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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Cook from Gwynn Oak, MD is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Fully Funded

Ms. Cook's classroom raised $257

Bibliotherapy: Tackling Self-Acceptance and Reading Skills

My students need 20 copies of the book grl2grl: Short fictions in order to participate in a schoolwide Spring Break reading initiative.

Ms. Cook Forest Park Senior High School 406

Gwynn Oak, MD Grades 9-12

My Students

We all need to feel accepted, and what better way to grapple with the challenges of being a queer teenager than through reading stories of others like you? Through the "Book Buddies" initiative, I will pair with a small group of self-selected students to tackle the high-interest book grl2grl.

Our school is a large urban neighborhood high school, where the vast majority of students come from high need families.

The average student entering 9th grade at our school comes in with the reading level of a 6th or 7th grader. In order to encourage more reading among our students (and more reading is the only proven way to increase reading skills, which directly affect academic achievement), our school is engaging students with opportunities for reading high interest texts in a small group setting. Having access to more high-interest texts like the one I am proposing will help students to feel more engaged with their reading and with their school community.

My Project

Being an urban teen at a large neighborhood high school is even more challenging for students who are queer, who don't see themselves in any of the canonical literature that is usually assigned in traditional English courses. Research shows that gay teens are four times as likely to attempt suicide as their heterosexual peers. Having access to a book of young adult short stories about teenage girls dealing successfully with unconventional sexualities will spark important conversation for my students who are grappling with their own nontraditional sexual orientations. At the same time, this high-interest text will encourage reading (over spring break, nonetheless), that will also improve students' vocabularies and test scores.

Creating a positive and supportive community is a key step in the coming out process for teens who are grappling with queer identities.

This is especially important for young women, as they have access to fewer queer female role models than their male peers. The book grl2grl, by Julie Anne Peters presents queer teen girls with stories that will help them nurture their own self-acceptance while also further engaging them with independent reading, which will boost their academic achievement.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

20 students impacted 8 donors

Project tagged as

Gwynn Oak, MD
Grades 9-12
Literacy
Health & Wellness
Traditional School
Books
Nearly all students from low‑income households

Ms. Cook Forest Park Senior High School 406 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.

Gwynn Oak, MD 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

20 students impacted 8donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total

grl2grl: Short fictions Julie Anne Peters • Barnes and Noble $8.63 20 $172.60

Materials cost			$172.60
Vendor shipping charges			$17.26
Sales tax			$8.63
3rd party payment processing fee			$2.59
Fulfillment labor & materials			$9.00
Total project cost			$210.08
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$46.12
Total project goal			$256.20
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$256.20
6 Donors			-$122.14
Donations toward project cost			-$105.04
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$17.10
match offer			-$128.10
Match offer toward project cost			-$105.04
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$23.06
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$5.96
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. Cook 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!

Bibliotherapy: Tackling Self-Acceptance and Reading Skills

My Students

My Project

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.