Review of the three Donors Choose Applications

First Application: Mrs. Linton              
 For the first Donors Choose project I looked at, I chose to critique my mom’s. My mom is a Special Education and ELL teacher at Miami High School. I remember her talking about how every teacher at the school was required to submit an application for Donors Choose (like you said in your explanation). She chose to submit one for her ELL class called English for Everyone that provides self-study books for ELL students. When looking at the breakdown of where the donation goes, she only asked for 10 books. Maybe outside people don’t see this as a negative, but being her daughter, I know she has more than 10 students in her class that would benefit from these books. Therefore, I think it would have been appropriate to ask for a whole class set in order to fully benefit each student. Also, a negative about this project is that is cannot be reused year to year. Students have to write in these books, so after one students uses them, they cannot be passed on to other students. On a positive note, she is very detailed about why these books are so important. She discusses how they will benefit the students individually and what these books will do for them academically and socially. She talks about how this can help them become better citizens within the community as well. While I mentioned that a negative is that they cannot be reused, this can also be a positive. The student is able to hold onto these books for as long as they want. Also, another positive is that the project was funded!! 

Second Application: Mrs. Hoffer   
For the second Donors Choose project, I critiqued Mrs. Hoffer’s project called STEM and Storage. She is an elementary school teacher in Miami, Oklahoma. This project asks for an outdoor ramps exploration set, jumbo log builders, storage box, balls and a sensory sand ice cream set. The first thing I noticed about this project was that I was close to $1000. Due to how expensive it is, I expected detail explanations on why this was so important for students and how it would help them, but it was very brief and wasn’t very helpful for me in understanding the need. She does talk about how we are preparing students for jobs that haven’t even been created yet and that is why STEAM is so important, but doesn’t really go into any more detail. The only details she really goes into about the actual pieces that the students would be using is that the jump log builds and ramps would help with global exploration and with their surroundings. Also, looking at her profile on Donors Choose, there are so many different projects published by her. This can be very overwhelming for a lot of donors.

 Third Application: Mrs. Pogue
For the third Donors Choose project, I critiqued Mrs. Pogue’s project called All Hands On Tech! Mrs. Pogue is a kindergarten teacher in Norman, Oklahoma. Mrs. Pogue does an excellent job in why this project would be valued in her classroom. She briefly touches on how the demographics in her classroom are very different, but it is place the embraces those differences. She states that children benefit from learning that allows them to have a choice and ownership of their learning. She states that the class already has access to class iPads and the Osmo games will enhance their use of technology in the class by building their knowledge in literacy, math and coding. Also, that it will develop technology and social skills. She very effectively discusses how much this can benefit each student. Also, this project is less than $200 so it is very practical.

The first donors choose, Snack Around Town: Keeping Bellies Full During School Closures! Is a donors choose that wants to raise money to be able to provide healthy, prepackaged snacks to students who are out of school because of recent events surrounding the coronavirus. The teacher does a good job of painting the picture of her classroom and the environment that many of her students come from and why providing snacks is something so important that needs to be done. The teacher then talks about Great Changers and a project from the year before where the class put up three Little Free Libraries around bus stops. How this tied in was not fully explained and I would assume they would use those libraries to put snacks in, but that was not specified. The implementation of how this would be done was not explained much, but I really like the idea of it. I also really like how there is a list of what materials they will buy, however, in the description it said healthy, prepackaged food and while everything on the list is prepackaged it would not all be classified as healthy, which I know is a difficult thing to provide considering they need to have a long shelf life. The description did make it sound like there would be more healthy options though.
The second donors choose, A No Worksheet Classroom! Is a donors choose that wants to raise money to provide kindergarteners with more hands on and exploratory experiences and be able to completely get rid of worksheets in the classroom. With this one, the same issue came up that it was not overly expansive on what that would look like, but the picture created of the kindergarteners and why they needed the materials was done really well. I later realized that you can see a list of the materials at the bottom, so that was helpful to see what manipulatives they would be receiving, but I think the description could have been a little more specific in order to help people donating understand the project even better.
The third donors choose, Figuring Out Figurative Language, is a donors choose that wants to raise money in order to be able to purchase a classroom set of Amelia Bedelia books in order to help teach figurative language to the first graders in this classroom. This project explains the importance of this project very well and talks about how and why teaching figurative language is important and how these books will help the teacher do so. It is much less detailed in the student section, but it still gets the need across very clearly.

