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Mr. Fintel from Baltimore, MD is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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Mr. Fintel's classroom raised $342

The Global Book Club

My students need 22 copies of both "Angel of Mercy" and "In Darkness, Death". We also need a copy of "Literature Circles That Engage Middle and High School Students". I teach 7th grade social studies and language arts, and I want students to see the human side of the countries that we study. These books are part of my plan to address reading deficiencies while covering our social studies curriculum, and to get my students more involved in reading (I've chosen books that not only deal with issues we need to cover, but also that I think they will really like).

Mr. Fintel Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle

Baltimore, MD Grades 6-8

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.

I teach 7th grade English and social studies in an urban district in Maryland. We are a high-poverty school, with approximately 95% free and reduced meal participation. In spite of this, we have had several strong years of test scores, and we are a school where learning happens, unlike some of our closest neighbors. In addition to what goes on in the classroom, we have several after-school programs, such as chess, soccer, basketball, running, pottery, homework club, Scrabble and others, and a large percentage of the school participates in one club or another. In short, we face many challenges, but I still feel we provide a quality education for most of our students.

In my classroom, we have widely-ranging reading levels, from as low as 3rd grade level to as high as 9th grade, and, without a doubt, my primary goal is to improve how well my students read and comprehend text. Since I teach both language arts and social studies to the entire 7th grade (we are a small school), the temptation with this is obviously to take away from social studies to focus more on reading. Of course, this lends itself to other problems, such as students not being able to identify places like Iraq and Afghanistan on a map, among other things. I try to juggle this as best I can, but it is difficult to rationalize a full period for social studies when a child is having difficulty reading. I still feel it is an important subject, however, and am reluctant to deprive my students of a chance to learn about the rest of the world.

So, my solution to this is to continue to cover the social studies curriculum, but to make it come alive by using novels to focus instruction. We have just begun a story about a family of Mexican immigrants that forms the backbone of our Latin America unit, but we will soon need books for Africa and Asia. My goal for this program is to dramatically increase reading scores, while helping the students to think about the larger world they inhabit. Included in this will be attention to different levels of learning; when the stronger students are waiting for others to catch up, they will do extension exercises such as to study the conflict in Rwanda in Africa, or to investigate how the Samurai legacy affects Japan’s approach to modern problems. In addition, the curriculum will include the basic building-blocks of social studies for all students, such as maps, current issues and other topics.

As I mentioned earlier, I have already started a book on Latin America thanks to a generous donation from the local library, but I need help to continue this Global Book Club. I want to prove that social studies does not have to disappear despite our need to focus on reading, and that there are creative ways to solve the problems that face us as a class, as a school, as a community, and as a country. I hope you’ll help.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Nearly all students from low‑income households

40 students impacted 7 donors

Project tagged as

Baltimore, MD
Grades 6-8
Literature & Writing
History & Geography
Books
Nearly all students from low‑income households

Mr. Fintel Graceland Park/O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle Grades 6-8

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Baltimore, MD View local requests

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

40 students impacted 7donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total

In Darkness, Death: Sequel to The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn and The Demon in theTeahouse Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler • Barnes and Noble $3.98 22 $87.56

Literature Circles That Engage Middle and High School Students Jeffrey Zoul, Marc V. Moeller • Barnes and Noble $26.95 1 $26.95

Angel of Mercy Lurlene McDaniel • Barnes and Noble $4.95 22 $108.90

Materials cost			$223.41
Vendor shipping charges			$22.34
Sales tax			$11.17
3rd party payment processing fee			$5.59
Fulfillment labor & materials			$17.00
Total project cost			$280.00
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			$61.46
Total project goal			$341.46
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal			$341.46
7 Donors			-$329.41
Donations toward project cost			-$280.00
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms			-$49.41
Excluded support for DonorsChoose			-$12.05
Still needed View calculation Hide calculation			$0.00

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Project Activity

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This teacher needs your help!

The Global Book Club

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

Project tagged as

Boost your odds

Top rated for efficiency and transparency.

TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes

How we calculate what's needed

Project Activity

Project Activity

DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

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