We love to read! So did the hundreds of students who loved our class books before us. Unfortunately, all that love for literature has turned into a lot of beaten up books. Our class library is all but nonexistent above a mid-first grade level.
My class is just bursting with eager readers.
They've made so much growth in reading since the beginning of school that our class library just can't keep up. In a school where most of the students receive free lunch it is simply not possible for parents to buy books for the class or for their own children, much as they may want to.
A large percentage of my students spend the majority of their waking hours in our school building: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their families work hard to give them everything they need. I'd like to ensure that they have books that aren't missing pages and that they're able to find texts on their independent reading levels.
My Project
It is so important for students in first grade (and every grade) to read books appropriate for their reading readiness. My students have read the surviving books in our library at least a dozen times and never complain. We try to find something new to learn from every book each time we read it. However, everyday there is another farewell ceremony for a book that just couldn't be saved.
With these fresh books my students will have a renewed interest in visiting our class library to "shop" for new books and we will no longer have to moonlight as bookbinders, staplers and tape in hand. Our library baskets are empty of books on several crucial first grade reading levels. These new books will ensure that my students are reading text that will engage them and help them reach the next level of literacy.
Our classroom library is used everyday by over 20 first grade students.
These books will not only benefit this year's class, but each class that follows them. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking to see the loving care that these 7 year-olds take of our tattered and worn surviving books. I know that they would be pleased as punch to take care of brand new books sent especially for them.
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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. Shiver and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.