Help me give my students the choice to read Toni Morrison's Beloved or Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. I already have most of the titles for this upcoming project but want students to have more options.
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
My students have been preparing for college success since they were in kindergarten. They are smart and creative young people who are learning how to balance multiple AP courses, the college process, and personal responsibilities like sports, family obligations, and jobs.
Reading critically is emphasized as a college and career ready skill but oftentimes reading passionately is overlooked.
Looking at the projects and assignments that shaped my own love of learning I recognized that choice, or the opportunity for choice, were crucial in helping me discover my passions. As a small, young school my students don't always have a lot of choice when it comes to their courses and curriculum. My project aims to provide at least one chance where students get to be in control.
My Project
AP Lit is a new course at my school. We are a small, young school and are determined to help our scholars become prepared to get into and succeed in college. One of the ways to do that is through offering AP courses. This summer I attended a fantastic AP training week at the Taft School and was inspired to build a unit in which scholars get to choose a book to read with a small group--a rigorous book club, if you will. In order to make this work, I needed to offer about 7 new titles that scholars have not yet read. The books on my list are: Americanah; The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; Their Eyes Were Watching God, Invisible Man (Ellison); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; A Clockwork Orange; and Beloved.
Since we are still a newer school, our book room has space for new additions, which means I need your help!
In order to supplement the books I already have, I need 15 copies of Beloved (enough for 4-5 groups of 3) and 5 more copies of A Clockwork Orange (we have a book-group set of only 10).
Providing me with these books will help to make this project a reality and give my students the gift of choice. Reading critically is so important in college and careers but reading passionately is overlooked, I feel. Providing my students with a variety of options for this reading project aims to not only continue to build their critical reading skills, but has the chance to foster a LOVE of books and stories.
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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. Pacheco and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
