A Powerful Nonfiction Text to Instill Compassion, Action, & Justice
Help me give my students access to Just Mercy, a deeply moving, true story!
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Martin's classroom raised $551
This project is fully funded
My Students
As the teacher librarian, I consider the entire student body to be my students! One word to describe our school library is dynamic. This is because the library is used not only to promote literacy, but the space may be used for students who are writers one period and scientists the next! The students here range between 11-14 years old -- the perfect age to hone in on foundational skills, such as organization and studying, and build a strong foundation to become a lifelong reader. In preparation for high school, many of our students are exploring their interests through our selection of electives, getting the extra help they need from teachers during our weekly tutorial periods, checking out books on a regular basis, and engaging in our local community's extracurricular activities.
To support the vision of our school, our library is about learning and exploration.
Students see the library as the hub of our school-- a place where everyone belongs! The library is a safe place for all students, so my goal is to maintain the integrity of our space, while also showing students that the library also functions as an another classroom on our campus.
My Project
Having 40 copies of Just Mercy will allow this book to be offered as a selection for 8th students during their nonfiction book club unit in Core. Just Mercy will be an engaging and relevant choice for nonfiction book clubs, which is important because students often think of nonfiction as dry or boring. This text will help them rethink their opinions of nonfiction because the narrative style of this text will draw readers in.
Most importantly, the topics addressed in Just Mercy will help students understand the impacts of racial inequality and discrimination and see the need for compassion, action, and justice.
Also, this text will pair well with 8th grade students' study of U.S. History, as it will help them connect what they learn about racial injustice in the nation's past to the current events of today.
These copies will also be available in the library collection and will serve as an important read for students to grow in empathy and understanding of the world around them.
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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 Mrs. Martin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
