My students need books intriguing to them, including: the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the Perks of Being a Wallflower, Matched, and Thirteen Reasons Why.
$698 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
Lytton says, "The pen is mightier than the sword"; my hearts desire is for my inner city students to see this truth spread abundantly in their lives. Immersing each class in the power of the written word allows my students to see how emotions can be expressed in ways other than physical violence.
While my sweet seventh grade students might be new to life's awkward adolescent phase, they are all too familiar with responsibilities many adults will never have.
In addition to taking care of their siblings or fending for themselves during the day, the memory of a murdered parent, witnessed drug deals, an uncle's arrest, and their own personal court dates weigh heavy on their minds. These experiences lead to a students ability to focus mainly on the here-and-now of life. In our community, words are often used as a secondary choice to physical actions but I want them to see that the same emotions they feel, the same life lessons they learn, can be expressed and connected to in the written word. With little ability to see life beyond lunchtime, my students are interested in reading anything new and popular, and although the classics are necessary to a well-rounded education in literature, if my students want to read something new I will do everything I can to access it for them.
My Project
Each class begins with silent reading and reflecting time and ends with the homework assignment of additional silent reading and reflecting time. This has been a successful daily routine for my students for the past eight years, but as our school progresses toward the digital world of on-line based learning, our campus library has been reduced by about half without access to new reading material, either digital or hard copy. Herein lies the need for new and relevant reading material for my classroom library. With these new books, my students will have quick and easy access to popular novels that simultaneously pique their interest, develop their vocabulary, reflect their own concerns regarding inner city and teenage life, or even allow them to escape in fantasy. Projects will include character case study, saturation writing projects, multimedia projects, and text-to-world or text-to-self connections via Socratic Seminars and class conversations.
Much like my students' future, these books have endless possibilities.
Just imagine! Not only will students be equipped to complete their classwork and homework, they will gain access to places they've never heard of before, ideas they haven't yet considered, and will connect to emotions on a page that mirror their own. For my kids, these books are not mere words on a page - they have the power and potential to change lives.
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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. Boyce and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
