Help me give my students a great literacy experience by supporting this novel study.
$354 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.
I look forward to meeting the new crew in a couple of weeks! I teach sixth graders in a Chicago Public School on the Southwest side of the city. I had such a great year with my students last year that I am super excited to start soon. Because of the tools that I got from DonorsChoose.org, students demonstrated tremendous success last year. This time of the year brings a new energy and excitement thinking ahead to the start of a new year. Each year allows me the opportunity to meet students that challenge me to be a better teacher and further refine my teaching practice. I am sure the coming year will be no different.
In preparing for this coming school year, I read a book that I would like to read with my students.
It is a super intense book that speaks to many of the issues and choices that they will make as tweens. I am certain they will enjoy the text as much as I did when I read it.
My Project
The book Ghost is just right for students to read as they enter middle school. It deals with serious issues in a way that is approachable and relevant for students that are maturing. The start of the book opens with the protagonist of the story’s dad having been in jail three years. The main character, Ghost, still feels the trauma from the episode that put his father in jail and which is probably at the root of the many “altercations” he gets into at middle school.
While hanging out in the neighborhood one day, Ghost watches and decides to join a practice for a local track team, the Defenders.
He demonstrates that he is fast enough that the coach puts him on the team. Ghost learns to like being on the team and he changes his behavior to avoid getting into trouble. His mother doesn’t have money to buy the kind of running shoes that he would like, so Ghost steals a pair. His actions weigh heavily on his mind.
The actions of the novel will allow for rich discussion about choices and opportunities in life. I look forward to having these discussions with my new group of students. Once we are finished reading the book, a local theatre has adapted the book for the stage and is offering reduced price tickets for our school to see the performance. Having the opportunity to see the text performed will add to the rich discussions we will have in class.
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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. Barr and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.