Help me give my students the opportunity to dive into great literature!
Book Groups are a proven way to help students discover and immerse themselves in reading!
Sixth grade is a magical age! On the cusp of being a teenager, but with the spark of childhood, my students are excited to learn as much as they can. I love to challenge them and push their personal expectations. I also love seeing them work through hard projects and succeed!
Not only are my students working to excel in all the standard curriculum, they are also immersion students in Mandarin language program.
The last 2 years of Covid have significantly affected my students' ability to focus and push themselves. Many feel like school is not vital for them. I am working hard this year to help them see the magic in learning, the joy in pushing yourself, and the excitement of succeeding!
My Project
Data has proven time and again that elementary students who become fluent readers will be more successful in secondary education. Sixth grade is a pivotal time for young readers. Many of them are reading at a high level, but struggle to find age appropriate books. Others struggle to find books that are interesting and engaging. Most students need help getting beyond the basics of a book and diving into higher order thinking and comprehension skills.
Organized Literacy or Book Groups are a great way to help students overcome these reading challenges!
Students are organized into groups of similar reading levels and interests. Books are chosen with student input and teacher guidance. Each week students decide as a group on how much they will read and the teacher gives them a comprehension focus skill. Then students come together and discuss what they have read. That is where the real magic happens! Students hear other ideas, ask questions, talk about what they liked and didn't like, talk about theme, discuss details, and get more out of the book than they could on their own. It is powerful!
Finding good books in groups is expensive and difficult to do! You can't just check out 6 copies of one book from the school library. This project will bring new titles into our grade-level Book Group library. The chairs will also encourage students by making their meeting location and seating unique and more comfortable. Remove the table between them. Get them comfortable, and let them go! I am so excited to see the opportunities these books and chairs will bring to my classroom and my students!
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 Mrs. Isom and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
