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
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities. ~ Dr. Seuss
I teach a class of third grade gifted/high achieving students in a large urban school district.
Our school is in a low socioeconomic area of the city. We are a Title 1 school meaning that most students qualify for free or reduced lunch subsidized by the federal government. Many students are dropped off at school around 7:30 am and some aren't picked up until 6 pm.
My Project
What can my students do with blank books? Creativity is essential to foster the brains of gifted/high achieving students. As part of the gifted standards for my state, novelty is one standard. Using the requested blank books, my students will recreate classic fairy tales by changing a minimum of 3 elements from the original tale. In our reading series, the students read a story about how author/illustrators create books. In this activity, my students go through the entire process and decision making as an author/illustrator. They also work on story elements of character, setting, and plot. Students include a page about the author, copyright, and a dedication. The students will work on this process for over a month. They will need to persevere in order to complete the process.
This project will improve my classroom by giving the students a sense of pride with a completed hardbound book.
The students go to the Kindergarten, first, and second grades to read their finished books. In the past, I've just made the books with construction paper covers and paper. With the hardbound blank books, the students have a "real" book. This book will last a lifetime and my students will have a book to share with their families for years to come.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Kampelman and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.