Link 1 was a request for funding to purchase a new periodic table for a chemistry classroom. The teacher who wrote it did a lot of things well. One of the things she did really well was make connections to other subjects, allowing her to cast a wide net for donors. Another thing that she did well was stress how her students are ready and willing to learn, and are passionate about the subject matter. What this teacher did not do well in my opinion is her explanation of why she needs a new periodic table. She discussed how annoying it is to not have an up to date periodic table, but she completely ignored the bigger problems surrounding her students not having this basic chemistry essential. I can see where this could also be a good thing, but I do not like the approach myself. 

Link 2 was a request for preserved animal organs to teach agriculture students about animal anatomy in a more engaging and meaningful way. This teacher did a very good job stressing how her students have been effected by recent natural disasters, which helps to get people engaged in the project. What this teacher could have improved upon is her description of the project. I think that she should not have focused as much on how this is only her second year teaching the course, as it makes her seem inexperienced. Instead, I would have focused more on what specifically these organs would be used for in the classroom.

Link 3 was a request for funding to purchase the supplies to create an aquarium in the class. This teacher did a very good job explaining what the materials would be used for in the class and how they would impact student learning. One thing the teacher did that confused me was mention the school's bluestem curriculum. I do not know what that is and I have a feeling that many other people don't know either. Maybe including a single sentence explaining this further would help my understanding of the project and what the funding would go towards.

As a whole looking at these projects, I see that there are many different approaches one can take towards writing grant requests. Some teachers opted to play more off their students and some more off the curriculum. Some focused more on their lack of funding at their schools, while others ignored this issue. All of these approaches can be effective. I believe that using some components from each of these approaches may result in the best solution. If you can do a good job explaining why your students need a project, as well as explain how the project will be used to impact their learning, I think you can create an effective request.

The first Donors Choose Application was Mrs. Kubiak's "Hear YE! Hear YE! Listening Stations in Need!"  I chose this one because it was a successful $900 application, and also this is my sister and I wanted to see how she wrote a Donors Choose Application.  The first thing that stood out was the title.  It was interesting and the need came across clearly.  In this Donors Choose, she asked for two iPads, as well as cases and headphones to go with them.  She successfully described what the iPads were going to be used for daily and even included they were not just going to be used for listening station.  
The second Donors Choose Application was Mrs. Corbin's "Exciting Books to Excite My Readers!"  As soon as I read the title, I personally thought "um, pass" because it was not intriguing.  She could have reworded the title to catch more of the readers' attention.  She asked for around fifty books in this application.  The books were books that had to do with her students' interests. This Donors Choose was fully funded.  I thought asking for fifty books was a little much for one application.  I think I would have separated the books into categories and then put different applications, but it worked for her. 
The third Donors Choose Application was Mrs. Barr's "Math is Always Fun!"  You would think that was for math manipulatives, but its not.  This teacher has four days left on her application and no donations.  In her write up, she asked for a cash register, a math game, and flashlights.  She wanted the flashlights to "make reading fun" even though the title says it is about math.  Going down to the material quantity, there is so much more than math games and flashlights.  She included batteries, the flashlights, the math game, cast register, six inflatable balls, sponge painters and stickers.  All but three of those things were discussed in the write up.  If I was looking for a classroom project to donate to, it definitely would not be this one because she in including materials that she gave no explanation for and that do not even make sense to go with a math project application.

First link:    He gave background on his students. He showed that “nearly all of our students come from low-income households and receive free or reduced lunch” which showcases that he does not live in a rich district where the parents or PTA can just fund the project. He also gave a valid reason for wanting the supplies. He mentioned that all the tests are online instead of paper and pencil, meaning it’s necessary to have the computer and supplies. He kept it short and simple. He attached a picture of the lab, but I wish he had posted more that showed more details.    

Second link: She also gave background on her students. She created an emotional side by saying that her “students face many challenges”, that they love technology, that “they don’t They don't have a lot in life and for them to know that they can come to school to have the best classroom experience would make their day!” She showed them what they have and why it would be better for her to get the new materials. She gave a lot of information on her students and what her students could do with the new materials, she really made it personal. I think she could have benefited from having some statistical numbers/research in her summary.

