My students need 32 books about Japanese culture and language to support their studies about Japan. Books are the best way to connect my students with our curriculum.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Feitelberg's classroom raised $444
This project is fully funded
My Students
Global citizenship begins at childhood. Most of what my students learn about Japan comes from the books they read. We need to increase the size of our Japanese book collection, so that my students' love for books may couple with their passion for learning about foreign cultures.
My students are a diverse and dynamic group of third-graders attending Creative Science School in Portland, Oregon.
We are a focus-option K-8 school that relies on inquiry and prior knowledge, and offers students opportunities to research and discover answers to their own questions. Our school utilizes Storyline curriculum to present students with provocative essential questions and plot-based integrated studies.
We are a community that reads and tells stories. My students love books and they appreciate literature related to their learning about Japan. They especially like to compare and contrast Japanese folktales to the ones they know. By having a more complete collection of books related to Japan, my students will have more topics to explore and more information at their disposal.
My Project
Inspired by my time living and teaching in Japan, each year I guide my students through a three-month long story about Japanese culture. Each student creates a character who travels to Japan and shares experiences like other tourists. Our topics of study include language, food, clothes, art, music, history, and more. We host visits from the Japan-America Society of Oregon, Ikebana International, enTaiko and Tears of Joy Puppet Theater. This year, we will be lucky enough to host a visit of ten middle school students from Hirosaki, Japan.
The books I am requesting are books I have either borrowed from the library or have seen abroad and not been able to purchase. I have relied on many of these books to communicate concepts about culture and community. Most are books that previous students have enjoyed but were returned to the library before everyone had a chance to read them. By helping us build our Japanese book collection we will get to keep these beautiful books throughout the year.
Third grade is often when students transition from learning how to read to being confident readers who seek out new genres and information in the books they choose.
By supporting this project, you will give my students the resources they require to explore personal interests in Japanese culture and present them with literature-based learning experiences that will last a lifetime. All of my past students remind me of the fun they had learning about Japan in third grade.
More than half 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
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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 Mr. Feitelberg and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
