This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My students are reluctant readers. They have many interests but don't yet know that doors and minds can be opened through reading. Reading together about a kid with problems, a kid who doesn't find the school experience easy, will make my students feel less alone in their own experiences.
My seventh grade students attend a large, public middle school in the San Fernando Valley.
We are school-wide Title I, which means 100 percent of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Many of my students do not have access to books.
We no longer have a school librarian to help reluctant readers choose books that will excite them and encourage them to read more. Most of my students can not travel to the local public library. They don't get to browse shelves of teen fiction. They don't take trips to the bookstore.
My Project
Wonder is a terrific book about a young man with a debilitating disability who struggles to adapt to a normal school, but ultimately succeeds even beyond his own expectations. This is something that I want for my students. Their life experiences have made it hard for them to envision success in school or in their adult lives. I want to read this book, Wonder, aloud with my class to help students with literacy, compassion, empathy and hope.
One of my students' greatest strengths is their curiosity about others and their ability to put themselves in someone else's place.
I want to encourage and develop that in my students and your donation will help me do that.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Levin and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
