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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Thornton from Madison, WI is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Ms. Thornton's classroom raised $852

Reading is Power

My students need a classroom library of 56 books that celebrate the diverse cultural backgrounds of my students.

Ms. Thornton Mendota Elementary School

Madison, WI Grades PreK-2

I teach second and third graders who have a passion for reading multicultural books. I teach in a high needs school in Wisconsin that is predominantly African-American. My student’s needs are varied. Reading levels in my classroom range from first to fifth grade levels.

My students are able to reading for forty-five minutes a day, but they sometimes become disinterested in reading because they are not able to read books that are relevant to their lives. Even though my students have a passion for reading, they lack the necessary books to foster their love of reading. This is my second year as a teacher, and most of the books in our classroom library are old and falling apart because they were handed down to me by retired teachers. Unfortunately, I don’t have a personal budget that allows me to purchase books that my students are interested in reading.

I strongly need a variety of multicultural books by various authors to meet the interests and reading levels of the students in my classroom. These books will allow my students to improve on their reading comprehension and fluency skills as well as build their self-esteem.

Your help will allow my students to read books that relates to them and applies to their world. I am confident that the list of books that I have recommended will allow them to be exposed to reading that will have a positive impact on them academically, socially and emotionally.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

12 students impacted 23 donors

Project tagged as

Madison, WI
Grades PreK-2
Literacy
Social Sciences
Traditional School
Books
Nearly all students from low‑income households

Ms. Thornton Mendota Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Madison, WI 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

12 students impacted 23donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total

Brazil Justine Fontes, Ron Fontes • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

Haiti Kerry A. Graves • Barnes and Noble $7.15 1 $7.15

Dominican Republic Bob Temple • Barnes and Noble $8.95 1 $8.95

Puerto Rico and Culture: People Erinn Banting • Barnes and Noble $7.15 1 $7.15

Puerto Rico Romel Hernandez • Barnes and Noble $8.95 1 $8.95

Guatemala Michael Dahl • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

Ireland (A to Z Series) Justine Fontes, Ron Fontes • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

France: The People Greg Nickles • Barnes and Noble $7.15 1 $7.15

Germany - The People Kathryn Lane • Barnes and Noble $7.15 1 $7.15

Eleanor's Story: An American Girl in Hitler's Germany Eleanor Ramrath Garner • Barnes and Noble $6.09 1 $6.09

Great Wall Of China Leonard Everett Fisher, Everett Fisher • Barnes and Noble $7.19 1 $7.19

Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History John S. Major, Stephen Fieser (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.29 1 $6.29

Asia Gary Drevitch • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, Vol. 1 Eleanor Coerr, Ronald Himler (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.39 1 $5.39

Frederick Douglass: Young Defender of Human Rights Elisabeth P. Myers, Cathy Morrison (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $14.35 1 $14.35

Great African Americans in History Carlotta Hacker • Barnes and Noble $19.15 1 $19.15

No More!: Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance Doreen Rappaport, Shane W. Evans (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $16.19 1 $16.19

W.E.B. Du Bois Tonya Bolden • Barnes and Noble $15.29 1 $15.29

Famous Firsts of Black Americans Sybil Hancock, Jerry Haynes (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.65 1 $11.65

Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance Laban Carrick Hill, Christopher Myers (Illustrator), Foreword by Nickki Giovanni • Barnes and Noble $17.09 1 $17.09

March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World Christine King Farris, London Ladd (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $16.19 1 $16.19

A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement From 1954 to 1968 Diane McWhorter • Barnes and Noble $17.99 1 $17.99

Famous Firsts of Black Americans Sybil Hancock, Jerry Haynes (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.65 1 $11.65

Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance Laban Carrick Hill, Christopher Myers (Illustrator), Foreword by Nickki Giovanni • Barnes and Noble $17.09 1 $17.09

Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist Philip Dray, Stephen Alcorn (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $17.05 1 $17.05

