My students need engaging texts; books that challenge their thinking and have age-appropriate content, while still catering to their below grade-level reading Lexiles.
My students are tenacious young Lakota men and women living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 100% of my students are eligible for free lunch, and 100% are enrolled members in a federally recognized tribe. Although the majority of students test far below grade level, many still hold on to a love of reading and learning. Still, many struggle to see themselves in a post-secondary education despite their potential.
On the reservation, my students live in an incredibly unique environment - one full of beauty and culture, but also very familiar with hurt, poverty, and trauma.
For many students, our school is their safe place: a place with consistent adult role models, a guaranteed meal, engaging extra-curricular activities, and classes that attempt to teach cultural values and history intermixed with math and reading. Our school is more than a school - it is a community, a family, and a home.
My Project
I feel lucky to teach students who LIKE to read. I smile when I hear "just one more chapter!" after our read aloud, or the shy "can you order this book for me?" as they slide me the title on a ripped sheet of notebook paper. However, as a first year teacher, I am still building my classroom library. Since we don't have a school or community library within at least a hundred miles, my students rely on me and my salary to provide them with independent reading texts. At the rate my students can eat up books, I have found that I can simply not keep up!
The books I have selected for this project are texts that will keep the love of reading alive in my students and provide benefits that only the power of choice and independent reading can give.
Mainly graphic novels, these books have content that is age-appropriate and engaging for middle schoolers, yet presented in a format that is encouraging for those still reading at an early elementary level. Many books were ones specifically requested by my students. I guarantee that these books will be read until they disappear or fall apart!
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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. Schumaker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.