Mr. Holmes' Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 18

• Book Clubs: Diverse Titles for Diverse Students

  Funded Jun 2, 2025

  Receiving new books in the classroom is always one of the most exciting days of the year!

  The books purchased by this project were selected because the authors were women or POC. The books were also selected for their high-interest for young people while also being appropriate but challenging literature. Students in my class read books independently from class as homework. This gives students greater choice in their required reading. Each student can now select from the new and diverse titles purchased by this project.

  The goal of my project was to diversify the reading materials available to my students. I am confident that these new books will provide a broader perspective of the world for my students. Several students have begun reading the new titles and I can see it has already been successful. I will continue to do this forever so that my future students can also have this opportunity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

  This classroom project was brought to life by A Book Lover and 3 other donors.

• Book Clubs: Graphic Novels

  Funded Feb 8, 2025

  Thank you so much for funding this project! My student's engagement with the book has been incredible. It's always exciting to find a text that resonates so strongly with young readers. The themes of identity, trauma, survival, and family really strike a chord with them, and many students find themselves reflecting on their own histories and experiences in the process.

  They've gained a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and its lasting impact, but what surprises me most is how they also connect to the personal, everyday struggles depicted in the story. They've even found moments of unexpected humor, which adds a powerful human dimension to such a serious topic.

  Some students have had strong opinions about the choices the characters make—especially Vladek—and it's been fascinating to see them wrestle with those moral complexities. It's clear the book is challenging them to think critically and empathetically.

  I'm so grateful for your support, and I'm really looking forward to the next group of students diving into this remarkable work.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

• Book Clubs: Graphic Novels

  Funded May 13, 2024

  Thank you for funding this project! I've already had a few groups of students read this book and they were into it! It's always exciting to come across a book that students enjoy. I think they connect deeply with the themes of this text. They see themselves and their experiences with identity reflected in this story. My students have gained an interesting perspective. On top of that they find the book funny. They struggled with some of the choices that the protagonist makes. As in, they didn't think they made the correct decisions. It's so interesting to see them engaging with a book in this way - disagreeing with the actions the characters take. I'm excited for the next group of students to get their hands on this one.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose Community and 5 other donors.

• The Reading Habit Continues

  Funded Sep 15, 2023

  This was a continuation of another project that I started this year. That project has been a big step in an exciting new direction for my class. My students have been doing their Independent Reading but many students were still looking for other types of reading. The graphic novels purchased for that project (AND SUPPLEMENTED BY THIS ONE) have opened a new door to reading for those students.

  I have plenty of literature from many genres available for my students. Graphic novels are increasingly in higher demand among my students. One of the places lacking in my classroom library has been the graphic novels section. This project was a big step in correcting that problem and meeting student demand.

  The goal of my projects have been to restore my student's love of reading. I am fully confident that the new additions to the classroom library will increase the number of students I am able to reach. This is the eighth year I'm doing Independent Reading. I can see that the new graphic novels have already been successful in creating an interest in reading for those students that formerly struggled to find something to read. I will continue to do this forever so that my future students can also enjoy these books.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

• Let's Make Reading a Habit!

  Funded Sep 4, 2023

  This project has been a big step in an exciting new direction for my class. My students have been doing their Independent Reading but many students were still looking for other types of reading. The graphic novels purchased with this project have opened a new door to reading for those students.

  I have plenty of literature from many genres available for my students. Graphic novels are increasingly in higher demand among my students. One of the places lacking in my classroom library has been the graphic novels section. This project was a big step in correcting that problem and meeting student demand.

  The goal of my projects has been to restore my student's love of reading. I am fully confident that the new additions to the classroom library will increase the number of students I am able to reach. This is the third year I'm doing Independent Reading. I can see that the new graphic novels have already been successful in creating an interest in reading for those students that formerly struggled to find something to read. I will continue to do this forever so that my future students can also enjoy these books.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

• Book Clubs: Feed

  Funded Jan 18, 2023

  Thank you for funding this project! I've already had a few groups of students read this book and they were into it! It's always exciting to come across a book that students enjoy. I think they connect deeply with the themes of this text. They see themselves and their experiences with phones and social media reflected in this story. My students have gained an interesting perspective on the devices they use. On top of that they find the book funny. They struggled with some of the choices that the protagonist makes. As in, they didn't think he made the correct decisions. It's so interesting to see them engaging with a book in this way - disagreeing with the actions the characters take. I'm excited for the next group of students to get their hands on this one.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

• Voice: To Hear & Be Heard

  Funded Sep 13, 2022

  Thank you so much for making this project happen. Having a dedicated microphone and speaker system in my classroom is a game changer. We use the microphone every day. I use it when I am speaking to the class as a whole. Students everywhere in the room can hear me loud and clear without me having to project.

  The greatest impact though is when the students use the microphone. Students in my class often share out ideas with the whole class. Using the microphone ensures that they are always heard when it is their turn to speak. It's funny, it seems to build confidence too. At first I thought students who are hesitant to speak in the first place would shy away from using the microphone. But something about receiving the microphone and knowing that they will be heard clearly by everyone in the room actually seems to boost their motivation to share. It's as if the thing that was preventing them from sharing more freely before was just the feeling that they wouldn't actually be heard, or that people wouldn't pay attention to them.

  I would estimate that each student in the room, throughout all my classes, gets to use the microphone to speak at least twice a week. When we do our Community Circles on Mondays (every Monday!) there are typically two-three questions to respond to. So on Mondays each person uses the microphone at least two-three times. Then during the week I use a name card system to make sure that there is equity and every person has a chance to speak in front of the whole class.

  I truly can't imagine teaching my class without this.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

• Let's Make Reading A Habit!

  Funded May 4, 2022

  This project has been a big step in an exciting new direction for my class. My students have been doing their Independent Reading but many students were still struggling to find something to connect with. The graphic novels purchased with this project have opened the door to reading for those students.

  I have plenty of literature from many genres available for my students. The most in-demand genre is definitely graphic novels though. One of the places lacking in my classroom library for the last year and a half has been the graphic novels section. This project was a big step in correcting that problem and meeting student demand.

  The goal of my projects has been to restore my student's love of reading. I am fully confident that the new additions to the classroom library will increase the number of students I am able to reach. This is the second year I'm doing Independent Reading. I can see that the graphic novels have already been successful in creating an interest in reading for those students that formerly struggled to find something to read. I will continue to do this forever so that my future students can also enjoy these books.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 7 other donors.

• Read & Decolonize! Diverse Books for Diverse Students

  Funded Feb 17, 2021

  Receiving new books in the classroom is always one of the most exciting days of the year! The available curriculum at our high school is by authors that skew mostly white and male. This project was designed to correct that within my own classroom.

  The books purchased by this project were selected because the authors were women or POC. The books were also selected for their high-interest for young people while also being appropriate but challenging literature. Students in my class read books independently from class as homework. This gives students greater choice in their required reading. Each student can now select from the new and diverse titles purchased by this project.

  The goal of my project was to diversify the reading materials available to my students. I am confident that these new books will provide a broader perspective of the world for my students. Several students have already begun reading the new titles and I can see it has already been successful. I will continue to do this forever so that my future students can also have this opportunity.”

  With gratitude,

  Mr. Holmes