This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
At the beginning of the school year, my students dedicated themselves to growing two years in reading each semester. As ninth graders, they know they had a lot of work to do in boosting their reading level from 6th to 10th grade by the conclusion of the school year.
After a semester, my students have grown 1.5 years in reading.
While we did not meet our goal, students are inspired by their personal growth and even more committed to their growth goals in the new semester. One student, we'll call her A, grew from a 6th grade reading level to a level indicated as PHS, or Post High School. In a reflection of her accomplishment, A writes: "before this semester, I knew I was going to work really hard to graduate high school so that I could make my parents proud. Now, Ms. Morrow told me that I am reading on a college level, which makes me think that I could actually go to college. Neither of my parents went to college, so I know they would be very proud to have a daughter achieve that success!" Because many of my students came from low-income and Title I middle schools with limited resources, they did not have access to the wealth of novels and variety of texts many of their peers at wealthier schools were able to enjoy.
My Project
One key ingredient in helping students become stronger readers is having novel studies in the classroom. My students will use these copies of "Like Water for Chocolate" to gain exposure to the fantastical and inviting world of magical realism and to understand the power of figurative language in literary context. This novel set will engage my classroom by allowing students to explore complex and relatable characters, and to read the work of a Mexican author whose culture and heritage is vastly under-represented in my school's current book collection and novel sets.
Your donation will give my students the opportunity to read and analyze truly engaging literature.
It will help them excel as readers and gain access to the types of post-secondary opportunities students like A did not think were possible until this year. Your donation has the power to help my students continue to not only grow as readers, but as scholars in general, to feel empowered rather than oppressed by education, and give them greater control of their life trajectory.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Morrow and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
