My students need a variety of books to help build cultural awareness, including Shades of People, I Love My Hair! and The Skin You Live In. Seeing all their faces represented on the book shelf surely will create positive self images for all.
We're a first grade classroom, so naturally we spend much of our day with books. My students work so hard each and every day trying to progress in reading, each at their own level and at their own pace. But one time in which we all come together each day is when we share a read-aloud.
My students are some of the best kids in town!
They come to school, work hard, and want to achieve. I work in a K-2 school with 60-70% free and reduced lunch each year and more than half English Language Learners. We have a dual language immersion program with many cultures and usually at least two if not three languages represented. It has been a challenge trying to make sure all of our cultures and races are represented in our visuals and reading materials which is why I decided to do this project. I truly feel it is important for each child's cultural background to be represented in the books that they see, hear, and read.
My Project
Most of the books on the list will be used within our thematic units during our shared reading or story time. This is a time of day when all the students, no matter what their reading level or other abilities, will come together as a class. This is a time when we can share thoughts, feelings, and personal stories and everyone else can listen. A good book read-aloud to students can spark interesting conversations, thoughtful questions, and most importantly the desire to become a proficient reader.
Improvement in reading comes with high interest stories and motivation.
My hope is for everyone to feel represented through these stories and to feel validated as a member of our class and of the larger community.
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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. Mortensen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
