Every new crop of 8th graders is unique, bringing its own set of personalities and opportunities for greatness. This group is no exception, full of bright students with budding social consciences, as well as a notable group of students struggling to find and maintain motivation.
We are a large, diverse school located in an diverse, urban school district and a gentrifying neighborhood.
Our 8th graders are diverse in terms background and ethnicity, home language spoken, socio-economic status, academic achievement, IEP status, and attitudes towards school, to name a few.
My Project
What better way to learn about history and social activism than to see it "in action" on the big screen? We started the year reading Warriors Don't Cry, a memoir by one of the Little Rock Nine, and have built our year's reading and humanities curricula around the ideas that "little" people can make a big difference, that everyone's voice matters, that having integrity and empathy are among the most important qualities a person can have. We have explored issues of segregation and activism in both classes and will end the year revisiting the Civil Rights Era. This film will help them to see what a monumental task it was to challenge Jim Crow and inequality, and how it went down when it did.
Without this donation, we would not be able to provide our kids with this opportunity.
While some students would still likely watch the movie, to see it on the big screen together, with opportunities to connect what they see to what they learned in class, will be memorable and valuable.
More than a third 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
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. Gerhardt and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.