You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
Donate
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Menu
Skip to main content

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

Your school email address was successfully verified.

Edit classroom photo

Mr. Van Herik’s Classroom Edit display name

Support his classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mr. Van Herik a DonorsChoose gift card he can use on his classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send him a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

cancel

Support Mr. Van Herik's classroom with a gift that fosters learning.

  • Monthly
  • One-time

We'll charge your card today and send Mr. Van Herik a DonorsChoose gift card he can use on his classroom projects. Starting next month, we'll charge your card and send him a DonorsChoose gift card on the 17th of every month.

Edit or cancel anytime.

Make a donation Mr. Van Herik can use on his next classroom project.

Your custom url is https://www.donorschoose.org/vanherik

View your stats
Track donations »
Edit
Our year-long focus in English I this year is the Danger of Literature. We explore how writers use stories to undo oppressive systems and expose social realities. Freshmen examine texts that deal directly with themes of voice, opportunity, and diversity of experience. Our current curriculum includes Our America: Life and Death on the Southside, Night, and Fahrenheit 451. As we move through the year, our goals are that students will have the tools they need to question systems in their lives, analyze literature as skilled readers, and form connections and arguments in response to texts with their peers. Reflecting on our current texts, students have expressed appreciation of the themes of overcoming oppression and using writing to endanger unfair power. They also most connected to the first text, a non-fiction radio production by two south side black teens exploring the stories and justice of their neighborhood. With these reflections in mind, I gave out the single copies we have of The Hate U Give, Parable of the Sower, and The Book of Unknown Americans for student review. They found these stories of teens encountering injustice and finding resilience to it valuable and connecting. This year, I would integrate selections from these books as we explore our final unit on Romeo and Juliet, comparing teen experiences throughout the centuries. Next year, I would integrate the copies as choices and additions in each unit. For instance, students looking for a more diverse cast and more complex writing could read Parable of the Sower in addition to or in replacement of Fahrenheit 451. Experience and student reflection has shown me that students pursue literature that reflects cultural diversity. This finding has led me to request these three texts: The Hate U Give, Parable of the Sower, and The Book of Unknown Americans

About my class

Our year-long focus in English I this year is the Danger of Literature. We explore how writers use stories to undo oppressive systems and expose social realities. Freshmen examine texts that deal directly with themes of voice, opportunity, and diversity of experience. Our current curriculum includes Our America: Life and Death on the Southside, Night, and Fahrenheit 451. As we move through the year, our goals are that students will have the tools they need to question systems in their lives, analyze literature as skilled readers, and form connections and arguments in response to texts with their peers. Reflecting on our current texts, students have expressed appreciation of the themes of overcoming oppression and using writing to endanger unfair power. They also most connected to the first text, a non-fiction radio production by two south side black teens exploring the stories and justice of their neighborhood. With these reflections in mind, I gave out the single copies we have of The Hate U Give, Parable of the Sower, and The Book of Unknown Americans for student review. They found these stories of teens encountering injustice and finding resilience to it valuable and connecting. This year, I would integrate selections from these books as we explore our final unit on Romeo and Juliet, comparing teen experiences throughout the centuries. Next year, I would integrate the copies as choices and additions in each unit. For instance, students looking for a more diverse cast and more complex writing could read Parable of the Sower in addition to or in replacement of Fahrenheit 451. Experience and student reflection has shown me that students pursue literature that reflects cultural diversity. This finding has led me to request these three texts: The Hate U Give, Parable of the Sower, and The Book of Unknown Americans

Read more

About my class

Read more
{"followTeacherId":5285185,"teacherId":5285185,"teacherName":"Mr. Van Herik","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp5285185_272x272.jpg?width=136&height=136&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1524841912716","teacherHasProfilePhoto":true,"vanityURL":"vanherik","teacherChallengeId":21162307,"followAbout":"Mr. Van Herik's projects","teacherVerify":-919053230,"teacherNameEncoded":"Mr. Van Herik","vanityType":"teacher","teacherPageInfo":{"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"teacherHasClassroomDescription":true,"teacherClassroomDescription":"","teacherProfileURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/classroom/vanherik","tafURL":"https://secure.donorschoose.org/donors/share_teacher_profile.html?teacher=5285185","stats":{"numActiveProjects":0,"numFundedProjects":2,"numSupporters":30},"classroomPhotoPendingScreening":false,"showEssentialsListCard":false}}
Supporting teachers and students since 2000

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America create classroom project requests, and you can give any amount to the project that inspires you.

We've earned the highest possible ratings from Better Business Bureau, Charity Watch, Charity Navigator, and Guidestar.