This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My school is located in a high poverty area in Baltimore City. It is a Title I school with over 470 students in grades pre-k to five. I have two Pre-K classes with 20 students in each class. My students love to read and they get excited about new books I introduce. They come into the library eager to discover what we will be reading that day.
Many of my Pre-K students get so excited about new books we read that they ask to read them, again and again, every class period.
We are now using the end of class for independent reading so students can "reread" their favorite books that I have read to them. While most of my students are not reading independently yet, they enjoy looking through the pictures, trying to retell the stories, and finding sight words that they already know. My students get excited anytime that they are able to listen to or look through books. They are truly developing a love for reading.
My Project
I would like to build on their love of reading by providing my students with high-quality books that they can enjoy all year long. I am requesting classics like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, The Napping House and There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, as well as new favorites like We, Don't Eat Our Classmates, I'm Trying to Love Spiders, and Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! These books are highly engaging and will grab students interest. There are also many literacy skills that they can help teach. Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! is a Geisel Honor book that teaches the alphabet in a humorous way. We Don't Eat Our Classmates is a wonderful book for teaching about positive behavior and classroom expectations.
The books I am requesting are also great for sequencing and retell.
Pre-K students often have difficulty retelling stories in order. Many of these books have a clear order. They even have retell kits to help students retell the story with props. The visuals make it easier to remember and retell the story.
In addition to books, I am also requesting book tape and a book stapler to repair books when they become damaged from excessive use.
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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. Guidera and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.