Not Too Hard, Not Too Easy: A Classroom of Just Right Books
My students need 80 just-right, authentic books to become confident, life-long readers.
FULLY FUNDED! Dr. Vega's classroom raised $430
This project is fully funded
My Students
My scholars have the bittersweet blessing of attending a new charter school. The mission of our school is to learn through literature. Since the opening of our school, community members have come together to stock our classroom, library and hallways with new and used books.
Books are made available to scholars in every nook and cranny--shelves and bins in hallways, windowsills, staircases, and even the lunchroom.
. Books open up new worlds, incite imagination and creativity, and help students escape from the day-to-day. Instead of making a quick trip to the water fountain, my scholars are found next to the fountain, sitting on the floor and taking a picture walk through a book. During rest time, there are frequent reminders to set the books aside and close their eyes for a few moments to prepare for the afternoon. Several times this year, these scholars have needed assistance to settle disputes over sharing our school's only copy of a well-loved beginning reader book. These kindergarteners desperately want to read like the older scholars, and they so often are met with disappointment when they pick up books from our current collection. Our current collection lacks books that are geared towards emergent readers.
My Project
These little learners are need your help to access more high quality, emergent reader books. Beginning readers need to be surrounded by authentic pieces of literature that they can read independently. With your help, students will feel like real readers with books to hold, pages to turn and words to point to! These books will have a cover, spine, and full color photographs/illustrations instead of the black-and-white printed and teacher-stapled little books they have been using. These new books will look exactly like the books that they see the older scholars and adults read.
The books in our current collection are a little too hard for our youngest scholars. I have carefully selected 80 just-right books to support reading development. Emergent readers need literature with high picture support and predictable texts. These new just-right books include some familiar words, a few new words to increase vocabulary, and large print to practice tracking text.
With your donation, students in their first year of schooling will have access to books written by award-winning authors, such as Lois Elhert, Tomie de Paola, Eric Carle, and more.
The students need lots of choices when picking books to read. They should have access to fiction and non-fiction books on topics that are familiar, interesting, and appropriate for their budding reading skills. By donating to this project, you have the opportunity to fulfill scholars' dreams of becoming readers.
More than a third 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
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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 Dr. Vega and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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