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Mr. Cassillo from Chicago IL is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

For the Love of Reading

My students need books that they can connect with as adolescents and minorities in the modern world.

  • $539 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrate Black Teachers and Students

This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.

My Students

Growing up in an urban area plagued by economic inequality and violence, my students have a lot working against them just to make it into the classroom. But that doesn't stop them from coming. These 7th and 8th graders are well-aware of their unfair circumstances, and instead of making excuses for themselves they decide to show up to school with the hope that their education can be the difference their lives deserve.

Many of the future professionals in my classroom are slowly beginning to imagine their world beyond elementary school.

As the young adolescents they are, they begin to lay out their next years in their mind, and determine what they must do to make those visions as bright as possible. Although they may not know exactly what they want to do with their futures, they know it best begins with their elementary school graduation and the pursuit of a high school degree.

My Project

The students in my classes have had trouble developing a love for books, which to me is no small tragedy. As teenage African Americans living in an impoverished community, these students have a lot going on. Add in the troubling social climate of the world and the limitless access to it all through technology and it's easy to understand why they may not find it in them to want to pick up a book. However, with the right books, I believe that can change.

With these books, my class library could offer a range of powerful characters, settings, and stories that would resonate with students that deserve to see their lives reflected in an accurate, honest, and understanding way.

As it currently stands, many of the books I can offer are outdated and out-of-touch with my students. These additions would transform that section of the room to one that would draw these kids in and pull them into a world of comfort and belonging, all the while improving their academic abilities.

Mr. Cassillo
Grades 6-8

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mr. Cassillo is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning • Amazon Business $13.98 1 $13.98
The Arrival • Amazon Business $13.07 1 $13.07
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter • Amazon Business $12.59 1 $12.59
Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card • Amazon Business $12.59 1 $12.59
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian • Amazon Business $11.69 1 $11.69
Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win (Women in Science) • Amazon Business $11.55 1 $11.55
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton • Amazon Business $11.55 1 $11.55
First and Goal: What Football Taught Me About Never Giving Up • Amazon Business $11.04 1 $11.04
When I Was the Greatest • Amazon Business $9.99 1 $9.99
Patina (Track) • Amazon Business $9.98 1 $9.98
Bronxwood • Amazon Business $9.98 1 $9.98
American Born Chinese • Amazon Business $9.89 1 $9.89
Piecing Me Together • Amazon Business $9.88 1 $9.88
Stargirl (Stargirl Series) • Amazon Business $9.84 1 $9.84
This Side of Home • Amazon Business $9.82 1 $9.82
Calling My Name • Amazon Business $9.79 1 $9.79
Allegedly • Amazon Business $9.40 1 $9.40
The Fever Code (Maze Runner, Book Five; Prequel) (The Maze Runner Series) • Amazon Business $9.34 1 $9.34
Monster: A Graphic Novel • Amazon Business $9.06 1 $9.06
The Maze Runner (Book 1) • Amazon Business $9.00 1 $9.00
The Rule of One • Amazon Business $8.99 1 $8.99
Copper Sun • Amazon Business $8.92 1 $8.92
Homeboyz • Amazon Business $8.76 1 $8.76
The Middle School Rules of Jamaal Charles: as told by Sean Jensen • Amazon Business $8.66 1 $8.66
The Outsiders • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Snitch • Amazon Business $7.98 1 $7.98
Anya's Ghost • Amazon Business $7.98 1 $7.98
How It Went Down • Amazon Business $7.98 1 $7.98
The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, Book 2) • Amazon Business $7.96 1 $7.96
Amina's Voice • Amazon Business $7.59 1 $7.59
Lord of the Flies • Amazon Business $7.59 1 $7.59
Thirteen Reasons Why • Amazon Business $7.57 1 $7.57
American Street • Amazon Business $7.55 1 $7.55
The Education of Margot Sanchez • Amazon Business $7.55 1 $7.55
Hip-Hop High School • Amazon Business $7.49 1 $7.49
100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History (100 Series) • Amazon Business $7.47 1 $7.47
Romiette and Julio • Amazon Business $7.19 1 $7.19
November Blues (The Jericho Trilogy) • Amazon Business $7.19 1 $7.19
Just Another Hero (The Jericho Trilogy) • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
Takedown • Amazon Business $6.77 1 $6.77
Monster • Amazon Business $3.38 2 $6.76
The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 • Amazon Business $6.71 1 $6.71
The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin) • Amazon Business $6.56 1 $6.56
Darkness Before Dawn • Amazon Business $6.48 1 $6.48
The Battle of Jericho (The Jericho Trilogy) • Amazon Business $6.39 1 $6.39
Hatchet • Amazon Business $5.49 1 $5.49
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board • Amazon Business $4.95 1 $4.95

Materials cost

$421.53

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.32

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$457.85

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$80.80

Total project goal

$538.65

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $538.65

2 Donors

-$538.65

Donations toward project cost

-$457.85

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$80.80

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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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 Mr. Cassillo and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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