My students need the next book in the series, ready and waiting, at their fingertips. As my students finish one book, the story continues and so does the reading.
Happily, young adult literature often comes in trilogies (or longer) providing rich opportunities for teens to develop their reading-stamina in the context of a sprawling, epic story. Unhappily, my students often have to wait at the library for months to get book two, leaving curiosity unquenched.
My middle schoolers face all the challenges facing young adults and literacy, and then some.
Aside from the din of small screens that comes standard with today's world, luring would-be-readers away from the written word, the teenagers I work with simply don't have the same easy access to books enjoyed by many. I teach at an urban Title One school, meaning that the majority of our families struggle to provide enough food, let alone have disposable income to go to the bookstore to buy the next book in a series.
And yet in spite of these challenges, my students are dedicated and joyful readers. When a book series ignites their imagination, they line up at our school library, or walk to the public library to have their names put on waiting lists. They beg books from their friends, and even start reading before their friends are finished--reading side-by-side from the same book. They love the stories, and they love the accomplishment of reading thousands of pages.
My Project
As I packed up my library for the summer, I noticed that the many book series I watched my students devour all year were missing from my own shelves. Your donation will help provide fingertip access to these books. Rather than having to search and scratch for the next installment in a series they've come to love, students simply will have to walk to the back of the class, slide it off the shelf, and keep reading.
A healthy classroom library increases a student's access to the books they want to read. For every reader who went the extra mile to get the book they needed, there was a student who simply gave up. When a kid can't readily find a book that interests them, it has a profound effect on not only what they expect to get out of reading, but their overall reading ability as well. Your donation goes a great distance towards helping that frustrated reader find the book they're looking for, providing the setting where they will strengthen, and deepen their abilities.
Providing access to high interest books removes one more barrier that stands between my students and the sorts of reading habits that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
Middle schoolers are in a constant state of making decisions about what sort of adult they want to be, and with your help they can decide on being a reader.
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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 Mr. Huntington and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
