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
"Ms. Whetten, do you want a hamburger?" This question seemed odd: I had just finished a demonstration and students were in the middle of an assignment. It wasn't about food. "I'll make you the best burger you have ever had: lettuce, tomato, cheese, and BACON." I looked at the student, unsure what to say. "Do you want fries? They'll be the best fries you have ever tasted." He handed me an imaginary plate and his face lit up as I savored a bite of burger and munched on imaginary fries before helping him move forward on his assignment. This experience taught me something invaluable about him and the students I teach.
My students are enthusiastic and creative; they want to be accepted for who they are and the strengths they possess.
Just as this student would not continue the assignment until I "ate" at his burger joint, my students look to be understood before they are taught. As mostly freshmen students, they are transitioning and discovering the people they want to be. Once they recognize those traits, they are stubborn and determined individuals who work toward success and are unstoppable.
My Project
Do you remember being enchanted as a child when you gathered as a class for reading time? Can you still envision the plot as it paraded through your mind feeding your desire to read?
At a high school where nearly 40% of students read at or below third-grade level, literacy instruction is crucial in every classroom.
Creating a classroom library allows students to refocus on reading fluency and comprehension in a language where every student is a beginner. This can lower concerns about not understanding because each book has tools (glossaries, low quantities of unique words, repetition of new and high-frequency words) to help students be successful.
By reading individually and as a class, students will learn strategies to increase comprehension. Reading strategies are universal, and because of this, these skills and strategies will transfer to English and help build student confidence and success in their other coursework.
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. Whetten and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
