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
My students are great kids and range in age between 15 and 18. The wide majority are from high poverty backgrounds where books are luxuries. Very few of them have books in the home. A lot of my students are very involved in sports, clubs, and they work after school at part-time jobs or babysitting siblings.
Even though my students come from challenging backgrounds, they are hungry to learn.
When asked about their past reading habits, for example, many were nostalgic about elementary school when they were able to read for fun. Almost none of them read outside of school as teenagers. It's almost as if it just has never occurred to them.
My Project
This project supplements our classroom library which is primarily fiction. Students need to read non-fiction as well because it builds background knowledge and historical context. I've also added poetry titles because our classroom library has very little poetry and we all need a little beauty in life!
Standardized testing and the new curriculum focuses heavily on non-fiction (about 75%), and research shows that students will read more when they have a choice about what they read.
This project will help give them more choices. This list of books includes topics my students will be interested in and which will spark their interests.
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 Mrs. Becker and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
