Help WV Students Grow as Readers and Writers, U.S. Cellular!
My students need materials that will enhance their literacy experience in my classroom--bestselling fiction and nonfiction texts, magnetic poetry, and composition books
Few of my students have ever read a book for fun on their own. They are missing out on the beauty and magic of literacy, and I can't let that happen. Our school library doesn't have many new, high-interest texts, and that's what will get them reading. We need great books for our classroom!
My West Virginia students are funny, kind, sensitive, hardworking, sweet, and resilient kids who have been through a great deal in their short lives.
The school they attend is divided--half are very affluent, while half are impoverished. The general-level classes I teach are filled with the poorer kids from the "wrong side of the tracks," and they have to walk down halls alongside well-dressed students who have never had to worry about having a meal, a roof, or a caring parent. My kids are tough and guarded and don't assume that anyone cares about them--I have to prove it to them.
My goal is to inspire these kids with books--to show them that they are not alone in the world, that lots of people have overcome the struggles they face. If I can introduce them to a narrator they can identify with, my students will not only be reading and growing as learners, but they will be inspired that they can make it, too.
My Project
The materials I'm requesting are simply amazing. My cart contains tons of new, interesting, and beautiful young adult literature--books I can introduce my students to and watch them be inspired by. It is also full of writing resources--composition books and magnetic poetry kits--to help them create magical language on their own.
With these books, I can create a strong independent reading program in my classroom. With the small library I've built thanks to previous DonorsChoose projects, I've been able to help a few kids read the first full book they can remember. I can do this for many more students with more great novels.
With the composition books, I can help students to grow as writers as they create Writer's Notebooks, "Big Idea" books (in which we write about books we're reading that are all about one big idea), and interactive journals. With the magnetic poetry kits, I will put the kits' words on all the metal surfaces in my room to get them playing with language every day.
Many things factor into the success of a person--education, background, socioeconomic status--but in my opinion, the biggest thing that determines individual success is HOPE.
Without hope, my students won't accomplish much past high school.
I can give my students hope by showing them characters in books they can relate to, and I can help them become great readers and thinkers by doing that as well. The look of pride on a kid's face who has just finished a book shows me that I've done just that.
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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. Karnes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.