Do you remember the books you read during your high school English class? Boring right? Chances are my students are reading the same exact copies of books you had back in the day! We need a set of books which won't fall apart in our hands, and can make students excited about learning!
My students are wonderful.
They have such vivid imaginations and are genuinely eager to learn. The materials we have to work with make cultivating a learning environment challenging. I serve students with learning disabilities, challenging home lives, and many live at or below the poverty line. Many students don't enjoy reading or see its benefits and could benefit tremendously from a book in which they can relate. Reading is difficult, and it doesn't help when students don't have interesting things to read-- so why bother?
My Project
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an amazing book. Sherman Alexie talks about growing up on an Indian reservation and overcoming adversity. The book touches on bullying, alcoholism, poverty, puberty, athletics, failures and triumphs. This book has won numerous national awards and was written by an author from our region. There is no better book to help connect students with English, and get them thinking about the value of diversity, of perseverance, and their own role in the greater community.
This request is for one class set of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Having an entire class read this book gives me the opportunity to engage them with thoughtful classroom discussions and assignments specifically targeting issues of homosexuality, alcoholism, poverty, and the importance of culture. This is the perfect book to help my students begin an honest lifelong dialog about important issues facing our society.
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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 Ms. Andersen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.