As a language arts teacher, I want to inspire my students not just to read, but to be a lifelong reader. That will inevitably change all aspects of their futures for the better. Inspiring a love of reading in students of the digital age requires a large library of high interest books.
Our school is a middle school for grades 6-7 in Oklahoma, with about 800 students enrolled.
We have 3 teams per grade, and our kids sure have a lot of school spirit! Our student body has a huge range of socioeconomic backgrounds, and our school is officially labeled a Title I school due to our number of free/reduced school lunches. Our kids LOVE reading, and this will help me inspire them to love it even more!
My Project
"Reading changes your life. Reading unlocks worlds unknown or forgotten, taking travelers around the world and through time. Reading helps you escape the confines of school and pursue your own education. Through characters - the saints and the sinners, real or imagined - reading shows you how to be a better human being."
-Donalyn Miller, "The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader In Every Child"
We need a classroom library full of high interest and powerful books, in order to increase independent reading speed and fluency. My hope is, with the books requested in this list, to have a wide and varied classroom library from which I can create personal reading recommendations for students. I always tell my kids, if you don't like reading or haven't read much before, it's only because you haven't found the right book! These books will allow me to have a wide spectrum of materials to help find that perfect book for the non-reader, inspiring them to continue reading for a lifetime
In the digital age we live in, with media modes and capabilities far exceeding the dreams of our past, reading is slowly forgotten.
With a huge emphasis on testing and test scores, independent reading for pleasure has taken a backseat in many classrooms, exchanged for a focus on comprehension worksheets and drills. I believe that the practice of independent reading for pleasure and the adoption of a love and fervor for reading will not only increase test scores, but change students' 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 Mrs. MacDonald and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.