Everyone involved in education these days knows that students are very quickly losing the love of reading. If it isn't broadcast in 140 characters or less, signed with a hashtag, or attached to a funny picture, it does not register.
My students are still in the crucial stage of curiosity about the world and all things in it; I want them to journey through others' experiences before they are lost in the vast blackness of social media.
I intend to read a number of classics and discuss literature, words, and ideas with them in a manner that is slowly being lost to us. These students have individual dreams and unique outlooks on the world, and I hope to flavor those experiences with a broad base context full of richness and variety so that they can take a depth of thought, understanding, and outlook with them.
My Project
In these days of social media and increasing student disconnect from school reading assignments and classic texts, getting them to read can be a challenge. As a result, educators are seeing a large decrease in student literacy, vocabulary, spelling, and general writing acumen.
Allowing students to choose their own reading material can promote reading where otherwise "obsolete" reading strategies fail.
These novels are chosen by the students with the promise that they will actually read them. As they told me, since they had a hand in choosing their own learning targets and strategy, and since they are more certain that they will enjoy the material, they feel more confident that they will succeed.
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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 Mr. Parker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
