Help me give my students the materials to develop and print their own books devoted to shared experiences, sharing culture, and sharing their native indigenous language, Mam.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Young's classroom raised $804
This project is fully funded
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.
My Project
In the past few years at my school, we have developed two new programs, a science and math education program for recently arrived immigrant students with limited and interrupted formal education, and a Guatemala culture club to support our growing indigenous Mayan Mam student population. The basic principle behind both programs is to support student literacy and language development alongside strengthening student identity—and to do this, students are making their own books.
To our students who have left so much behind in coming to the United States, physical pictures are precious.
The materials for this project give students the ability to print and share pictures that may exist only on their phones, as well as the opportunity to capture and print new shared experiences. We plan to create mini-books that begin with students’ own vocabulary, language patterns, and background experiences to develop texts and school displays that are relevant and meaningful to students.
These books allow students to develop their literacy skills by starting with language and subject matter that they have experienced directly instead of a book that might be about something they’re totally unfamiliar with. They’re creating a written text themselves, with words that have meaning to them, so reading the text doesn’t become a practice of just deciphering words without comprehension. In science class, this means narratives about our field trips and the garden we are creating. In Guatemala Culture Club, this means sharing students' culture through printing photos and creating text in their native language—primarily Mam—around subjects like traditional food, music, and clothing. To support both of these programs, I am requesting printer ink, printer paper, and a digital camera, so that students can create, develop, publish, and share their own books.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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