Teaching in the largest high school in a district that is facing rapid growth and limited funding creates many challenges. As a teacher, I am faced with finding ways to engage my students without always being provided with the resources that would best do so.
With growing class sizes and limited tools, it's like trying to follow a recipe when you haven't all the ingredients.
This year, there are 38 students in each of my 9th grade Honors English classes. They are motivated learners who have had both positive and negative experiences with reading. I want this year to be one that is positive, one where they fully immerse themselves in texts that make them think and feel, texts that are relevant to their lives and to the society in which they live, texts that help them build connections, and texts which will foster their intellectual curiosity.
My Project
Last year, my students wanted to participate in book clubs and they loved the experience of reading and discussing their books in their small groups. However, for my students who couldn't afford to purchase a book that they wanted to read, they were forced to select titles from our curriculum, the same books that teachers have been assigning for decades, the same books that students put down and then look to Spark Notes for the summaries of.
As our world changes, our students need books that will help them make sense of it.
They need books that they can relate to. They need books that they'll actually read.
This project will allow my students to participate in book clubs with paired texts (a fiction and a non-fiction) on issues like the cultural and social impact of technology on the adolescent psyche, mental health, racism, the immigrant experience, and the achievement gap.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. K. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
