“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” – Roald Dahl
My students live in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country.
They are 30% English Language Learners and come from diverse backgrounds: Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Somali, Thai, Mexican, African-American and Caucasian to name a few. The diversity and the way these children notice and yet don't notice it, is vibrant, entertaining and endearing. All of my students have things in common though. They love to learn. They love to sing. They love to explore and create. And as Dahl stated above, they all deserve a terrific advantage.
My Project
Many of my students are behind national norms in reading, and need extra support in order to make up that gap. I'm asking for leveled book sets that will allow myself and other classroom teachers to teach reading in small groups at our students' exact reading levels. We will then increase the level of the books gradually over time bringing our students up to grade level standard over the course of the year.
It is crucial that all students meet grade level standard in reading.
Reading is the key that unlocks all other subjects and opportunities for our students' futures. These guided reading sets will allow us to increase rigor over time and push students to grade level, but to do so gradually so that students are challenged but not frustrated by content that is out of their reach.
The beauty of teaching a child within their zone of proximal development is that there is joy and confidence in that type of learning. An appropriate challenge is presented and children can and will conquer it. We then move to the next rung on the ladder to grade level standard. Please help me to help my students. These books are priceless and I plan to share them with all the teachers in my school.
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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. Kribbs and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
