Help Teen ELs Hit the Ground Reading With Graphic Novels
My students need new graphic novels like "Positively Izzy", "Spill Zone", and "Pashmina" to kick start their independent reading and improve their literacy.
Imagine how you would feel if you suddenly had to move to a different country, one in which everyone speaks a language you barely know. Now imagine that you have moved there before you even learned to read or write. Many of my students are in this situation every day.
My students come to this country for a variety of reasons and from many different places, but all of them share a desire to succeed.
They struggle to understand what their teachers are saying and attempt to learn from materials written for native English speakers. They speak Arabic, Bosnian, French, Spanish, Kunama, Lao, Farsi, Nepali, Vietnamese, and Pashto (among others) fluently but cannot read the textbooks because they are written in English. As their ESOL and Sheltered ELA teacher, I do what I can to inspire them to persevere, despite the frustration of being unable to read or express themselves the way they can in their native language or languages.
My Project
Last school year, I flooded my classroom library with graphic novels to try to increase my students' independent reading. My hope was that adding the visual context would increase their comprehension (and enjoyment) of the books. From day one, there was excitement about reading in the classroom. I would do book talks on the new graphic novels and every single student wanted to read them! As a result, my students read more than they ever have before! This would have been impossible without the generous support of Donors Choose donors. I was able to add dozens of new graphic novels throughout the school year and it got to the point that every time I had a box delivered, they would run up and ask excitedly if it was new books! They could not wait to see what you all had purchased for them to read!
My students and I have been so grateful to the donors who show us that there are people out there who care about them and want them to succeed in school.
They can't believe that there are people out there who don't even know them, but who will make sure that they have what they need for their education.
My plan this year is the same - add new graphic novels like "Spill Zone", "Pashmina ", and "Positively Izzy" to keep them excited about reading. They read so many books last year and I look forward to expecting them to exceed that this year with your help!
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