This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Although the student population includes those who identify as Asian and White, intervention students identify as African-American and Hispanic. Approximately six percent of School's students are limited in English proficiency and 17% of the student body receives special education services. The school is known throughout the region as an Advanced Placement school and offers a state-of-the-art labs for engineering and biomedical programs; yet my classroom faces the challenge of limited funding to provide ample resources to accommodate extremely diverse needs. The students enrolled in my classes struggle with comprehensive literacy. They are here to receive intensive instruction in strategies targeted to their individual challenges to make grade level and extended text more accessible.
Beyond improving comprehension, my students need greater access to critical subjects with which to refine their sense of empathy and cultural responsiveness.
While my students are concerned about the world around them, they need guided practice to think more critically think and analyze issues to develop the capacity to solve today's challenges.
My Project
I seek help in acquiring social justice books in order to broaden students' critical thinking and help them develop a truly authentic world-view using a "book club" model for instruction. The highly-relevant and engaging topics are chosen to not only motivate reluctant readers but also inspire them to action at the same time.
The requested titles will encourage self-reflection, better understanding of others, and generate more robust conversation with their book club members (other students); subject-matter that is thought-provoking and highly relevant to the "bigger world" in which they live.
The culminating project, in turn, requires students to propose solutions to issues in our society/community today derived from their book club reading.
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. Gordon and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
