My students range from 9th through 12th grade, and many of them have special needs, from learning disabilities to behavior disorders to limited English proficiency. A large percentage of our students come from low-income households, and most of them work hard for everything that they have.
Despite their difficulties, these dedicated students strive to help each other.
The ESOL students have created a clothes closet and the student council has organized school supply drives for our school and neighboring schools. They have pulled together to raise money for fellow students with serious illnesses and students who have had personal tragedies. They inspire me with their sense of community.
My Project
I co-teach a humanities class with a history teacher in which we combine American literature with US history to give the students a more complete understanding of how the United States has developed throughout the years.
It can sometimes be difficult for them to connect with the material.
Historical documents are written at a much higher reading level than the level at which most of these students read, so they quickly lose interest. However, interesting books written at an appropriate level can help captivate them and increase their retention of information.
Harry I Was?! is written at their reading level and takes them on a journey stories and letters retelling historical events through the lens of a fictional family. The story begins at the Civil War and continues through the Space Race, so we will be able to use these books for a large portion of the year to help them understand the historical events, and also to introduce them to letter-writing in a way that they no longer really see. This book will allow us to integrate history and English in a meaningful way.
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