My students need a variety of high-interest books geared toward adolescent readers, like the Percy Jackson series, the If I Stay box set, and books about science and stars!
By the end of this school year, I want to spark a passion for reading for kids who are missing it and introduce new book titles and series to readers in my room who have already fallen in love with reading. It's time to "unplug" our kids from their gadgets and get them back into books!
My students are 12- and 13-year-olds who have grown up in a world where technology is everything.
They want information and answers quickly and have little patience for things that take time. Unfortunately, this means that many of my students struggle to find the time to let books take them to new worlds, to meet new characters, and to learn new things (without a browser).
My seventh graders are funny, quirky, and awesome. This year, our middle school is placing a heavy emphasis on helping students become strategic readers and writers. Yes, our school library is always ordering new books, but there is often only a single copy of the most popular titles, and students find themselves waiting for the books they want. As their teacher, I can't sit around and watch them WAIT to love reading or be bored with books simply because I don't have high-interest books in my classroom.
It's time for this problem to find a solution!
My Project
Right now my classroom library is organized by genre. Many of the books that are in each genre basket have been donated by families or were ones left behind by the previous teacher. I am incredibly grateful for these donations, but ... the books I have are old, and let's face it, students these days do not want to read old books. The books that are in my library need a makeover like something fierce!
New books, engaging titles, vibrant colors, popular authors and series - these are the kinds of books I need for my classroom library and are ones my students will be more motivated to read. The books that students read the most in my room are the newest, hottest titles that I was able to order through book orders, but unfortunately I am limited to how many I can order depending on how many points I have. This means I average only 3-5 new books every two months-ish, and to me, that's just NOT ok! It's time to pick up the pace!
This project will make a difference because reluctant readers are more motivated to read when they can choose from books that are updated, interesting, and engaging.
All students have different interests, so a shipment of a variety of new books will allow all students to find something they want to pick up to read and not put down. My students deserve to love reading. They need to know what they're missing out on!
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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. Bongers and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.