Help me give my students books with diverse characters and authors who reflect the diversity within our classroom.
$279 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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.
The best thing I can hear as a reading teacher is "Are there more of these?" Finding that "just right" book for each student is an adventure and witnessing the excitement they have when they finally come across one is immensely rewarding.
I am a Reading Intervention teacher at a diverse Title I middle school in Texas; the majority of my students are reluctant readers struggling with on-level reading due to various reasons (English Language Learner, learning disability, etc.).
My goal is to help my students grow as readers in a safe and encouraging environment. My students love to sprawl around the room as they absorb new books from our class library. Some students are not exposed to many books at home and school is one of their few opportunities to engage with new books.
My Project
My students have blown me away with how many books they have read in just one semester. I have been fortunate enough to add some new books to our classroom library this year, and I have seen a huge increase in engagement and number of books borrowed. My students enjoy finding books with characters that look, act, and/or feel the way they do. Graphic novels have been a huge hit with my students, so I have requested copies of Hey, Kiddo and Front Desk as well as books by award winning authors like Sharon Draper. Books by Sharon Draper are very popular with my students because my students can relate to the characters in her stories. I believe it is important to expose my students to diverse authors to help expand their view of the world.
Copies of the nine requested hardcover books like Sharon Draper's Blended and Jarrett Krosoczka's Hey, Kiddo will allow more of my students to check out books from our classroom library and encourage them to continue their reading journey.
The best way to promote a book is by word of mouth recommendations, and it's even more meaningful when it comes from a student. Once the word gets out about how great a book is, I have several students asking to borrow the same book which creates a waiting list, plus the books go through a lot of wear and tear as I have mostly paperback copies. It is so important to me to get a book a student actually wants to read into their hands. Once I can find that one book that is perfect for him or her, there is a much higher chance of sparking a love for reading.
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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 Mrs. Blackwell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.