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
Remember those BORING journal topics that you had to respond to at the start of your English classes? Well, the Sourcebooks that we'd like to create from composition notebooks go beyond simple "free expression" journals. We need the "Write Stuff" to make it happen!
The school is located in a large, military-affiliated community.
As such, the school's population is highly transient. This adds a unique dynamic, as students move often and have to adjust to a new curriculum in the middle of the school year. We are also a Title I school and service many economically disadvantaged students.
Our school has students with a diverse range of academic abilities. Some students have diagnosed learning disabilities and require Special Education services, while others are placed in Gifted classes. Often, many ability levels are represented in the same classroom. Teachers tailor instruction to meet the needs of individual learners while still progressing the class forward as a whole.
Despite our challenges, the students achieve high levels of academic achievement. In the 2011-2012 school year, 97% of the students met or exceeded expectations in Reading and Language Arts state standardized test. They are motivated children who are eager to learn!
My Project
Sourcebooks are used for a variety of instructional activities, which then become the "source" of inspiration students can tap into for other assignments.
The flags and highlighters help students mark the information they find to be most important to them.
Students personalize their Sourcebooks with a collage of clippings, photographs from home, and other decorations. The laminating contact paper provides durability and protection from use through the year.
Advantages to Sourcebooks:
1) The work is not graded, which allows reluctant writers the opportunity to express their ideas freely and without fear of failure.
2) Sourcebook activities offer the flexibility of both individual and cooperative work.
3) Over time, students are able to see evidence of their evolving emotions and opinions.
4) Because Sourcebooks are taken home at the end of the year, they become a convenient way for students to review critical concepts and skills that were learned in the 8th grade.
Your donation will help provide students with a stress-free outlet for their personal thoughts about their learning.
The Sourcebooks also help strengthen students' abilities to think critically, expand ideas and opinions, and practice essential writing skills.
Please help me get the students off on the right foot next school year with the Write Stuff!
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 Mrs. Barney and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