March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World Christine King Farris, London Ladd (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $16.19 1 $16.19

A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement From 1954 to 1968 Diane McWhorter • Barnes and Noble $17.99 1 $17.99

Let Freedom Ring!: The Slave Trade in Early America Kristin Thoennes Keller, Cynthia Neverdon-Morton • Barnes and Noble $21.53 1 $21.53

The Story of Slavery Sarah Courtauld, Designed by Karen Tomlins • Barnes and Noble $8.09 1 $8.09

Leon's Story Leon Walter Tillage, Susan L. Roth (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $13.50 1 $13.50

Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly Walter Dean Myers, Leonard Jenkins (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $15.29 1 $15.29

Strength of These Arms: Life in the Slave Quarters Raymond Bial • Barnes and Noble $14.40 1 $14.40

A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall David A. Adler, Robert Casilla (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $16.15 1 $16.15

The Emancipation Proclamation Marianne McComb • Barnes and Noble $14.35 1 $14.35

Crafts That Celebrate Black History Kathy Ross, Ross Kathy, Jenny Stow (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $22.41 1 $22.41

Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights Jim Haskins, Benny Andrews (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $16.19 1 $16.19

Speaking Out: The Civil Rights Movement 1950-1964 Kevin Supples • Barnes and Noble $11.65 1 $11.65

Harriet Beecher Stowe (Welcome Books: Real People Series) Mary Hill • Barnes and Noble $17.10 1 $17.10

Moving North: African Americans and the Great Migration 1915-1930 Monica Halpern • Barnes and Noble $11.65 1 $11.65

Heroes for Civil Rights David A. Adler, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $15.25 1 $15.25

Sweet Land of Liberty Deborah Hopkinson, Leonard Jenkins (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $15.25 1 $15.25

Child of the Civil Rights Movement Paula Young Shelton, Raul Colon • Barnes and Noble $14.39 1 $14.39

Bessie Coleman: Daring to Fly Sally M. Walker, Janice Lee Porter (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.68 1 $11.68

Aunt Clara Brown: Official Pioneer Linda Lowery, Linda Lowery Keep, Janice Lee Porter (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

Tuskegee Airmen: American Heroes Lynn M. Homan, Rosalie M. Shepherd (Illustrator), Thomas Reilly • Barnes and Noble $13.45 1 $13.45

Rosa Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Collier (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $15.25 1 $15.25

As Good as Anybody Richard Michelson, Raul Colon (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $13.59 1 $13.59

Harriet Tubman: Freedom's Trailblazer Kathleen V. Kudlinski, Robert Brown (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.39 1 $5.39

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Carole Boston Weatherford, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $12.79 1 $12.79

Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change Michelle Cook, Pat Cummings (Illustrator), James Ransome (Illustrator), Eric Velasquez (Illustrator), Leo Dillon (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $13.59 1 $13.59

Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Collier (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $13.56 1 $13.56

John Brown: His Fight for Freedom John Hendrix • Barnes and Noble $15.16 1 $15.16

I Wonder Why the Pyramids Were Built: and Other Questions about Egypt Miranda Smith • Barnes and Noble $11.65 1 $11.65

Nelson Mandela (DK Biography Series) Lenny Hort, Laaren Brown • Barnes and Noble $4.49 1 $4.49

Ancient Egypt Miranda Smith • Barnes and Noble $6.25 1 $6.25

Who Was King Tut? Roberta Edwards, True Kelley (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $4.49 1 $4.49

Materials cost			$679.12
Vendor shipping charges			FREE
Sales tax			$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee			$10.19
Fulfillment labor & materials			$9.00
Total project cost			$698.31
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$153.29
Total project goal			$851.60
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$851.60
17 Donors			-$843.91
Donations toward project cost			-$698.31
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$145.60
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$7.69
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

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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 Ms. Thornton and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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

This teacher needs your help!

Reading is Power

Project tagged as

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

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.