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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Alperstein from Rego Park, NY is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Alperstein is requesting

Novels by Literary Greats to Engage Students

My students need class copies of John Steinbeck's "The Red Pony" and Norman Juster's "Phantom Tollbooth" to capture their imaginations so that they can delve into literature.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Alperstein's classroom raised $488

This project is fully funded

My Students

Have you ever read a book that left you with the sense that you missed what the author was trying to convey? John Steinbeck's The Red Pony and Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth are two well known novels that offer rich opportunities to understand American history, satire, and double entendres.

We are a New York City public school located in the borough of Queens which has one of the most diverse populations in the country.

Our international school community is a microcosm of the world and it exemplifies the best that any multicultural population has to offer. I have fifth grade students who represent this rich global tapestry and their families value education as the key to their children's success. For them education is the currency of mobility and we all recognize the role that language and reading play in achieving that upward mobility. For that reason I'd like to introduce John Steinbeck's novel so that the students can gain insights into a period of American history through the story about a boy and his horse during the dust bowl years. Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth is a novel of a completely different sort offering language filled with whimsy and humor.

My Project

Eloquence can only be achieved through mastery of language and nuance, and these two authors have written books that will not only fascinate the students, but offer rich language, metaphors, double entendres, pathos and humor. There is so much to be gained by reading and analyzing these novels that these fifth graders could enjoy. My students are clever and what fifth grader wouldn't want to be moved, amused, or captivated by a story? The dust bowl years of America seen through the lens of a young boy growing up out west would be a powerful vehicle for exploring 20th century American history. Nonsense, humor, words with many meanings and implications, and the satire of Phantom Tollbooth would be devoured by my students who could examine the characters and plot as metaphors. It's a novel that offers many delightful "aha" moments. I have requested a LitPlan Teacher Pack for The Red Pony to provide many creative activity ideas for analysis. I already have one for Phantom Tollbooth.

I have chosen works by authors whose novels offer readers two beautiful stories and many ways of enjoying and analyzing the text.

The books are very different from one another which I am convinced will appeal to my students. It's important to offer literature with a broad spectrum for learning. By reading novels of two great authors in the same year I will be able to give my students the variety that will appeal to everyone.

Mrs. Alperstein PS 174 William Sidney Mount Grades 3-5 Rego Park, NY View local requests

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

30 students impacted 5donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
The Red Pony • AKJ Books $7.30 30 $219.00
Phantom Tollbooth • AKJ Books $5.10 28 $142.80
The Red Pony: LitPlan Teacher Pack (eBook) • AKJ Books $16.95 1 $16.95

Materials cost

$378.75

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.68

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$414.43

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$73.13

Total project goal

$487.56

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $487.56

4 Donors

-$473.33

Donations toward project cost

-$414.43

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$58.90

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$14.23

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 Mrs. Alperstein and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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