My students are a bright, enthusiastic group of 6th graders in Chicago. Our school is a diverse school in a large, urban school district. My students bring all their varied experiences into the classroom, making our discussions and interactions rich and thought-provoking.
Our school has a literacy-based curriculum where the focus is on providing authentic texts and authentic opportunities to engage with and share those texts.
Reading is the heart of our school, and our students keep it beating with their continued and growing love of books.
My Project
Developing the habits of a lifelong reader is the cornerstone of the reading curriculum at our school. Access to a wide variety of texts that will spark joy in the hearts of our students is imperative. The goal of independent reading is to choose books that you want to read - and to truly enjoy them. At the same time, there is much more that you can get out of reading a book than just enjoyment.
Reading is one of the most powerful ways to develop empathy and understanding for other people, especially people whose experiences are different from your own.
Often, we seek out stories that are mirrors of our own lives. In our classroom, we want to also have books that will provide windows into worlds that are different from our own.
The books we're requesting present a wide variety of perspectives - kids who are mixed race dealing with issues of identity and where they fit in; those who are Muslim American struggling to fight the stereotypes of terrorist; kids who live in war-torn countries who have been torn from their families; stories that weave Indian culture with supernatural events, and more. Across a variety of genres, locations, time periods, races, religions and identities, these books will give students the ability to learn about, understand and empathize with experiences that are different from their own.
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. Wiktor and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
