My students need 42 copies of "The Wave" to read during class to continue studying the themes of power, community and individuality.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Hoefer's classroom raised $324
This project is fully funded
Celebrating 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
Do you remember the pressures of fitting in during middle school? Did you ever question why bullies are so popular even in their cruelty? My students have tried to answer these questions through books and short stories, and their exploration can go even deeper with Todd Strasser's "The Wave."
My students are creative and vivacious 7th-graders from inner-city, 100% Title 1, Los Angeles middle school.
They are inquisitive and curious about their world and their role in it, especially at this difficult age. They attend an environmental studies magnet where they strive to see what can be improved in our community and world, and they create solutions for the problems they find.
My Project
Bullying is at an all-time high in our country. Students are faced with the challenge of being followers or leaders, unsympathetic observers or active participants. Students need to understand how and why people follow others, without questioning the moral codes. How do the masses allow evil to occur? The failure of a community to speak up against immoral behavior leads to the great atrocities in our past, but understanding why these are allowed to happen can prevent this in our future. In the late 1960s, a California teacher delved into these questions when he started a class experiment, reminiscent of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Separating his students into different groups, a history teacher was able to have his students experience the reality of how power and fitting in can corrupt. By reading this book, my students will be able to see how easily the masses can be convinced to join evil, and they will learn how to make sound judgment in their own lives.
The story of "The Wave" will make a lasting imprint on my students, just as it did for me when I read it in my 8th grade English class.
Some human atrocities are so evil, we have difficulty understanding how we as a people allowed them to happen. This story will force the students to question society, its values and their role in it. The lessons learned from this frightening story will influence their decisions for a lifetime.
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 Ms. Hoefer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
