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This teacher needs your help!

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

See what Mrs. VELAZQUEZ is requesting
Fully Funded

Mrs. VELAZQUEZ's classroom raised $537

We Need Books And Resources!

My students need 45 copies of Jane Yolen's "The Devil's Arithmetic" and 11 writing resource books, including "ACT English & Reading Workbook" and "Grammar Essentials".

Classroom photo
Mrs. VELAZQUEZ CICS - Ralph Ellison
Chicago, IL Grades 9-12

My Students

Many of my students have been cheated. They don't know much , and sometimes anything, about the Holocaust. I want to integrate the Holocaust and teach students why it is important to bear witness and be an ally for other people. I know reading The Devil's Arithmetic will help me do this.

I teach at a charter high school in Chicago, Illinois.

We are ACT driven, and sometimes we have to sacrifice content for skills. Though skills are very important, I want my students to understand that if they do not find a way to love learning and reading, they will not succeed-regardless of their ACT score. My kids are bright, funny, curious, and opinionated. We have lively discussions and great debates. Many come from low income families and troubled backgrounds, but when we enter our classroom, everything else melts away. They are teenagers, and sometimes they get a bit too excited, but they always seem to impress me by the way they pull it together and excel the very next day. When things get crazy and all the stresses of teaching are on my shoulders, I know that I wake up to see them, and I stand back amazed at what they say and do. I can only hope that every teacher has at least one class like this.

My Project

Most of my students who know anything about the Holocaust know it because of the film Freedom Writers. I consider this second hand knowledge. I know my students are worthy enough to deserve first hand knowledge. I have a Holocaust unit that I have not been able to use because my school does not have the needed books nor the extra money to purchase a "supplemental book." I know that my students will love the unit, and they will learn and understand what it was really like to live the Holocaust. The workbooks will help make sure that my students reach their ACT goals. As a new teacher, I don't have very many resources for the students to practice these skills at varying levels. I spend hours online looking for materials but rarely find anything challenging and interesting for them to use. I will also be able to assign homework, which I hope will make my students more responsible and offer extra independent practice.

My greatest activity requires a lot of work and drama.

I bring in a fog machine and fans to cool the room, turn off the lights and use battery operated candles for effect. I dress up as a Nazi and yell at the students. I change their names to numbers and make them wear gold stars. It is very real and scary, but exciting. Then I take off my Nazi soldier jacket and tell them they can remove the stars. I allow them to do whatever they like with the numbers. This is just a taste of what it was like.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households

130 students impacted 18 donors
Mrs. VELAZQUEZ CICS - Ralph Ellison Grades 9-12

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.

Chicago, IL View local requests

More than three‑quarters 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

130 students impacted 18donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
English Grammar Workbook For Dummies Geraldine Woods • Barnes and Noble $11.40 1 $11.40
Language of Literature: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Book Produced by Houghton Mifflin Company • Barnes and Noble $2.78 1 $2.78
Glencoe Language Arts Grammar and Language Workbook Grade 9, Vol. 9 McGraw-Hill • Barnes and Noble $13.27 1 $13.27
ACT English & Reading Workbook (SparkNotes Test Prep Series) SparkNotes Editors • Barnes and Noble $8.95 1 $8.95
Grammar and Language Workbook: Grade 8 (Literature Series) McGraw-Hill • Barnes and Noble $13.27 1 $13.27
Workbook to Accompany the Second Edition of Donald M. Ayers's English Words from Latin and Greek Elements: Revised Edition Helena Dettmer, Marcia Lindgren • Barnes and Noble $14.97 1 $14.97
Glencoe Language Arts, Grade 12, Grammar and Language Workbook McGraw-Hill • Barnes and Noble $13.27 1 $13.27
Vocabulary Power Workbook:Grade 10 (Glencoe Language Arts Series) McGraw-Hill • Barnes and Noble $11.47 1 $11.47
Grammar Practice Workbook: Grade 10 (Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition Series) McGraw-Hill • Barnes and Noble $11.47 1 $11.47
Writer's Harbrace Larry G. Mapp • Barnes and Noble $21.55 1 $21.55
Grammar Essentials Gregory Buell • Barnes and Noble $19.34 1 $19.34
The Devil's Arithmetic Jane Yolen • Barnes and Noble $6.29 45 $283.05

Materials cost

$424.79

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.37

Fulfillment labor & materials

$9.00

Total project cost

$440.16

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$96.62

Total project goal

$536.78

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $536.78

14 Donors

-$536.78

Donations toward project cost

-$440.16

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$96.62

Still needed View calculationHide 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. VELAZQUEZ and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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