This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I am a second grade teacher at a school in New York. One of my favorite units of study is nonfiction. Even though the unit is time consuming and a bit nerve wrecking, the main reason it is one of my favorite units of study is because of the students' sense of accomplishment after they complete and publish their book.
Students choose the animal that they want to become experts on. After choosing their animal, they will have to read books about their animal in order to gather facts. Using the various facts that they have learned about their animal, they will write their own non-fiction book. This is a very time consuming job but, in the end it is an amazing finished product.
The students really internalize their animals and it is wonderful to see them refer to themselves as "experts." There was one incident, weeks after the unit had finished, where I asked a question relating to an animal and the class instinctively turned to the student that had studied that animal. To my surprise the student stood up and stated that since she was an expert she would be able to answer the question. (I had never felt so happy).
This year my students have shown great interest in the rain forest and we will be studying the rain forest and its inhabitants for our nonfiction unit. However, we do not have many books on rain forest animals and the ones we do have do not all meet my students' needs. I know that I will probably have to get most of the books from the public library, but I want to be able to have the books easily available in the classroom and not have to worry about returning them. It is very hard finding and transporting the right leveled books to the classroom and then when taken back, the students no longer had access to them. Ideally each student should be reading more than one book to gather the most accurate information for their own books. However, it is hard providing them with this.
I would really appreciate this donation of rain forest non-fiction books to my class because I know how important this unit is. The students not only learn about their animals, they work on their reading and writing skills. This is the unit in which I see the most growth and development in my students.
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
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme Marianne Berkes, Jeanette Canyon (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$8.05
1
$8.05
Frogs (Nature's Friends) Ann Heinrichs
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Verdi Janell Cannon
• Barnes and Noble
$13.60
1
$13.60
Gorillas Patricia Brennan Demuth, Paul Lopez (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$3.59
1
$3.59
Gorillas Michael De Medeiros
• Barnes and Noble
$6.25
1
$6.25
Vampire Bats Julie Murray
• Barnes and Noble
$20.50
1
$20.50
Monkeys Julie Murray
• Barnes and Noble
$20.50
1
$20.50
Amazing Gorillas! (I Can Read Book Series) Sarah L. Thomson, Wildlife Conservation Society (Photographer)
• Barnes and Noble
$3.59
1
$3.59
Endangered Monkeys Molly Aloian, Bobbie Kalman
• Barnes and Noble
$6.25
1
$6.25
Butterflies (Nature's Friends) Ann Heinrichs
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Birds (Nature's Friends) Ann Heinrichs
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Bats (Nature's Friends) Ann Heinrichs
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Boa Constrictors Helen Frost
• Barnes and Noble
$5.35
1
$5.35
Jaguars David Huntrods
• Barnes and Noble
$6.25
1
$6.25
Jaguars (First Reports) Darlene R. Stille
• Barnes and Noble
$20.34
1
$20.34
Lemurs: Tree Dwellers Erika L. Shores
• Barnes and Noble
$19.13
1
$19.13
Nature's Green Umbrella Gail Gibbons, Gail Gibbons (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$6.29
1
$6.29
Rain Forest DK Publishing, Helen Sharman
• Barnes and Noble
$8.99
1
$8.99
If I Ran the Rain Forest: All about Tropical Rain Forests Bonnie Worth, Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$8.09
1
$8.09
Rain Forests: A Nonfiction Companion to Afternoon on the Amazon Sal Murdocca, Mary Pope Osborne, Will Osborne (Illustrator), Sal Murdocca (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$4.49
1
$4.49
A Walk in the Rainforest Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini, Kristin Joy Pratt (Illustrator)
• Barnes and Noble
$7.15
1
$7.15
Materials cost
$249.77
Vendor shipping charges
$24.98
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$6.24
Fulfillment labor & materials
$17.00
Total project cost
$298.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$65.41
Total project goal
$363.41
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$363.41
1 Donor
-$350.59
Donations toward project cost
-$298.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Mrs. Martinez and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