Third link:      Her title summary has “Help me give my students a "once-in-a- (past) lifetime" experience of a time lost to the ages at Medieval Times!”, which has code in it and I was immediately confused/didn’t want to look at the project because of that. Her project had a lot of clichés in it, like “To say I love my students would be an understatement, to say the least! This batch of sixth-graders has been one the most responsible” and  “I'd be hard-pressed to find another class of kids more deserving than this bunch!”, every teacher says that about their students, I want to know more about the actual students. She talked about time travel more than she did about the actual project. She didn’t really mention what the students would learn, just that they “will engage in a history lesson”. Personally, if I was going to be a donor I would want to know exactly how and what students will learn from this project. She also didn’t include a picture, and I think pictures are always beneficial.

Lil' Libros really caught my attention because they used pathos in order to connect me to their project. As a future English teacher who plans on teaching in a intercity school, it is important that our students feel comfortable and confident in their identity as well as the many languages they speak. Lil' Libros shows kids at a young age that it is okay to not be just an English speaker. It allows kids to grow in both languages while teaching other things such as the solar system. 

Technology needed did not seem very appealing to me. It didn’t seem appealing because it was not very specific right away so it did not catch my eye. The name was simply “Technology Needed”. It did not state a school or a grade level or even subject area. In addition, it did not tell me anything special about why I should donate to this school. However, it did include that students would use it for online reading to benefit English Language Learners but that only seemed to be a small sentence. 

Easel and English Project Proposal was for a small town English Classroom. The project still. needed many more donors and it may be because we need to try to include technology into our classroom more than things like white boards and easels. The proposal was well written but seemed to talk in circles and never fully explain what the easel, white boards, and dry erase markers would really be used for in terms of an actual project. I think one solid example would have made things much more clear. 

1. Ms. Huy - Relax, Rest, and Self Regulate!
As I went to search for Ms. Huy's project, I could no longer find it. That was because her plan was fully funded!! When I saw the profile, she was needed $23, with 7 hours left to reach her goal. I am very excited for her and her classroom!! When explaining her students, she mentioned that they are diverse learning who have a wide range of learning abilities, but she did not mention specifics. I think that it would have been valuable to indicate their specific learning needs and skills, which would further back up her wish for flexible seating. She briefly described the seating options she was hoping to receive, but again, each option could have been further elaborated on. I would suggest that she include pictures of flexible seating options (if possible) to allow people who are unfamiliar with classroom materials to see what they are giving towards. I would also suggest that she provide research-based evidence that supports the need for flexible seating in classroom settings. 

2. Mrs. Granger - Ready To Get My Teach On!
I chose Mrs. Granger's profile to review because I believe that it is just as important, if not more important, to better yourself as a teacher than to provide the best materials for your classroom. You can have the best materials, but if you are not adequately educated to the best of your abilities that materials will not be as beneficial to your students and yourself. I thought that Mrs. Granger could have further explained her current classroom structure and why she feels that she needs to attend this conference. I also felt that she could have elaborated on the conference itself. What goes on there? What will you be learning? How many people can attend? - etc. She explained the bare minimum information regarding the conference and how GYTO can benefit her and her classroom. I would suggest providing links to the GYTO page, along with explaining the main details in the application. She wants to raise a large amount of money, $721.91 to be exact, and people who choose to donate should know the importance of this professional development course. 

3. Ms. Schneider - Support Autism Students Love for STEM! 
To start, I liked that she gave a detailed description of her students, mentioning their various needs and spectrum ranges. I wish she would have included a picture of all of her students (with parent approval) because I feel that people would be more willing to donate if they saw the smiling faces they were giving too! Ms. Shcneider mentioned that her students are "lagging the skills to respond to environmental situations daily appropriately," and followed up by providing how/why the modern materials were not doing justice for the students. She explained that the current materials were geared to older students, and do not interest the students in her classroom. I liked that she told why each item she was asking to be funded would be beneficial in her class! To be critical of her explanations, she could have added more details as to how each item and provided statistics to show they worked. I like that she concluded her project goal by stating that "[If you donate] You are helping them become more independent learners and boosting their self-confidence." There is not much I would suggest that needs to be changed about her application. 

