My students often have so much difficulty choosing books they'll want to read! So many of my classroom library books don't have a storyline that captivate my more reluctant readers. Our very first days of school are spent reading, and it shouldn't feel like a chore to those readers!
My students are 7th graders.
They often feel worldly and mature, but they still have a good sense of play. They attend a large public middle school, where different kinds of readers and writers are in the same class. They are caring and compassionate, with many interests and questions about themselves and the world.
They are interested in stories about kids who face pressures and issues like their own, in characters who are both endearing and challenging. Some of my readers struggle with the books they choose, and so these students often avoid reading. The books I've selected for my incoming students are chosen with the character and issue requests their peers made this year.
My Project
With these resources, kids will want to keep reading! Character studies will become meaningful because they'll be introduced to characters they like and want to know. Close reading work, where rereading is essential, will be embraced when kids learn how to uncover ideas in their texts that they hadn't noticed before. Students will learn how to feel close to a story - something too many of my students haven't experienced.
Students who begin the year interested in reading will be more likely to continue reading than students who are disengaged with books from the start.
It is so important that my reluctant readers have books they want to read, as those are the books in which they'll develop their reading muscles. As adults, we know that it can be hard to become good at something that we don't want to do in the first place. I want kids to look forward to their reading work and to see it as do-able and rewarding.
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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. Schildkraut and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.