My students need 76 high interest books to increase literacy development including many illustrated classics, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", and "All Star Sports Story".
Imagine being a middle school student reading at a first grade level. None of the books at your level interest you since they are written for first graders, and you can't understand the books written for your grade level because they are too difficult. This is a problem my students face every day.
My students have all receive special education services, and are in a Federal Setting IV program.
This means they are in a small group and receive all their academic instruction with peers diagnosed with similar disabilities. Because of the severe behaviors most of my students have had throughout their educational years, most of them are reading at a significantly lower level than their same age peers. This causes extreme frustration across all subject areas. Middle school textbooks are written at a high school reading level and books written for middle school students are complex to comprehend. Because of these challenges, my students have grown to hate reading and continuously refuse to participate in programs to improve their literacy. When I started the school year, I purchased 40 books to start a small classroom library. As the year has gone on, students are beginning to check out books. They are working on improving their skills and are starting to show a love for reading.
My Project
The books that I have chosen for my project are high interest books that are written at the level my students are reading. Many of these books are graphic novels of classic literature. These classic stories that would typically be unavailable to my students are brought to life in the vivid pictures and comic book feel of the graphic novel. I have 5 books like this in my classroom already, and my students all but fight over reading them. We have set aside free reading time every day, and students will be able to check these books out and continue to enrich their love for reading by having successful reading opportunities.
Your donation to this project will help my students have access to literature that would not have been available to them.
Your donation will also help my students experience successful reading opportunities which I hope will foster a love for reading.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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