Read, Baby, Read with Graphic Novels - Strong Female Leads
My students need great books including graphic novels by Raina Telgameier and the Goosebumps Graphix so that we can Read, Baby, Read in order to Grow, Baby, Grow!
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
Imagine getting cozy with a perfect book. You know ...the one where you laughed, cried, cheered, and found new pieces of yourself! Now, imagine trying to find "THAT" book for over 200 different students. With so many personalities, we need to pack our classroom libraries with tons of great books.
I teach 110 (and help support the literacy teachers who teach the remaining 130) of the funniest, angstiest, brightest students in New Orleans, and we are voracious readers.
Last year, we read over 80,000,0000 as a school (an average of over 300,000 words per student), and this year we plan on blowing that number out of the park through our independent reading program. We need so many more books to feed our hungry brains! However, each student has a unique book "appetite" based on their reading level and interests! That leads to lots and lots of great books in all genres, grade levels, and styles! Yikes! Because every student in our school is expected to "Read, Baby, Read" with books they choose for themselves from our classroom libraries for at least 30 minutes a day at school and 20 minutes each night, we need to fill our classroom libraries with books that students at levels can access and love.
My Project
Many of our readers come to us reading significantly below grade level or have significant barriers between their ability to comprehend short passages and their ability to read and complete longer texts. Graphic novels like Drama and Smile are the perfect fit for so many students because they're written in a format that supports struggling readers. The pictures and dialogue combination create fast-paced books that students devour! In addition, students are developing their ability to track complex plots over time (and sometimes series!) while building their ability to make inferences and grow their vocabulary. Last year, my graphic novels were one of the most popular book bins in my classroom library. This year, I want to bring these great books to our entire middle school by getting great graphic novels in every homeroom and literacy class. Students read so much more when they are excited about what they are reading. Graphic novels are a gateway to strong independent reading!
With your kind donation, we can build BOTH a love of reading and the critical skill of reading stamina.
The more students read, the more they grow their reading level. It is so important to put engaging, accessible, and developmentally appropriate text in front of students. Thank you so much for your helping to develop curiosity, perseverance, and a lifelong love of reading.
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