A Sand County Almanac is a classical nature book filled with many ecological and philosophical principles. This book is also written at an extremely high reading level and requires my students to push themselves to the top of their reading ability and further.
My students are hard working students from a blue collar community.
My classes are mixtures of ethnicities, abilities, and interests. Around 10% of my students struggle with English as a second language and about 25% struggle with various learning or behavioral disabilities. Overall, my students are friendly, hardworking, and excited to learn new things.
My Project
At a recent literacy workshop the presenter showed us data indicating that very few of today's students know how to use a dictionary. In the past I have had to use a small number of heavily used dictionaries that the students share in groups. I would like to have a new classroom set of dictionaries to show students how important literacy is and make it easier for them to have the dictionary when they need it to find the meaning of a word.
The first unit of A Sand County Almanac focuses on Leopold's walk through the woods on a sunny January day. The students will use their dictionaries before reading the first chapter to define the new and challenging words that they will encounter so that they are more confident as they read. This also allows them to enjoy the reading more than if they were struggling to understand the chapter. Understanding and enjoying the first chapter sets the stage for the remainder of the book.
Our school has been making literacy gains and I feel that using science as a topic to practice and improve student literacy is a valuable tool.
Allowing each student to have instant access to a dictionary while they read a challenging book will make this experience easier and more meaningful for each student.
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