You're on track to get doubled donations (and unlock a reward for the colleague who referred you). Keep up the great work!
Take credit for your charitable giving! Check out your tax receipts
To use your $50 gift card credits, find a project to fund and we'll automatically apply your credits at checkout. Find a classroom project
Skip to main content

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

Your school email address was successfully verified.

Mrs. Blackburn from Fresno CA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

Readers Are Leaders!

My students need (desperately)beginning level Accelerated Reader books. We are a very rural school serving economically disadvantaged students w/out access to these books

  • $274 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Celebrate Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

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.

My Students

"Readers are Leaders" is our motto in our 1st grade classroom. We repeat it daily as we begin our AR (Accelerated Reader) time each morning. Our class is so excited to read (and learn to read) this year and I want to build upon this excitement in order for them to become lifelong learners.

I have a classroom full of 17 amazing little humans.

Most all of my students come from an economically disadvantaged household. Half of my class are English Language Learners. My students live in a very rural part of Southwest Fresno, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. Agriculture is king! Most of my students' parents are farm laborers and do not speak English. Their parents desperately want to help their children with education but are often times, at a loss. Our local library is 10 miles away and most of our parents do not have access to transportation to get there. Our school library receives limited funding and does not have the required lower leveled books 1st grade students need in order to begin reading. Our school library must rely on Scholastic Book Fair money (which isn't much) to stock its shelves. Teachers are required to financially stock their own classroom library with books as there just isn't any extra money to help in this area.

My Project

My students desperately want to learn to read but most often, do not get any extra help with this at home, as their limited English-speaking parents are unable to help with this process. My students only exposure to reading and BOOKS is at school and within the classroom. They love to read, be read to and read to their teacher!! Unfortunately, we are in desperate need of beginning AR leveled books for our 1st grade class. Without books at their level, my students are unable to achieve their AR goal that is set each quarter and is required by the school to meet. With these lower level books, students will be able to read the books at their level, take an AR test (that tests their reading comprehension), increase their reading fluency as well as meet their school-wide AR goal each quarter.

Donations to this project will improve my classroom's AR book library and will begin to create lifelong learners within my students.

As children become readers, they are able to do anything and everything with their lives. It has been said that future prison beds are based upon 3rd grade reading scores. If my 1st graders are given the access to beginning leveled reading books, their reading skills will improve and their chances of going on to high school and college greatly improves. Thank you.

Mrs. Blackburn
Grades PreK-2

Boost your odds

Add a profile photo in addition to your classroom photo. If you add a photo, it'll show up right here on your project page.

You are more likely to receive funding if you put a face to your name.

Upload a photo

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

You donate directly to the teacher or project you care about and see where every dollar you give goes.

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

See our finances

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

You can start a project with the same resources being requested here!

Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
Biscuit Loves Father's Day • Amazon $6.03 1 $6.03
I Can Do It • Amazon $5.86 1 $5.86
Snow Joe (Rookie Ready to Learn: Seasons and Weather) • Amazon $5.36 1 $5.36
My Camp-Out (Real Kid Readers: Level 1) • Amazon $4.99 1 $4.99
Eat Your Peas, Louise! (Rookie Ready to Learn) • Amazon $4.86 1 $4.86
Biscuit Is Thankful • Amazon $4.49 1 $4.49
The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites • Amazon $4.49 1 $4.49
Where is Max? (Rookie Readers Level A) • Amazon $4.46 1 $4.46
Ice Is Whee (Rookie Readers) • Amazon $4.46 1 $4.46
Hello, Doctor (Rookie Readers: Level A) • Amazon $4.04 1 $4.04
Dancing Dinos (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.99 1 $3.99
Tangled: Kingdom of Color (Step Into Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.99 1 $3.99
The Berenstain Bears Ride the Thunderbolt (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.99 1 $3.99
Tiger is a Scaredy Cat (Step into Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.99 1 $3.99
Biscuit and the Little Pup (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.84 1 $3.84
Biscuit Meets the Class Pet (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.82 1 $3.82
Elmo Says Achoo! (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.77 1 $3.77
I Can Do It! (Step into Reading, Step 1, paper) • Amazon $3.75 1 $3.75
Happy Alphabet! A Phonics Reader (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.74 1 $3.74
Best Dad in the Sea (Finding Nemo Step into Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.73 1 $3.73
Biscuit Loves the Library (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.72 1 $3.72
What Is a Princess? (Disney Princess) (Step into Reading) • Amazon $3.71 1 $3.71
Biscuit Takes a Walk (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.70 1 $3.70
Biscuit Wants to Play (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.65 1 $3.65
Come Here, Tiger! (Green Light Readers Level 1) • Amazon $3.63 1 $3.63
Biscuit Wins a Prize (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.61 1 $3.61
Sunshine, Moonshine (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit's New Trick (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit Visits the Big City (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit Plays Ball (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Bathtime for Biscuit (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit and the Lost Teddy Bear (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit Goes to School (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit's Day at the Farm (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Mice Are Nice (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Just Keep Swimming (Step-into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Cooking With the Cat (The Cat in the Hat: Step Into Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Cat Traps (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Biscuit in the Garden (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Tiny the Snow Dog (Puffin Easy-to-Read, Level 1) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Happy and Honey (Happy Honey) • Amazon $3.59 1 $3.59
Rabbit and Turtle Go to School (Green Light Readers Level 1) • Amazon $3.46 1 $3.46
Scholastic Reader Level 1: Noodles: I Love Rainy Days! • Amazon $3.26 1 $3.26
Barbie, I Can Be- A Pet Vet (Step into Reading, Step 1) • Amazon $3.26 1 $3.26
Biscuit and the Baby (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $3.23 1 $3.23
Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach (My First I Can Read) • Amazon $2.38 1 $2.38

Materials cost

$182.70

Vendor shipping charges

FREE

Sales tax

$16.72

3rd party payment processing fee

$2.74

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$232.16

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$40.97

Total project goal

$273.13

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

$273.13

2 Donors

-$137.49

Donations toward project cost

-$116.87

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$20.62

match offer

-$135.64

Match offer toward project cost

-$115.29

Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$20.35

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

$0.00

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

View complete list Show less

Support your local school!

Donate directly to any school in the US. Your donation will go towards directly purchasing urgent supplies.

Find a local school

Project Activity

{"pmaHash":"","schoolCity":"Fresno","showProjectRecommendations":true,"teachersOnPage":[2618411],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"CA","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":1,"name":"Early Education"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"proposalId":1404626,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":0,"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/readers-are-leaders/1404626/","verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":17,"teacherScreenName":"Mrs. Blackburn","isEquityFocus":true,"authorIds":{"2618411":{"owner":"Mrs. Blackburn","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[1404626],"proposalHash":"-1800686534","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/136/teacher-placeholder-1_136.png","teacherHasProfilePhoto":false,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":20505578,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":null,"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["MjY5NDgyNg==","MjY5NDUyOA==","MjY2NzEzMw=="],"teacherId":2618411,"schoolCounty":"Fresno","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"CA","name":"California"}}