The only thing better than getting lost in a book is being able to share your excitement and views about it with your friends. By sharing these books my students will not only improve their understanding of text, but they will be learning more about themselves and the world.
The students entering my class usually have a love of reading.
I cannot keep enough books on the shelves to interest them or to keep up with their reading. They love reading fantasy, adventure, award winning books, and especially books about social issues.
By 5th grade, my students are able to read anything we put in front of them, but many of them need encouragement to really stop and think about their reading. Time and time again, when I pull out a read aloud or even our class novel, I hear students moan, "Oh I already read that on my own last year." Yet when we read it together discussing the character's motives, or how small symbols have deeper meaning, what I then hear is "Nooo, it can't be over already. We LOVE that book.!"
My students are bright individuals who deserve the experience of meeting with others to discuss books so they can continue this reading and thinking with others in the same book.
My Project
With these multiple copies students will be able to read the same book as others in their same reading level. While reading, they will look for topics to discuss with their partners. They'll develop theories about the story, the characters, the themes, and even the symbolism. Students will find evidence within the text to prove their theories. As they read, students will meet together to discuss their views on their reading. Students will work to push each other to look deeper. They will discuss common ideas and learn to see multiple perspectives about these books.
With the help of Chevron "Fuel My School" the books sets will allow my students to become deep thinkers as well as readers.
Through reading with a book group, they will challenge each other to look at deeper meanings in books, learn to discuss contradicting ideas, and really look at the characters and themes in their stories. They'll learn to make judgments about their books, prove with evidence their theories, and defend their opinions.
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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. Askay and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.