"There is no substitute for books in the life of a child." - Mary Ellen Chase
Every day, students are learning in a cross-curricular classroom with many hands-on activities. My goal to is have students fluently reading with intonation for every character, situation and feeling throughout the book.
Students enter the classroom wanting to know what happens next in the book we are reading as a class.
The books chosen to be read aloud are perfectly aligned with the standards of education. These books force students to listen, inquire, comprehend, ask questions and inspire them to read independently. I have noticed that many students in my classroom read beyond their grade level, which requires me to bring text and authors into their lives to intrigue them to read.
Our school is supportive of bringing books alive with teachers modeling suspense, excitement, curiosity or sadness through how the book is read. Students grasp the concept of characters having their own feelings, voice, and emotions throughout the conversations in a book just by hearing their teacher model it for them. Books are the power behind every lesson and the pathway to literacy.
My Project
With the books I have selected, I will teach my students to listen for the details. Usually I will stop while reading to reflect on what the setting is telling us or maybe what the character may be thinking about at the moment. These brief moments of reflection require a skill that students do not know when they learn how to read. In fact, students simply read the words in front of them without even knowing what event occurred in the part they just read! They miss the details which curve the plot or brings them to the climax of the book.
The way students learn to love reading is by seeing a book read by someone who loves reading. They can almost picture the features of the environment in the story in a way they wouldn't if they read silently at their seats. This skill doesn't stop with fiction books but continues with nonfiction books as well. Have you ever read facts about spiders to students? Their faces stay in a state of fascination as teachers read them with enthusiasm.
My students need a collection of books for whole group reading lessons in order to learn how to read with enthusiasm.
With your donations, I will be able to give students the desire to read!
Not only will they read the words, but they will also learn how to inflect their voice according the punctuation and mood of the characters. By hearing these skills modeled, students learn to relate to the characters or even relate to their classmates with similar life circumstances. If you were to enter into my classroom during a whole group lesson, you would see students with joy on their faces as I read.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Stores and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.