Studies have shown that students are not prepared for the level of reading required in high school and college because they didn't get enough exposure to nonfiction texts in the earlier grades.
My students are part of a self-contained gifted academy with a STEAM focus.
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). They are gifted in many different areas including science, math, reading, writing and the arts. My students are working above grade level in academics, but are emotionally and socially 6, 7 and 8 year old children. They love all activities which are hands-on, and science, math and engineering are among their favorite subjects.
Most of them are avid readers, and they all have very active imaginations. They are extremely curious, have fluent and flexible thinking, are very observant and they learn quickly with very little repetition. My students have elaborate and original ideas and they quickly and easily see relationships in ideas, objects and facts. Our classroom is like the world: busy, chaotic and always in motion.
My Project
The STEAM focus at our gifted academy is changing the paradigm of elementary education in our community. We've implemented strong science, engineering and math units of study, but with the advent of the Common Core Standards, we are struggling with finding exemplary, age-appropriate informational and non-fiction books for our students. It is important for students to have access to and experience with highly exemplary non-fiction/informational reading texts in order to become strong, independent, critical thinkers.
The books I've requested for my class will help me help them develop the necessary comprehension skills so that they will be prepared to read and understand the informational text they will encounter as they progress through elementary school, junior high, high school and university level studies. In addition to developing critical non-fiction reading skills, these books will also help students become strong writers as well.
I want my students to have exposure to every type of reading genre with specific teaching points.
I want to be able to explore the world through books with my class. By having 6 books of the same title we will be able to delve deeper in nonfiction, thus preparing students for secondary education.
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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. Nieman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.