The classroom that I need funding for is a CAHSEE English course. The CAHSEE is the high school exit exam. Students must pass the test to graduate high school. I have a mix of students who have failed the test once or twice. These students have a variety of different learning needs. Some of them need English language acquisition, while others are disengaged learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. These students have the motivation, but they require a more progressive approach.
Unfortunately, our school is not properly equipped to handle alternative learning styles. For the past couple of years our goal has been to help the under-served population. However, we are short on the progressive learning material required. If we could get more progressive literature for the CAHSEE courses, then we could engage the typically disengaged learners. Besides engaging the disengaged learners, our classroom needs a set of material that will not only help the under-served population, but engaging materials that will also help the English language learners with language acquisition.
The resource required for this project is a classroom set of The Sandman Doll House graphic novel. The previous year I wrote a grant to buy a classroom set of the first volume of the series. I had great success using the graphic novel in the classroom. Disengaged students felt like they weren't reading because of the graphics. English language learners were able to learn complex language because of the graphics accompanying the text.
Each novel in the series focuses on a major philosophical theme. Once students are engaged in the graphic novel, they review literature that touches on similar themes and perspectives. The material not only engages students, but gets them interested in reading other philosophical materials related to the theme at hand. Students think they are reading a comic book, but really they are reading a complex novel that has graphics built in. The novels use intricate vocabulary and plot structures. Understanding the vocabulary and plot structures in the novels helps students develop the skills required for passing the CAHSEE. Since the material is so engaging to the students they put their full effort into figuring out the meaning of the novels.
The help of a donor would ensure the continued engagement of the students and encourage them to read, develop vocabulary, analyze complex themes and help them develop the techniques necessary to pass the CAHSEE. Students who do not pass the CAHSEE, do not graduate high school. These materials will encourage and engage the students, while still challenging them. I would like to continue using the rest of the series to not only develop unity in the unit, but to continue the development of the students' skills with materials that have already been proven to be engaging.
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