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
Would you pick up books for pleasure if you were three or four years behind grade level? Many of my students have never read for fun, because they've always associated reading with failure. They've always been told they can't, so it's hard for them to believe they can.
I teach 100 wonderful sixth graders in Memphis who inspire and challenge me every day.
They love action and fantasy and obsess over anything they find that they love. We're a high-performing charter in one of the poorest neighborhoods in our city. Over 90% of my students came to us from failing elementary schools. This is their first year with us, and we have some major catching up to do - but you will not meet a more determined and hard-working group of children anywhere. Their largest gap is in reading - our students come in on average at a mid-third grade level. We've instituted an additional reading period every day, where they get a chance to experience reading novels (much of ELA time needs to be focused on learning skills). We've read Holes and Ninth Ward and so many have told me they enjoy reading like never before, that they never knew a book could be fun.
My Project
The Hunger Games has the potential to change the culture of reading at my school. I know this is possible because I was there the first time it happened. Students who read the book would argue about the games, spend their valuable school paychecks on books, and had heated debates about the depiction of characters and scenes in the movie compared to the book. Unfortunately, after passing through 300 hands, the original class set we had is no longer usable, and my 6th graders don't have the books to read. We now have 8th graders who had never read for fun in their life walking to lunch with their noses buried in books and choosing to read over talking to their friends. My sixth graders deserve and need the same opportunity. I am confident that experiencing The Hunger Games will turn my children into lifelong readers.
My students need your help.
There isn't room in our budget to afford a set of new books, and without this project there will be no Hunger Games at our school. These children want so desperately to succeed and to do well. We have the opportunity at my school to transform lives, and building lifelong leaders is the key to building lifelong learners.
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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. Quick and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.