Learning Through Zombies: A Novel Study of World War Z
My students need a class set of the novel World War Z in order to complete an in-depth, cross-curricular novel study.
$355 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
When you live in an environment where kids get jumped or mugged while walking home from school, survival is on your mind. Couple that with the current popularity of zombies, and you have my students who are begging to read World War Z, a popular book about surviving a zombie apocalypse.
My students are 8th graders living in a tough urban environment.
One of my classes is almost entirely boys, and they desperately want to read the zombie novel. My students struggle with academics - not because of ability necessarily but because it does not seem interesting or relevant to them. They'll come tardy to class, buzzing about the latest fight in the hallways. They need an exciting book to match the excitement of their lives.
My Project
After I told my classes about a book that I read, World War Z, some of my toughest boys asked to read it. They commented, "Finally there is a book I actually want to read." I brought my copy to school, and students eagerly looked at it and asked questions. With this novel, first and foremost I can get an otherwise pretty academically apathetic bunch engaged in reading. It is a story that they won't be able to put down. Also, there are themes of the novel that relate to my students: survival, prejudice, humanity, technology. Through this novel unit, students will improve their reading skills by being actively engaged in reading a book, and students will also improve their writing skills through a variety of writing activities as we study the novel. The best part is that they will be engaged in learning because it is a book and topic that interests them.
School is not the highest priority for my students.
I have many potential dropouts. Most of my students refuse to read if it does not interest them. The materials available at our school just do not appeal to my students. Now there is a book they actually want to read, but my school doesn't have it. This is a book my students will not be able to put down and has the chance to spark an interest in reading that can create a lifelong reader.
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. Owen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.