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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Secrest from Bronx, NY is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Ms. Secrest's classroom raised $341

Reading Biographies to Build Better Lives

My students need 13 biographies and informational books to read during our identity and self-esteem unit.

Classroom photo
Ms. Secrest Urban Assembly Bronx Letters
Bronx, NY Grades 9-12

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate 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

How many life changing decisions did you make recently? How did you know it was a good decision? On any given day, it could be said teenagers make hundreds of life changing decisions! Teenagers need the role models of biographies and the facts of informational texts to make good decisions.

I teach 10th grade writing at a small public college- prep school in a large urban area of New York.

In the surrounding neighborhoods, 1 in 3 residents will witness a crime, be a victim of a crime, or perpetrate a crime. The neighborhood also has a high rate of AIDS and diabetes. In response to these needs, we maintain regular contact with parents and local social service organizations. The students with the strongest parental or mentor involvement are likely to be the most successful. Despite their initial difficulties with reading, we have a higher graduation rate than the city and all of our graduates attend college. But, as hard as families, teachers, and students work toward these goals, we need as much help as possible from outside sources, such as biographies and informational texts.

My Project

The books I have selected for this project will meet the needs of my students in two specific ways. First, the biographies and informational texts will help students learn how to make good decisions. Although not as powerful as a parent or mentor, a biography and informational text can help a student learn how regular people like themselves made good decisions and learn about the facts that helped them make those decisions. Secondly, many of these books have won awards through the Young Adult Library Association, so I know they are appropriate both in content and reading level. My selections include traditional text and graphic novels. I will use these books for silent reading in my identity and self-esteem unit. Students will read silently each day and then respond to an assigned prompt or to an idea in the text. Students will switch books after two weeks and read the second book as well. Once both books are complete, students will write a compare/contrast essay.

With these books, my students will learn how regular people like themselves turned their lives around through good decisions.

The books offer a wide range of topics, so everyone will find something they like. Also, the use of graphic novels will help low level readers find something they can read and enjoy. Finally, because this project is for books, this project will help both current and future students.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

80 students impacted 1 donor
Ms. Secrest Urban Assembly Bronx Letters Grades 9-12

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Bronx, NY 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

80 students impacted 1donor

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row • AKJ Books $14.03 2 $28.06
Ana''s Story: A Journey of Hope Jenna Bush, Mia Baxter (Illus • AKJ Books $7.79 1 $7.79
Hole in My Life • AKJ Books $6.24 2 $12.48
Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines Nic Sheff • AKJ Books $7.79 2 $15.58
Pedro & Me • AKJ Books $13.25 1 $13.25
Marijuana • AKJ Books $22.23 1 $22.23
What Color Is Your Parachute? For Teens, 2nd Edition • AKJ Books $12.47 1 $12.47
Fist Stick Knife Gun • AKJ Books $10.92 2 $21.84
A.D.New Orleans After the Deluge • AKJ Books $13.22 1 $13.22
Far From Home Tim Wendel, Jose Luis Villegas • AKJ Books $21.84 2 $43.68
Wintergirls Laurie Halse Anderson • AKJ Books $7.79 2 $15.58
What the World Eats Faith D''Aluisio, Peter Menzel (Photograp • AKJ Books $17.93 1 $17.93
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic • AKJ Books $14.04 1 $14.04
Malcolm X • AKJ Books $12.44 1 $12.44

Materials cost

$250.59

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$3.76

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$289.35

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$51.06

Total project goal

$340.41

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $340.41

1 Donor

-$340.41

Donations toward project cost

-$289.35

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$51.06

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

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 Ms. Secrest and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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