My students need guided reading books appropriate to meeting and improving their reading levels, since so many of my fifth graders read between a first and third grade level.
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
Can you imagine sitting in a fifth grade English classroom that had no books you could read in it? That's what it's like for my students this year. Half of my fifth graders read between a 1st and 3rd grade level; my library contains books for students who read from a 3rd to 7th grade level.
My students are bright, motivated fifth graders.
This is their first year entering a Title I charter school, and it's truly a turning point in their educations. This year, my students are finding out who they are. They're beginning to understand the meaning of their schoolwork, and how they can grow in an atmosphere where learning is nurtured. My students are internalizing what kind of learners they are now, and using this knowledge to define what kind of learners they'll be. They're eager to believe that they're smart, capable students. In this fifth grade year, they will learn more than what I teach them in the classroom. They'll learn from their successes, and their failures. It's up to us to make sure they learn more success than failure.
My Project
I'm asking for your generosity to help me create a library that will be accessible to all my students, particularly those who come to me reading more than two levels below grade level. In order to build their reading levels, children need books that they are able to read. My school uses the Guided Reading leveling system. By matching students with books that are appropriate to meet their current abilities and challenges, I hope to help my students learn to love reading. I hope to help them grow and catch up more than one year's worth of reading. I hope to teach them that they are capable of learning, and that their goals are within their grasp.
Please give my children the books they need to grow into lifelong readers and learners.
These books will not only give my children a chance to learn: they will empower my students to believe that they can.
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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. M. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.