Irmo Middle teacher lands grant for the 2016-17 school year

IRMO – Seventh grade Science teacher at Irmo Middle School Brittany Frohnhoefer was bound and determined to win for her students. She did just that this summer reaching a goal of $359 through Donors Choose, a site that allows individuals to help fund classrooms in need. The grant goes towards purchasing 22 Science Trade Books for Ms. Frohnhoefer’s classroom.

“I wrote the grant for Donors Choose because I had written a previous grant with them that was not funded,” Frohnhoefer said. “The donors from that grant gifted me their donations to use for a future Donors Choose project. I was able to use their donations to fully fund the science trade book project.”

Frohnhoefer describes the Science Trade Book Project as a way to “incorporate literacy into my classroom beyond just science news articles.” She plans to use the books in several different ways including using them for hooks to introduce new content and engage students in the material. Two of those books, Fire Birds and Gene Machines, will help bring science concepts to life while exposing students to more reading and writing opportunities in Ms. Frohnhoefer’s classroom.

With the new material, Frohnhoefer says it will reach all of her students. “For the students who are strong readers, the books will help them learn and study our science content while reinforcing important literacy skills. For the students that need more help with reading, the science content and beautiful illustrations will serve as a way to engage them in reading texts that will help build the literacy skills they lack. The books will also be a tool for ESOL students to use the science content as a way to build English vocabulary.”

“I am so proud of Ms. Frohnhoefer’s project that will provide authentic and engaging texts designed to deepen learning experiences for students,” Irmo Middle School Principal Robert Jackson said. “She continuously searches for funding streams to support the learning experiences in her classes. We are grateful to Donors Choose for their continuous support of our school.”