My students need a variety of books to appeal to the diverse backgrounds of my readers. Our school is developing a culture of reading by doing more literature groups and giving kids class time to read!
I teach in a middle school with a fast-growing Spanish-speaking population. The culture of the school has changed drastically in a short amount of time, but the diversity only adds to the school and makes it that much better! We also have a large population of students identified as "exceptional." Both groups already have obstacles to their learning; giving them the best resources that we can provide them will eliminate at least one obstacle. But funding is low. It can be challenging to meet the very different needs of all of these situations, but we make it work.
My school has a supportive environment for creativity, especially if it promotes learning and will engage kids.
However, there isn't a strong culture of reading, especially reading for fun or pleasure at my school. That has to change!
In short, my school is facing changes, but we are embracing those changes and trying to engage the community that we serve in order to best meet the diverse needs of our students. We are a family; we are passionate about our students and about learning. We have a journey ahead of us, but I believe that we will get there.
My Project
Our school is moving to a workshop model of reading. This model puts more books into the hands of students right in the classroom. We will give students time to read in class, reflect on what they read in reading journals in a constructive way, and then discuss their ideas with a small group of students along the way. We want to not only boost literacy by offering variety and a range of reading levels for our many struggling readers, but we want to build community within our ever-changing school population by building bridges between students and helping them bond.
The dialogues that happen in literature circles coupled with the connections made by having the book in common will give our students the environment that they need to create closer bonds with each other--classmates that they may have overlooked before.
Fostering this understanding and empathy for others now, when our students are young, will help our students build a skill set that will last them long past middle school. Collaboration, listening, sharing, and compromise are all skills that they will need as they enter adulthood and the workforce in the 21st century.
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