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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Nickerson from Minerva, OH is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Nickerson is requesting

Unlocking The Author's Craft - Part 2

My students need 45 high quality books to study in Reader Workshop and Writers Workshop.

FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Nickerson's classroom raised $473

This project is fully funded

My Students

A mentor is someone who models, coaches, and lifts another to higher level. In a similar way, mentor texts model, coach, and lift students' writing to a higher level. We are in need of exemplary, beautifully written, engaging, rich texts to study. Please help us crack open the author's craft!

My school is considered "high poverty", and many students come from disadvantaged homes.

As someone who came from a disadvantaged background, I feel motivated, every day, to set high expectations for my students. I believe that every child can learn, and every child can succeed if we give them the tools they need to soar to new heights. Through rigorous lessons, inquiry-based learning, and a simulated virtual United States tour, I strive to provide my students with the best I can give. That, of course, involves a whole lot of love, sweat, and tears. It also takes a lot of my own money. Our school is not able to provide teachers with ANY money to buy materials. In fact, we may not be able to go on any field trips beginning next year due to funding deficits. (It's a sad reality.) Please help me to provide my students with high quality books that will help them become better readers and writers! Thank you in advance!

My Project

My third grade students learn how to write personal narratives, fiction, essays, nonfiction "All- About" books, memoirs, literary responses, and reviews during their time in my classroom. Primarily, I use Lucy Calkin's "Units of Study" to guide my instruction. In Writer's Workshop, the students are explicitly taught skills and concepts through mini-lessons. They are carefully scaffolded to begin independent writing, and they are given opportunities for peer review and collaboration throughout each unit. At the end of each unit of study, the students participate in an Author's Celebration that celebrates their growth and proficiency as writers. The Writer's Workshop hinges on the use of high-quality mentor texts. Students use mentor texts to learn about word choice, white space, the placement of words on each page, conventions, rhythm, cadence, powerful leads, strong endings, and dialogue. Mentor texts also teach students how to evoke a response from readers and make an impact.

Not only will this project greatly impact my students' writing, it will also directly impact reading instruction.

During Reading Workshop, the students learn how to use their schema (or background knowledge), infer, make connections, determine importance, synthesize, use metacognition, make predictions, and visualize as they read. In my experience, these reading strategies GREATLY improve comprehension and engagement. Quality literature yields in-depth studies and great results!

Mrs. Nickerson Minerva Elementary School Grades 3-5

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Minerva, OH View local requests

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

35 students impacted 2donors

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale Verna Aardema • Barnes and Noble $6.83 1 $6.83
The Rough-Face Girl Rafe Martin, David Shannon (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Thank You, Mr. Falker Patricia Polacco, Patricia Lee Gauch (Editor) • Barnes and Noble $11.61 1 $11.61
Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale Gerald McDermott, Gerald McDermott (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.83 1 $6.83
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters John Steptoe, John Steptoe (Illustrator), John L. Steptoe (Illustrator), Clarita Kohen (Translator) • Barnes and Noble $12.30 1 $12.30
The Sign of the Seahorse: A Tale of Greed and High Adventure in Two Acts Graeme Base, Graeme Base (Artist) • Barnes and Noble $7.68 1 $7.68
Komodo! Peter Sis, Peter Sis (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $14.61 1 $14.61
Araboolies of Liberty Street Sam Swope, Barry Root (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.83 1 $6.83
The Wednesday Surprise Eve Bunting, Donald Carrick (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.08 1 $5.08
Heartland Diane Siebert, Wendell Minor (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Angel Child, Dragon Child Michele Maria Surat, Vo Dinh Mai (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $4.26 1 $4.26
Letters from Rifka Karen Hesse • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Rag Coat Lauren A Mills, Dennis Nolan (Illustrator), Lauren A. Mills (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.61 1 $11.61
Widow's Broom Chris Van Allsburg, Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $10.51 1 $10.51
I'm in Charge of Celebrations Byrd Baylor, Peter Parnall (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail Elvira Woodruff, Beth Peck (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $4.70 1 $4.70
Albert Einstein Ibi Lepscky, Paolo Cardoni (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.93 1 $5.93
Eric Carle's Dragons Dragons and Other Creatures That Never Were Eric Carle, Laura Whipple (Compiler) • Barnes and Noble $10.54 1 $10.54
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems Langston Hughes, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $7.68 1 $7.68
Charlie Needs a Cloak Tomie dePaola, Tomie dePaola (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.12 1 $5.12
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest Jean Craighead George, Gary Allen (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $4.26 1 $4.26
If You Were a Writer Joan Lowery Nixon, Bruce Degen (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Frog Prince--Continued Jon Scieszka, Steve Johnson (Illustrator), Brothers Grimm • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $12.30 1 $12.30
Ben's Dream: Story and Pictures Chris Van Allsburg, Chris Van Allsburg (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.59 1 $11.59
Sarah, Plain and Tall Patricia MacLachlan • Barnes and Noble $5.12 1 $5.12
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Deborah Hopkinson, James Ransome (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices Paul Fleischman, Eric Beddows (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.12 1 $5.12
Stories by Firelight Shirley Hughes • Barnes and Noble $7.64 1 $7.64
Come Back Salmon: How a Group of Dedicicated Kids Adopted Pigeon Creek and Brought it Back to Life, Vol. 0 Sidnee Wheelwright (Photographer), Molly Cone • Barnes and Noble $6.79 1 $6.79
Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids Gail Gibbons, Gail Gibbons (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.83 1 $6.83
The Boy Who Loved Words Giselle Potter, Giselle Potter (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $11.59 1 $11.59
Show; Don't Tell!: Secrets of Writing Josephine Nobisso, Eva Montanari (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $17.06 1 $17.06
Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups David Wisniewski, David Wisniewski (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Don't Forget Your Etiquette!: The Essential Guide to Misbehavior David Greenberg, Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $12.99 1 $12.99
The Great Fuzz Frenzy Janet Stevens, Susan Stevens Crummel • Barnes and Noble $11.62 1 $11.62
Double Trouble in Walla Walla Andrew Clements, Salvatore Murdocca (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $10.90 1 $10.90
Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books Loreen Leedy, Loreen Leedy (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.93 1 $5.93
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman Joe Cepeda (Illustrator), Darcy Pattison • Barnes and Noble $5.97 1 $5.97
Searching for Oliver K. Woodman Darcy Pattison, Joe Cepeda (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $12.99 1 $12.99
Hey, Al Arthur Yorinks, Richard Egielski (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $6.83 1 $6.83
The Magic Hat Mem Fox, Tricia Tusa (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.98 1 $5.98
Possum Magic Mem Fox, Julie Vivas (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $5.98 1 $5.98
Whoever You Are Mem Fox, Leslie Staub (Illustrator) • Barnes and Noble $3.41 1 $3.41
Word after Word after Word Patricia MacLachlan • Barnes and Noble $10.25 1 $10.25

Materials cost

$361.03

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$5.42

Fulfillment labor & materials

$35.00

Total project cost

$401.45

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$70.84

Total project goal

$472.29

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $472.29

2 Donors

-$472.29

Donations toward project cost

-$401.45

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$70.84

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

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

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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 Mrs. Nickerson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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