More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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As many newer teachers can attest, most of the books currently available to my students in my classroom are hand-me-downs from teachers who retired or books that I read in my own home growing up. Needless to say, these books are not the most authentic literature available at the moment and don't provide my students with illustrations that look like them and tell their stories.
I want my students to see themselves in the books they read. Each book on my list has been curated with attention to cover specific areas my students will connect with such as food poverty, parent incarceration, learning a new language, gender identity, the refugee/immigrant experience, and many others. These books will also provide students who have not experienced these issues first hand windows into others' lives, fostering empathy and respect in our classroom and as they grow older. Seeing themselves and their peers reflected in the stories we have in class will also help to encourage a lifelong love of reading.
About my class
As many newer teachers can attest, most of the books currently available to my students in my classroom are hand-me-downs from teachers who retired or books that I read in my own home growing up. Needless to say, these books are not the most authentic literature available at the moment and don't provide my students with illustrations that look like them and tell their stories.
I want my students to see themselves in the books they read. Each book on my list has been curated with attention to cover specific areas my students will connect with such as food poverty, parent incarceration, learning a new language, gender identity, the refugee/immigrant experience, and many others. These books will also provide students who have not experienced these issues first hand windows into others' lives, fostering empathy and respect in our classroom and as they grow older. Seeing themselves and their peers reflected in the stories we have in class will also help to encourage a lifelong love of reading.