From reading each of these teachers' applications, I have further learned the importance of being specific! Many people, who are able to give, will give without a detailed explanation. However, for most people, reading about the specifics will greater the chances of receiving a donation. I also learned that this website is a great tool to have for future classrooms! Not only can you request funding for your specific needs, but you can be inspired by other teachers who see different needs in their classrooms. I will 100% be using this website when I transition into my future classroom!

1st Donors Choose: “Aid Our Future Generation Through Literature and Resources” This teacher requested donors to donate toward her plan to purchase the Time For Kids magazine subscription. I think the most effective part of this request was the part where she explained that her school does not have a formal social studies curriculum. Knowing that information about her school, it showed the donor that this magazine subscription would assist this teacher in creating her lessons since she is clearly not getting any support in curriculum writing from her district. Additionally, she explained specifically which parts of the magazine subscription would be helpful in her classroom, and how it would also help her incorporate other subjects such as math. I think when describing her students, she could have added more specific information about what the students are like and how this donation could affect them. She mentioned briefly that they “come from challenging circumstances, such as poverty,” so perhaps she could have elaborated on how this magazine could provide entertainment and knowledge that they may not otherwise have access to.
2nd Donors Choose: “Let’s Make History in Clay!”
This teacher’s project was to have the students create clay structures based on famous works from art history. She planned to spend the donated money on clay, glaze, and other art supplies. I think this project is a really good idea because it allows students to incorporate their artistic abilities and creativity while learning about art, historical figures and historical subjects. This teacher does a good job of giving examples of what the students could do specifically with the clay and how it would be incorporated with historical subjects. She also describes what her school and class is like so the donors know who exactly will be benefitting from their donation. I can’t really think of any critiques for this project as the teacher was pretty detailed and offered an well-thought description of how this project would enhance her student’s learning.
3rd Donors Choose: “Let Them Have Tables!” This donation request was for counter high tables and stools to allow the students in this teacher’s classrooms to discuss and collaborate more effectively. Compared to the other Donors Choose projects I saw, this one was the only one that wasn’t specifically tied to a lesson, curriculum, or project idea. For Social Studies classrooms specifically, discussion is important, so these tables and stools would probably be beneficial. She did give a few examples of what the table and stools could be used for, such as an escape room, group project, or speed dating. However, I think she could have elaborated more on the benefits of activities like these and having mobility within the classroom to collaborate and discuss.

All three applications I reviewed did a great job describing their project and how the materials would benefit their students. However, STEAM Backpacks and An Engaging Room did a perfect job describing their classroom. These projects included the communities in which their students lived, their needs, and learning styles. No School-Home  School is a great idea that would provide children with at-home literacy experiences but the teacher describes her class in a fictional way. Mrs. Storm compares her students to blooming flowers. She did make a detailed summary of what your donation would go towards including the shipping fee for the 3 book sets that would come to $437.37. This was a detail I noticed in all 3 applications. A summary of all costs shows donors what they are putting their money towards in a more tangible way than the project description. 
If An Engaging Room were to make a change to their application, I would suggest expanding on their definition of a sensory classroom. It was unclear if this was a general ed class or if it was a resource room for all students to use. The idea is wonderful, providing sensory appropriate tools for pre-k to 2nd-grade children. However, the mission of the classroom is unclear to donors. 

 STEAM Backpacks is almost a perfect application but lacks certain details in their item description. The prices and supplies are well organized and detailed but the quantities do not align. They ask for 14 travel backpacks but just 12 pairs of scissors. The item and project details do not align and make it unclear what the backpacks will be composed of.

