Some of you know that I switched jobs last year and am now working at a middle school in Daly City. Middle school has always sounded intimidating to me, but it turns out it's not scary at all! In my role as an intervention and support teacher, I have the great privilege of working with some amazing 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who make me smile every single day.
Part of my job is working with students who need extra support in the form of small-group instruction, and the other part is working with Newcomer students who have recently moved to the United States.
Both groups of students are working through all of the changes and emotions that come with middle school, and both groups have the additional challenge of navigating their academic needs and advocating for themselves as learners in an academic setting. I really enjoyed working with these students last year, and have learned a ton about the kinds of learning experiences they want and need in order to feel successful.
My Project
I left my third grade library for the next teacher at my old school, so I am slowly rebuilding a library at my new school. We have some great titles so far, but books can be expensive and we need your help! Research shows that emerging readers need books that are "just right" for their independent reading practice, and books that are rich and challenging for small group instruction. Research also shows that all students benefit from high-interest texts with diverse protagonists.
I want to give students the opportunity to enjoy independent reading at their "just right" level while still being respectful to their age, maturity, and interests.
No one wants to sit in a middle-school classroom reading a text intended for second-graders. Luckily, Saddleback Books publishes Hi-Lo texts intended for middle-schoolers who are still emerging as readers!
For this project, I have compiled a list of texts that are a mix of Hi-Lo books (high interest, "just right" reading level) and more challenging and rich texts for both small-group instruction and whole-group read alouds. I was able to find many great books with protagonists that reflect the diversity of my students. I hope you'll help me try and fund this project!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Ludlow and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
