Motivate Struggling Readers with High Interest Audiobooks!
The cost of two sets each of seven different homework packs from Recorded Books, including Copper Sun, Battle of Jericho, and Darkness Before Dawn, is $1261, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
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 am the middle school reading specialist at KIPP Academy, a charter school in the South Bronx. We serve students from the neighborhood, most of whom live in poverty and face many obstacles in their lives. I work with small groups of students who read 2-4 years below grade level, with the goal of improving their reading skills so that they can rejoin the mainstream English class.
Most of my students enter our school as extremely reluctant readers. Their resistance is understandable, as they have spent years failing at this essential skill. I have found that one of the most effective tools to help them engage with reading is books on tape. Being able to listen and follow along instead of struggling through the words on their own allows these students, often for the first time, to simply enjoy the story. I have seen students' attitudes towards reading transformed when they are given access to audiobooks.
With this proposal, I am asking for audiobooks by the author Sharon Draper, who writes urban fiction. Her books deal realistically with the experiences of young people in difficult situations, and I have seen that my students relate to and are highly engaged by these books. I have one copy of a Sharon Draper novel on tape, and it is in very high demand. I have students waiting for weeks to be able to read this book, and I do not have any of her other books. I would love to be able to offer my students the full Sharon Draper experience.
I truly believe that reading is one of the most important skills one can have in life. My students must improve their reading if they are to have any chance at a successful future. Books on tape are one way to engage them, and I hope you will help me provide them with motivating Sharon Draper audiobooks.
Thank you for considering this proposal.
More than three‑quarters of 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
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. Lankenau-Weeks and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
