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
As a teacher-librarian in a low-income school district, my students are faced with several challenges both in and out of the classroom. My students visit the school library often and are interested in learning more and being exposed to new books. I hope to provide them with opportunities to explore relevant literature.
The students are in high school in a city in upstate New York.
The population in my building is very diverse. We have students who take honors classes, and some who take a regular high school path. This year we started a new Bilingual Academy. After hurricane Maria last year, we got a lot of new students from Puerto Rico. Finally we have a lot of Special Education students as well as English Language Learners. Some seem to have developed a love for books and the library, and I think that is so amazing! Now I feel tasked with giving them more relevant books, and a person to share their passion of books and library.
My Project
We have a very diverse set of students in the building. I've noticed as a Librarian that I have great success getting reluctant readers to pick up a graphic novel. Graphic Novels can be so varied in the way they are written. They have a lot of pictures. They help those students who are not as strong in reading. Having a graphic novel in hand is cool, and no one wonders if you are reading below level when you walk around school with a graphic novel.
I am always excited to see students with books, but am elated to see reluctant readers checking out books.
Graphic novels are such a great way for lower readers to gain full understanding of literature that might otherwise be difficult for them. Many classrooms have a diverse mix of students. You may find general education students mixed with English Language Learners, as well as students with special needs. All of the students are taking the same class, reading the same book. Finding a graphic novel that connects to a curriculum book is a great find, and ensures that lower readers get the same understanding as their other peers.
I selected a lot of books from the Bone graphic novel series because we have some in our building and they are very popular. Students seem to enjoy reading novels in a series, and I figure if there are more books they will read more. I noticed this series wasn't complete in our library, so we'd love to complete the series. My only true goal is to get great books into the hands of my students so they can continue to grow.
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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. Monachino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.