Currently, I have 5 out of 22 students reading on grade level. We have a lot of work to do!
I want to tell you all about my students.
I teach an ESL classroom, so everyone in the class is learning English as a second language. About half of my class is Hispanic, and the other half is recent immigrants / refugees. Our class has representation from Iraq, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sudan, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras (this the list that I know of currently). They also come from a very rough part of town. Many of their parents are unemployed, and one of my students is in and out of homeless shelters. When we imagine an inner-city classroom, or a low-income classroom, this is it!
These kids are very special too. They have such vibrant personalities, even those who struggle with English. I want them to have the best education that they can get, equal to their more affluent peers. Please consider funding this project and helping out our classroom! Thanks!
My Project
Basically, as I said previously, my students are way behind grade level on reading. There are various reasons for this, but it's a fact. Their reading fluency is low. Their comprehension is low. They NEED to spend TONS of time reading. The only way we can accomplish this task is if they have a LOT of books to read. So, I am requesting these books for our classroom library so that they will have some interesting books to choose from. They will spend at least 30 minutes a day reading, but in reality the number will be much higher as the year progresses.
I want the students to be able to practice, practice, practice. Right now, the books we have are limited, especially in the lower levels that my kids are in dire need of right now. The faster we can get these books in my library, the faster we can get them reading and moving levels. It has to happen this year!
I can't say much more except please please please, we need your help.
This year is going to be a challenge for me and my students, but we need these books if we want to have any chance of success. I know that we can do it. Success is within their grasp. In many years, when they are grown, they will definitely appreciate your generosity in giving books to help them learn to read. Thanks!
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