{"monthlySchoolDonationEnabled":true,"callToActionDisplayName":"Hominy Valley Elementary School","outOfStateSupporters":27.7,"allowSchoolLevelGiving":true,"hasFundedProjects":true,"projectGratitudeData":[{"teacherId":9605334,"projectId":10188221,"letterContent":"I cannot thank you enough for bringing 80 copies of The Invention of Hugo Cabret into our 4th-grade classroom. You haven't just given my students books; you have given them an entirely new way to experience storytelling and fall in love with reading.\r\nSince many of you are avid readers yourselves, I want to share a glimpse into how your gift is transforming our classroom and how we are using these incredible texts.\r\nThe Skills We Are Learning\r\nTeaching reading is about more than just sounding out words; it's about breaking down how a story works. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is uniquely suited for this because half of the story is told through Brian Selznick's breathtaking charcoal illustrations.\r\nWith this book, we are specifically working on:\r\nVisual Literacy & Inferencing: Students are learning to \"read\" the pictures. They are analyzing the illustrations for character emotions, foreshadowing, and subtle clues about the plot that the text leaves out.\r\nReading Stamina: Handing a 500-page book to a 9-year-old can be incredibly intimidating. However, because the text is broken up by cinematic illustrations, students are building the endurance to stick with a long, complex narrative without feeling overwhelmed.\r\nHistorical Context: The book has opened up wonderful discussions about the history of early cinema, clockmaking, and 1930s Paris.\r\nWhat Reading Looks Like in Our Classroom\r\nIf you were to walk into our classroom during our literacy block right now, you would find a room that is intensely quiet but buzzing with energy. Picture 4th graders sprawled out on the rug or huddled at their desks, completely engrossed in their copies.\r\nThe best part is the sound of reading: every few minutes, you will hear an audible gasp as someone turns a page and a new visual plot twist is revealed. We alternate between this quiet independent reading and lively \"book club\" discussions where students excitedly debate Hugo's motives or try to solve the mystery of the automaton together.\r\nThe Impact on Specific Students\r\nThis book has been an absolute game-changer, particularly for my reluctant readers and visual learners.\r\nOne student in particular usually avoids chapter books because he finds dense paragraphs overwhelming. When I handed him this massive, heavy book, he was skeptical. But once he realized how the pictures propelled the story forward, he couldn't put it down. He was one of the first in the class to finish it, and he proudly carried it around the school with him all week. The visual storytelling allowed him to tackle complex themes without the barrier of traditional text density. His confidence as a \"reader\" has absolutely skyrocketed.\r\nThank you for making these magical lightbulb moments possible. Your generosity has turned my 4th graders into eager, confident readers who genuinely cannot wait for reading time.","fullyFundedDate":1777991453881,"projectUrl":"project/igniting-imagination-through-a-ccass-set/10188221/","projectTitle":"Igniting Imagination Through a cCass Set of “Hugo Cabret\"","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mccurry","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9605334"},{"teacherId":9605334,"projectId":10188270,"letterContent":"I cannot thank you enough for bringing 80 copies of *The Invention of Hugo Cabret* into our 4th-grade classroom. You haven't just given my students books; you have given them an entirely new way to experience storytelling and fall in love with reading.\r\n\r\nSince many of you are avid readers yourselves, I want to share a glimpse into how your gift is transforming our classroom and how we are using these incredible texts.\r\n\r\nThe Skills We Are Learning\r\n\r\nTeaching reading is about more than just sounding out words; it's about breaking down how a story works. *The Invention of Hugo Cabret* is uniquely suited for this because half of the story is told through Brian Selznick's breathtaking charcoal illustrations.\r\n\r\nWith this book, we are specifically working on:\r\n\r\n* **Visual Literacy & Inferencing:** Students are learning to \"read\" the pictures. They are analyzing the illustrations for character emotions, foreshadowing, and subtle clues about the plot that the text leaves out.\r\n* **Reading Stamina:** Handing a 500-page book to a 9-year-old can be incredibly intimidating. However, because the text is broken up by cinematic illustrations, students are building the endurance to stick with a long, complex narrative without feeling overwhelmed.\r\n* **Historical Context:** The book has opened up wonderful discussions about the history of early cinema, clockmaking, and 1930s Paris.\r\n\r\nWhat Reading Looks Like in Our Classroom\r\n\r\nIf you were to walk into our classroom during our literacy block right now, you would find a room that is intensely quiet but buzzing with energy. Picture 4th graders sprawled out on the rug or huddled at their desks, completely engrossed in their copies.\r\n\r\nThe best part is the sound of reading: every few minutes, you will hear an audible gasp as someone turns a page and a new visual plot twist is revealed. We alternate between this quiet independent reading and lively \"book club\" discussions where students excitedly debate Hugo's motives or try to solve the mystery of the automaton together.\r\n\r\nThe Impact on Specific Students\r\n\r\nThis book has been an absolute game-changer, particularly for my reluctant readers and visual learners.\r\n\r\nOne student in particular usually avoids chapter books because he finds dense paragraphs overwhelming. When I handed him this massive, heavy book, he was skeptical. But once he realized how the pictures propelled the story forward, he couldn't put it down. He was one of the first in the class to finish it, and he proudly carried it around the school with him all week. The visual storytelling allowed him to tackle complex themes without the barrier of traditional text density. His confidence as a \"reader\" has absolutely skyrocketed.\r\n\r\nThank you for making these magical lightbulb moments possible. Your generosity has turned my 4th graders into eager, confident readers who genuinely cannot wait for reading time.","fullyFundedDate":1778158277494,"projectUrl":"project/fixing-whats-broken-a-class-set-of-hug/10188270/","projectTitle":"Fixing What's Broken: A Class Set of Hugo Cabret","teacherDisplayName":"Ms. Mccurry","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/272/teacher-placeholder-8_272.png?auto=webp","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/9605334"}],"pageName":"schoolpage_2342","usesDonorsChoose":true,"infoPageType":"school","demographicsInfo":{"numStudents":386,"numTeachers":26,"percentFrplEligible":95,"percentAsian":0,"percentBlack":1,"percentWhite":81,"percentIndigenous":0,"percentLatinx":14,"showFreeAndReducedPriceLunchInfo":true,"showDemographicsInfo":true,"sourceTooltipString":"the National Center for Education Statistics","percentHawaiianImputed":0,"percentMultiracialImputed":1,"gradesServed":"K - 4","studentTeacherRatio":"14.8:1","demographicsDataSource":"MDR School","equityFocus":true,"titleOne":true,"metroType":"SUBURBAN","ncesMetroType":"SUBURB_LARGE"},"inStateSupporters":72.3,"schoolId":2342,"financialInfo":null,"twitterShareText":"Learn more about Hominy Valley Elementary School on @DonorsChoose:","schoolName":"Hominy Valley Elementary School","canonicalPageUrl":"schools/north-carolina/buncombe-county-school-district/hominy-valley-elementary-school/2342"}