Think back to elementary school. Do you remember the feeling of holding that new book from your school library? Perhaps, the distinct aroma as your fan the pages past your nose? Do you remember sitting around a horseshoe-shaped table or maybe a small circle of friends on the carpet? Building a sense of community, finding commonalities among new friends, and escaping to a far away world are just a few of the benefits of high-interest books in a classroom.
Diverse, enthusiastic, sweet fifth-grade students fill my Zoom screen, instead of our classroom, each morning.
They eagerly to say hello, tell me about their morning and ask questions about what I have planned for them. Our morning always includes reading. In a typical school year, we would meet in small groups, gathered around that horseshoe-shaped table. Others would be meeting in a small circle on the carpet. We would be reading books, discussing characters, and predicting what might happen next. But this is not a typical school year.
My Project
Distance learning has made sharing books impossible. For the foreseeable future students cannot sit shoulder to shoulder reading one book together. Distance learning has not, however, made sharing the love of reading impossible. With your generous donation, I will build classroom sets of high-interest, engaging novels to disperse to students during distance learning. With these books in their hands, my students will be able to engage in thought provoking novel discussions and literary analysis activities. They will also build their reading fluency and the love for great literature.
Placing diverse, engaging books in the hands of my students during distance learning will give them the opportunity to build relationships with characters, authors and their classmates.
Students spend much of their day staring at a computer screen. These books will give them the opportunity to continue to build their love of reading AND take a break from the screen (Bonus!!).
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. Garza and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.