My students need 30 copies of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" for stimulating young-adult fiction to foster a love of reading and to understand how an individual's identity is formed through his or her life experiences.
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
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go," said the famous Dr. Seuss! 90% of my students read below grade level, and I believe interesting and relatable texts give them the confidence they need in order to improve their skills.
I teach in an inner-city high school with a population of roughly 900 students.
At least 90% are on free or reduced lunch, living below the poverty level in single-parent households. A majority of my students come to English 10 with a middle school reading level, and often struggle with basic literary skills. These students are high-risk for dropping out before graduation. Still, with these struggles, they seek acceptance and kindness, and really want what all people want: to be understood and to have the opportunity to grow and learn and become better citizens of the world.
My Project
I selected the young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian for several reasons. One, readability. While it offers some challenging vocabulary, I am convinced that the language, form, and content will grab the attention of my students immediately. Once they are hooked, they will be able to practice their reading skills and improve their reading levels ten-fold. Two, the theme. The story centers on a boy seeking his identity outside of his normal social circle. This is an important theme to be explored in my classroom. My students need exposure to other cultures; they need to understand that they are not cemented in their current situations, and with hard work and dedication, they can make something of themselves. Three, tying it to writing. My goal is to have students write their own "absolutely true" diaries for themselves, a personal narrative that will encourage them to tell their stories and help improve their writing skills.
Please consider donating to my project.
We have so few book sets in the classroom, and the ones we do have are outdated and non-relatable. The textbooks are only for short stories. Not only will your donation help students improve their reading and writing skills, it will change their perspective on life. This book is a must read for my students!
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