Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Characters Should Look Like Me
Help me give my students books to read that reflect who they are and who they look like!
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Mowery's classroom raised $404
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.
My Students
My freshman students are joyful, enthusiastic, and hungry for more reading! They have been away from in-person school for more than a year and want to borrow and read books during lunch and before and after school. Because our school is new, we do not have many resources yet and have concentrated on remote learning. Now that students are back, I want to engage their attention back to literacy so that they form a new habit of reading every day together.
My Project
Traditional classroom libraries include books with students who live in neighborhoods unlike that of my students. I have chosen books with characters who look like my students who are 93% African American and 7% Latino and live in an underserved area of Chicago on the south side. Many of my students also have special education learning needs. To create higher engagement in the classroom, the students need to be able to relate to the characters that they read about so that they feel invested and motivated to read books again and again. And the lessons of those books need to be positive and encouraging!
My high school students are now in person after a year away from the classroom and need engaging, positive motivation -- I want them to rediscover their love of the feel and smell of books in a positive atmosphere that they can own!
I have very few classroom books as we are a new school, and my students are asking for reading materials that they can borrow. Through this project, I will create a safe and engaging corner for them in my classroom so that they can re-engage in narratives that mirror their own experiences and finally see themselves in published works.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Mowery and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