The three applications that I chose varied pretty drastically in their funding choices. The first one that I chose was called "A No Worksheet Classroom". I think this title is very appealing because it shows the interested donor that the teacher wants her students to be in a supportive and hands on classroom. The description provided lets the reader know that her students overwhelmingly live under the poverty line, and that hands on learning will allow them to grow in many ways. I do think that the application is lacking in that it reads very repetitively, but otherwise, I believe the teacher's overarching goal and her application is strong. I think the application could be made stronger if the teacher were to adjust their wording to make it less repetitive. 
The second application that I chose was called "Flexible Seating for Ms. Clark's 1st Grade!" I think this application was also strong because the teacher really built up her students as amazing and unique individuals. Unlike the first application I read, this one used different font sizes and colors to emphasize certain points, which really added to the strength of the application. Not only did the teacher use scientific evidence to tell the reader that her effort was warranted, but she also described reasons why she personally believed they deserved flexible seating. Overall, this application was extremely strong because it provided a variety of reasons as to why she deserved your donation to make her classroom a better and more supportive environment for her students. 
The third application that I chose was called "Learn Math Through Literature-What Could Be Better!" Although I believe that the teacher's cause was admirable, the application was weak. It was not very lengthy, and although it did have facts regarding her students and it used different font colors to emphasize certain points, it did not explain in detail how these books would help develop their math skills. I believe the application could be improved if the teacher were to provide scientific facts as to why learning math through literature can be beneficial to ELLs. 

The first link is raising money to buy a table and bar stools for a high school history classroom. Ms.Cook has a goal of $525 and still needs $119. Given that she has raised about 3/4 of the money needed for the project I would say that it was a successful application. In her application, Ms. Cook emphasized that her students are excited about learning and that they need the table to collaborate on projects. I think that the best point she made is that collaboration is a critical skill to have in the 21st century. I think that potential donors would agree with that point and be more inclined to donate.

The second link was an application posted by Mrs. Vargas-Goslin. She wants to buy a machine called Circut so she can print posters Nd other materials in Spanish for her classroom. She would also be able to use the machine to print T-shirts. Her application has also been successful and has raised $525 out of the $648 needed. I think her best argument is that her students are mostly low-income and can’t afford supplemental materials outside of class which makes classroom materials more important. I think that this is a really good point because personalized class materials would make them much more meaningful. 

The last link is for a project to buy a speaker for a middle school dance team. About half of the money for the speaker has been raised so far. I think that this application has been less successful because the description of the dance team is kind of confusing. It mentions that the team is meant to teach students the history of dance and allow them to visit new places. I think it should have been more specific about the type of dancing the team does and what type of events they will perform at. 

Ms. Ramirez- 
For my donors choose critique I wanted to do one from my hometown. This project is for a good cause and I had seen it before this assignment, unfortunately it has not yet received any donations, so it is still far from being funded. One thing that Ms. Ramirez did well was outline the need and the goal of helping to have a classroom library the students would be interested in. One thing that I think is keeping this project from taking off is that it is a large goal for the families in the area.  The goal for this project is $760 dollars which is a big undertaking. For this project to be more successful, I think it would be helpful to maybe do this in separate projects where the goals are more reachable. This would help the lower income families near the school make small donations that can bump up the number of donors and get help from the Donors Choose community. 

Coach Steve Moorman

This Donors Choose was to help get his student athletes the proper attire to bring them pride about being a part of the program. This is a very important project, but also one that I anticipate might get some eye rolls. Having been a part of athletics my entire life I have seen the impact that sports can have on students lives. this project is very important, but I think he could have given more about the impact that it will have on his student athletes. He shared that he has coached for 28 years, in that time I have no doubt that he has seen the impact of sports on a students grades, attitude, character, and many other things. By providing this insight I think it can help a skeptical person understand the importance of this type of project. One thing I thought he did very well was carefully select his project so that the donations were all matched by Dick's Sporting Goods. This allowed him to get the most out of his donations. 

Ms. Muye

Ms. Muye is asking for a Promethean Board to help her students. This is a very large project that at first glance seems daunting. She has a $5,511 goal that needs to be met but is getting relatively close to achieving this goal. One thing that she did very well is it appears she really pushed the project near her birthday and Donors Choose matched those donations.  Another thing she did well is clearly state the need. In her post she explains her schools situation and the students that she serves are coming from disadvantaged areas. One thing that I feel could be better is giving more of an idea of the ways that the Promethean board will be used in the classroom to help students learn. If I had not been around education as a potential donor I would like to see how the capabilities of this program would help her students be more successful. Overall I thought that it was a good project and that she did a good job of pushing it out when there was a match as well as getting a large number of people to donate. This was one of the highest numbers of donors on the sight.