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 eager to learn, but they come to school lacking basic reading and math skills. According to RIF (Reading is Fundamental), "The results are clear—access to books improves students' reading achievement." Digital books will provide my students with more access to books on their level.
My students all qualify as low-income in a school with a population that is 99.9% African American.
Research on the challenges such students face show that the odds are stacked against these students. African Americans are incarcerated at a rate of six times the rate of whites. According to ProLiteracy, "There is a clear correlation between adult illiteracy and crime. More than 45 percent of all inmates in local jails, 40 percent in state facilities, and 27 percent in federal corrections institutions did not graduate from high school. Inmates age 24 and younger are less educated." For students, literacies--reading, information, and cultural--provide pathways toward meaningful work and higher education that are the most important factors in improving socio-economic standing and decreasing the likeliness of gang membership, criminal activity, and incarceration. More than 75% of my current students read below grade level, and illiteracy at such an early grade inhibits future progress.
My Project
My students will be able to use their Kindles for multiple literacy tasks. With Kindles, the students will be able to complete research projects and compose reports. They will have the ability to create a typical paper pencil project or create their own video to present their topic. All my students will have access to apps to improve their overall literacy. Students could use Kindles to find reading materials at their level and that meet their interests, allowing me to individuate instruction for their needs. Students will also use the Kindles to gain cultural literacy through access to newspapers and magazines geared toward youth readers. The Kindles will help students learn to read and be fluent in information in various venues, including books and periodicals.
My students typically do not have access to technology outside of school.
In our digital age of relentless information, it is important that children learn to read so they can be astute, informed citizens. Moreover, they need to understand how to use the internet to find information to information literate, able to find good information to prepare them for citizenship and society. Students socio-economically cut off from information will always be at a disadvantage.
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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. O'Connor and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
