My students need 12 copies of 5 book titles, from "Heart of a Shepherd" to "Dragon Keeper."
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Carlson's classroom raised $638
This project is fully funded
I am a Teacher-Librarian at a K-5 school located on an army base in Hawaii. We are not a DOD school, but 99% of our students are military dependents and many have parents deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many of our families struggle to pay for basic school supplies while coping with the challenges multiple deployments bring.
To build a sense of ohana, family, and to give students opportunities to talk about their thoughts and feelings, I started monthly book discussion groups. 4th & 5th grade students read books from Hawaii's Nene List (our state award for literature as chosen by students in grades 4-6). After reading the book, students met with me at lunch to share their favorite scenes, ask questions and make connections from the book to their lives.
This year, students began blogging their thoughts and questions before meeting face to face. By posting their ideas on the library blog, students read more closely and shared more insightful questions and comments.
However, due to limited numbers of books, many students could not participate who wanted to.
By providing books for each of our 4th & 5th grade classrooms and two copies for our school library, more of our students will have opportunities to read the books and post their comments and questions on the library blog. Teachers may read parts of the books aloud to spark students' interest and students can read with their classmates or find their own copy in the school library.
Before attending the lunch time discussion, students will post their ideas online so that they can begin an electronic discussion. Fellow students, teachers and parents can join in by posting comments on the blog. We will meet face to face to discuss the books in more detail and then post more comments on the blog.
Students will develop critical reading and thinking skills. They will utilize technology to share their ideas and they will connect/bond in a "real" and virtual world.
Your help will give my students the opportunity to read and discuss books with students at our school and beyond. By posting their ideas and questions about the books on the library website, students reach an audience beyond the walls of our school, potentially reaching out to students in other states and most importantly, to their deployed family members who might also post comments and questions for their children.
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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. Carlson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
