Reading is fundamental. Yes it is but for my students I want to change that statement to just Reading is Fun. As a young child I loved to read. I want to instill that same sense of reading being fun in my students.
The students I have taught in recent years are losing the abiltiy to read novels.
I teach in a Title I urban school and currently teach fifth grade.
My students come from mainly African-American and Hispanic backgrounds. My school also has a high transient and free and reduce lunch population.
In the past few years we have steadily begun to increase our reading achievement and have gained more of the support of the more middle class surrounding community that migrated to more affluent or private schools. This is a fantastic thing and I want to be ready for the new population that is arriving, as well as, continue the growth that we have already made.
Having taught at my school for over eight years, I have grown to know families from pre-kindergarten all the way up to the fifth graders that are now entering my classroom door. They are fun loving, mannerly, and thirsty for learning. I want to make sure that I am able to increase their learning on all levels and help them gain the critical reading skills that they will require to make them better students.
My Project
I have selected books from the Newbery Award Winning books list. I have tried to select more of the recent books that have made the list and ones that will engage my students' interest.
We do have novel studies in our media center but they consist of many of the older winners and are not some of the more current winners. I want to make sure that I am continuously exposing my students to updated materials, as well as, tried and true books that even I read as a young child and still remember.
By receiving these books my students will be exposed to literature that will stand the test of time and introduce them to both the fine craft of reading and writing. I know that by using some of the selected books I will be able to better introduce my students to figurative language, grammar and verb usage, and the unique craft of not just telling a good story but a GREAT one.
Some of the books I have chosen are hardback which makes them more expensive but I know they will last longer.
These books will not only help my students this year but in future years.
Having novel studies or multiple copies of books (especially in hardback) allows students access to participate in collaborative and group learning. I can have class discussions and not just small group discussions because I do have enough materials.
I want students to be able to use these books as starting points to being able to identifty great literature and help them become lifelong readers.
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
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