cost			$1,447.50
Vendor shipping charges			FREE
Sales tax			$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee			$21.71
Fulfillment labor & materials			$9.00
Total project cost			$1,478.21
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$324.49
Total project goal			$1,802.70
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$1,802.70
45 Donors			-$1,776.35
Donations toward project cost			-$1,478.21
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$298.14
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$26.35
Still needed View calculation Hide calculation			$0.00

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

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Project Activity

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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 Mrs. Russell-Heymann and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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This teacher needs your help!

Nonfiction Aquarium Adventure

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Project tagged as

Boost your odds

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

How we calculate what's needed

Project Activity

Project Activity

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.