My students need the "Bluford" series, the "Divergent" series, "The Maze Runner" trilogy, and other on-level reading materials of high interest to improve reading skills such as interactive nonfiction texts and award winning fiction.
My students are high energy but low motivation. Too often school reading means boring books that make little sense. I am putting together a classroom library to incorporate lots of reading and writing during the school day, but reading and writing that means something to my students.
My students come from a rural area of North Carolina, yet they have an urban sensibility.
They long to be part of the big cities only an hour away, but they are stuck in a small town. Often they come from homes with single parents or blended families. Most of our school receives free and reduced lunch, but our students still out perform other schools in our district. The teachers are all dedicated to helping students reach their full potential. In fact, this is the mantra of my classroom - always give your best!
My Project
The books I have requested will be part of our classroom library. These books will be choices for students to complete independent reading to practice their reading strategies that I have taught them using a whole class text. In order to get them practicing these strategies, the books need to be high interest so that students will not only want to read them but demand to read them. Often, my students do not have the prior knowledge to help them understand more difficult or unfamiliar texts. So, some of the texts I am requesting are helping to build the prior knowledge of my students. In order to understand that text is sometimes more than just words, I have also requested several graphic novels so that students can learn to visualize and analyze illustrations as a way to add meaning to a story.
These books will help surround my students with books and help them see that books can offer them a path into a fantasy world, understand relationships, and even learn something new.
My students have below grade level reading levels, so my goal is to read and read and read some more to help move them if not to grade level, then at least closer to grade level. I know if they can find pleasure in reading, then they will read more which will help them feel more confident in their ability to learn.
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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 Mrs. Wymer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.