My students have big goals. We aim for 2 years of growth in reading and math. My students need to meet a strong independent character like Katniss, from Hunger Games, to see that their circumstances make them strong.
Life on the reservation has a lot of challenges from gang violence, drugs, to family crises.
Family and culture play central roles in their lives. I want my students to meet a character facing the same circumstances and see how their hardships can lead to strengths.
My students are preteens living on the Navajo Reservation. They attend an all-Navajo school, which hasn't met state standards for yearly progress in 4 years. Despite all this, the students love to read. They've devoured Fahrenheit 451, The Pearl, and The Giver. My class started 6th grade at a 4th grade reading level; we need to catch up.
My Project
By meeting Katniss, the strong central female character in the Hunger Games, my students will see how their culture and background impacts who they are as individuals. We will use reading strategies to increase our comprehension and connect with our characters. My students will finish this book and understand that they are powerful youth and that strength comes from their past. The video projector will allow them to share what they've learned with the whole class, improving their public speaking skills and confidence.
My students can meet their goals.
They need to. The risks are too high if they don't. Learning how to connect to strong characters through books will give them lifelong inspiration that they can fall back on to give them the confidence that they can achieve what they aim for.
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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 Ms. Comer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.