My students need tools to ignite their burning desire to read, write and change the world though the power of words!
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Francolino's classroom raised $999
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
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” When I first asked that question to my students, I was quickly met with blank stares and strange smirks. Thus I realized I cannot simply tell them that they’re unique and extraordinary kids-- I have to demonstrate that unwavering belief every single day. Fortunately, they make that task of mine easy as they consistently prove their enormous potential. Their endless curiosity, their burning desire to read and write, their intrinsic motivation to succeed and their self-awareness at such a young age begin to encompass their extraordinary qualities. This is all despite the fact that they face significant challenges.
The odds are seemingly stacked against my kids.
They attend public school in Chicago at a low income school in a district that has gone through significant budget cuts. My students are native Spanish speakers and are learning English as their second language. They have disabilities--some are on the Autism Spectrum, others have speech impairments, ADHD or behavior challenges. They, however, do not view these realities as barriers. Their cultural and language realities, their socioeconomic backgrounds, and their (dis)abilities inform their identities--as future changemakers in the United States.
My Project
These materials, therefore, will serve as the essential tools to build competent and confident readers and writers.
Reading is what allows our class to go on a global field trip!
Whether it’s slipping on the shoes of a student in Africa or going back in time to discover Ancient Egypt. Reading is exploring, reading is thinking, and reading allows our class to empathize. As for writing, that is how our class uses what they read to take action. Whether it’s writing letters to the president, putting our imagination into words, or sending Flat Stanley around the world to learn about its vast cultures, our class intrinsically values the power of words and the power of writing.
The sight word activities will empower students to recognize high-frequency words that are often not spelled phonetically in English--considering my kids struggle with the fact that “said” is spelled the way it is and not “sed.” The variety of text sets will allow students who do not have the luxury of taking trips abroad to do just that. Students will be inspired to inquire about our diverse world as they learn about the cultures of Pakistan and China. The books on “getting along” will provide the explicit instruction from which we could all seemingly benefit. Books about grammar will begin to allow my students to understand that “read” can be pronounced in two different ways, despite that “eight” and “ate” are pronounced the exact same way. The writing tools will establish the foundation for a lifetime of writing considering as Edward Hopper said, “If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” (If I had the ability to teach them to paint then, perhaps, I’d disagree with Mr. Hopper.)
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
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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 Mr. Francolino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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