{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Grissom Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":29.2,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":10359229,"projectId":9915960,"letterContent":"Words do not describe how excited and engaged my students have been reading our first book, The Wild Robot. The students cheered upon receiving their book and many were familiar with the title from the movie. I, of course, told them that the book is better! \r\n My students also noticed that Peter Brown was the author of another one of their favorite books in our library My Teacher is a Monster. They are having fun also learning that they can be a fan of a particular author and the books they write. \r\n We are reading the book in small groups, popcorn reading, through read alouds and independently as well. We are learning so many different reading skills; inference, theme, mood, point of view, visualization. We are learning about figurative language and building our vocabulary with words like nuisance, relentless, methodically! We are making connections to our experiences and to the world asking questions like; can a robot act like a human? can a robot have feelings? My students always ask for \"one more chapter\", and are so disappointed when we have to stop reading. Any person knows that \"one more chapter\" is the universal language of a lifelong reader and my students are on their way to becoming just that! This is just the first book; I can't wait to see what comes about from our next book!","fullyFundedDate":1764366958838,"projectUrl":"project/ignite-a-lifelong-love-of-reading/9915960/","projectTitle":"Ignite a Lifelong Love of Reading","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Vargas","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-5_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/10359229"},{"teacherId":8157827,"projectId":9624479,"letterContent":"First of all, thank you. Seriously. You didn't just send books. You sent energy into our classroom.\r\n\r\nBecause of your support, our Mr. Popper's Penguins novel study has completely changed what reading looks like for my fourth graders.\r\n\r\nA lot of people love to read, but teaching a novel is a whole different game. With these new texts, we've been able to dig into skills that go way beyond \"what happened in the chapter.\" Students are learning how to:\r\n\r\n• Track character development across multiple chapters\r\n• Identify theme instead of just retelling events\r\n• Analyze how humor develops through exaggeration and word choice\r\n• Compare fiction to real-world informational texts about penguins\r\n• Support their thinking with direct evidence from the text\r\n\r\nWe talk about how an author builds a character slowly, how small decisions create big consequences, and how point of view shapes the story. They are learning to think like readers instead of just moving their eyes across words.\r\n\r\nReading in our classroom is loud in the best way. You'll see students sprawled on the carpet with sticky notes marking \"aha\" moments. You'll hear small groups debating whether Mr. Popper is responsible or reckless. You'll see anchor charts filling up with student-created themes like \"Passion Can Bring Joy and Chaos\" and \"Responsibility Matters.\"\r\n\r\nWe act out scenes. We annotate. We pause and predict. We laugh a lot. It feels alive.\r\n\r\nThere are a few students who have especially blossomed during this unit. One student who typically avoids reading volunteered to read dialogue aloud because \"the penguins are too funny not to.\" Another student who struggles with writing has been absolutely thriving during discussion, confidently pointing to evidence in the text and explaining her thinking in ways that surprise even her.\r\n\r\nAnd perhaps my favorite moment: a student who usually finishes work quickly and zones out asked if he could take the book home \"just to read ahead.\" That's the magic.\r\n\r\nYour generosity didn't just put books in hands. It created conversations. It built confidence. It gave students a shared story to wrestle with together.\r\n\r\nFrom my classroom to you, thank you for helping us turn reading into something active, joyful, and meaningful.","fullyFundedDate":1764729207431,"projectUrl":"project/mr-poppers-novel-study/9624479/","projectTitle":"Mr. Popper’s Novel Study","teacherDisplayName":"Mr. Kennedy","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp8157827_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1759945295900","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/8157827"},{"teacherId":4994705,"projectId":9915998,"letterContent":"A huge thank you for bringing these stories to life in our classrooms! Because of your generosity, we now have two complete class sets of novels that are being shared between our general education and special education settings. This partnership has bridged the gap for many of our learners, allowing every 3rd grader—regardless of their reading level—to participate in the same \"book club\" atmosphere.\r\n\r\nWhile these books are fun to read, they are also powerful teaching tools. With these new texts, we are diving deep into character development and inferencing. Our students aren't just reading what happens; they are learning to look for \"clues\" in the text to figure out why a character made a specific choice or how their feelings changed from the beginning to the end of the story. For our 3rd graders, moving from \"learning to read\" to \"reading to learn\" is a massive milestone, and these novels provide the perfect complexity to practice those higher-level comprehension skills.","fullyFundedDate":1764725805226,"projectUrl":"project/fueling-the-fire-for-fiction/9915998/","projectTitle":"Fueling the Fire for Fiction","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Salazar","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/272x272/tp4994705_272x272.jpg?width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1511747844695","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/n-salazar"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_5337","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":290,"numTeachers":15,"percentFrplEligible":79,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":13,"percentWhite":6,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":79,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","gradesServed":"Pre-K - 8","studentTeacherRatio":"19.3:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"UNCLASSIFIED","ncesMetroType":"CITY_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":70.8,"schoolId":5337,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Grissom Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Grissom Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/illinois/chicago-public-school-district-299/grissom-elementary-school/5337"}
Join the 113 supporters who believe in this school.
About this school
Grissom Elementary School is
an urban public school
in Chicago, Illinois that is part of Chicago Public School District 299.
It serves 290 students
in grades Pre-K - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 19.3:1.
Its teachers have had 29 projects funded on DonorsChoose.
Boost support for this school! Share this page with friends, family, alumni, and fellow supporters. Every connection helps teachers get the supplies they need and shows how much your community cares about its students.
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Every donation funds real needs — pencils, books, lab equipment, art supplies, and more — helping students learn and thrive. We ship supplies directly to the school, and you'll see exactly where each dollar goes.
of students receive free or reduced price lunch
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
Source: the National Center for Education Statistics
92%
of students are Black, Latino, Native
American, or Asian
Data about school demographics comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. The numbers in this chart may not add up to 100% because of limitations in the available data.
Grissom Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose
Last updated Mar 18, 2026
DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, moving us closer to a nation where students
in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.
Grissom Elementary School
$13,619
raised using DonorsChoose
29
projects
funded
13
teachers
funded
113
donors
2
projects
for
basic supplies
8
projects for
technology
9
projects for
books
1
project
for
art supplies
Grissom Elementary School has received support from
80 individuals from Illinois and
33 individuals out-of-state.
