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.
My Students
What was the last book you read? The one you had to stay up late at night reading? For most of my students, they haven't found one yet. Even though they're in high school, my students tell me that they have read less than five books cover-to-cover. Help me to get some high-interest reading material!
My students are minority students attending a low-income, inner-city high school.
Most of my students are reading 2-5 grade levels below their actual grade and they struggle to be successful in high school because they simply can't or won't do the reading required. I work hard to provide high-interest reading material, but your support would help me get some key pieces for my students. Studies show the only way for students to read better is for students to read more. Help me stock the books my students will want to read so that they can find in themselves a love of reading, motivation to tackle more challenging texts and the pride of moving in the right direction.
My Project
Three young men in an inner-city school make a pact, they will all go to college and become doctors...do they succeed? How does a young man from the Midwest become a hustler in Harlem and then one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement? If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self, what would the letter say? How exactly do our genes work?
All of these questions and many more are the basis of the books that I choose for my students. These books are interesting, ask curious questions, and involve situations and characters that my students can relate to.
Have you ever tried to master a new skill or sport? You weren't very good at it at first, were you? But with persistence and practice you found yourself able to ski or earning your black belt. For my students, reading is just as hard. These books help spark the initial interest and lead students into reading harder and more challenger books. Help them become reading black belts!
The ability to read and understand what you have read is an essential component of life.
Sparking an interest in reading and developing the skills of perseverance and commitment will make my students better readers and students, but it will also make them better people, citizens, parents, colleagues. Reading IS fundamental, it is the foundation upon which all other skills are laid, by funding this project, you will affect my students' progress in *every* subject area.
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. Stith and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.