Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
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.
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Mrs. Walker from Henrico VA is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
My students need 40 high interest books including Of Sound Mind and Bronx Masquerade to improve reading skills and encourage a love of literature to be lifelong readers.
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.
At the end of the year, I want my students to no longer fear reading. Hardly any of my students read outside of the classroom and sincerely believe that reading is a "boring" activity. I want to place titles in their hands that are not only interesting, but relevant and can capture my students.
My students are bubbly and energetic.
Their personalities are practically incontainable. They are full of questions and are incredibly curious about the outside world. Whenever we read something that holds their interest, they have a zillion questions about the why's and what if's. In the classes that I intend to use these books with, all of my students read below grade level. This affects them in all of their classes, especially the core ones. Despite their struggles, they are hard workers and have a deep desire to become better readers and stronger writers. Research shows that one of the best ways to become a better reader is to read MORE. Unfortunately, in the area where my school is located, the nearest book store is about 20 minutes away. For ninth graders who don't drive and have parents who work full time, that's a great distance. Overall, my school struggles with reading and writing skills; almost 40% of our population reads below grade level.
These resources will be used to put high interest literature in my students' hands. They will not only be reading, responding, and reflecting, but they will be completing reading skill intensive activities such as predicting and previewing, summarizing, probing, completing graphic organizers, annotating passages and poems, and participating in class discussions. They will learn how to tackle a novel, interact with new vocabulary and themes, identify with a character, summarize the text, reflect on events, write poetry, and love reading. The novel, Of Sound Mind, is a diverse text about a teenager who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. It introduces the students to a life outside of their own and opens their minds to diversity and understandings of the unique qualities of other individuals. The novel, Bronx Masquerade, is about students, very similar to my own, who take it upon themselves to establish an "Open Mic Night" in their classroom and write poems about their lives.
This project will change my students' lives for the better by providing them with an opportunity to read.
They will gain necessary reading skills and be encouraged to visit libraries to find more books like these. They will transpire their reading skills into their everyday lives in the classroom, but also in higher education and eventually the work force. Donations to this project will get my students excited about reading and engaged in lessons, assignments, and skill building!
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