Can you remember a book that made you look at life differently? Lowry's Newberry award winning novel is able to offer a new way of looking at the world for my seventh grade students. They discuss what freedom means to them, choice and consequence, and what they value. It's a challenge and a joy!
My middle school students are a great example of California diversity.
We have students from all different backgrounds, cultures, religions, and families. They are energetic, anxious to please, and just at the stage where they are learning who they are and how they fit into the world as a whole. It is a pleasure to work with them and see how much they learn and grow over the course of the year, and they give me hope for a positive future when they become our leaders.
My Project
If I may echo Dr. Seuss, I hope my students get the message that "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." The Giver includes a main character who takes a stand for what he believes in. It is my hope that this would inspire our students to see that their actions can have far-reaching effects. They discuss what freedom means to them, choice and consequence, and what they value. These topics enable students to look at the world outside of school and make value judgments and have ethical discussions that challenge them as readers and encourage them to think critically.
We have surprisingly few books for student classroom use.
Not only that, but much of what we have is the wrong grade level or very worn and outdated. I want students to be energized by reading this challenging and interesting novel, but I don't quite have a class set now, much less enough books for each student to be able to take one home. These books would be kept safe for years to come.
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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. Snow and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.