I start every new semester out with two goals: to help my students become better readers and writers. They are aware of these goals and know that they are goals not just for my class but for their futures.
My students attend the largest high school in our district with around 1,000 students.
The school offers many different types of courses as well as vocational skills. Overall, the social-economic status of our school is low and we qualified for a grant that feeds all students free breakfast and lunch everyday.
My students are on various achievement levels with various levels of motivation. Many of them are special education students in my inclusive English 9 classroom who indicated on their interest inventory at the beginning of the semester that they do not enjoy reading. However, on the other hand, I also have some high-achieving students in the class that are willing to go the extra mile and who indicated they love reading.
My Project
The new Kindles I have requested will aid this class of students in many ways. Primarily, the induction of reading on technology will create a spark for reading in my reluctant readers because it will be something new for them and will motivate them to read. The devices will also allow students to annotate and have instant access to unfamiliar words, both skills I emphasize in order to guide my students to becoming better readers. The use of technology is what my students are comfortable with; therefore, taking notes and having instant definitions will be beneficial. The Kindles will also be used for daily Silent Sustained Reading in which students choose an individual novel to read for enjoyment. Research proves that this time can increase a love of reading which will be important for this class in particular since many are not fond of reading. The Kindle will allow a multitude of many genres and titles to be read that span much further than the books I have in my classroom library.
Donations will help my students reach the goal that I set for them and that they eventually own: to become better readers.
The device will spark an enthusiasm, help them learn to interact with the text through annotations and instant definitions , and will allow them an infinite number of books to choose from that will be entertaining to them and will ultimately aide them in becoming life long readers. This goal will enhance their collegiate and work environments and their futures.
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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 Mrs. Presley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.