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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.

I am an elementary school teacher in New York City. I teach first grade, and supervise the school's very own student newspaper. Many of my students go home to apartments and shelters with little or no materials to enhance their learning.

My students love to read! They can't get enough of the picture books in our library. Nonetheless, it is important for them to have access to different types of writing styles and topics. Although they encounter magazines in passing; at a doctor's office, the pharmacy, or grocery stores, they have little or no access to their content. This lack of exposure creates a huge gap in their background knowledge, which will eventually impede their ability to read and understand nonfiction texts.

First grade is the right time to begin equipping them with nonfiction reading strategies. This subscription will allow me to teach them in a fun, kid friendly way. It's also an opportunity for my students to delve into the science and social studies topics that they enjoy so much! In addition to teaching my first graders, I supervise our school's newspaper club. My group of student journalists are busy scouring the school, and their community for stories to bring to their peers. They are learning how to write articles, conduct interviews, and take pictures. In order to create their own newspaper, they need to be acquainted with established, age-appropriate publications like Time for Kids. The newspaper club experience is two fold: producing an authentic publication, and learning how to access actual newspapers and magazines.

A subscription to Time for Kids will allow my first graders to begin building background knowledge in nonfiction. For my older, newspaper club participants, this subscription is an opportunity to become engaged in current events and issues that effect their own lives. Additionally, reading the publication regularly will better equip them to produce their very own newspaper. You can make it possible for my students to gain access to critical skills and information. You have the key! Help them unlock this knowledge.