In our high performing community, our students "do school," and care greatly about getting good grades, but often miss out on meaningful learning in the process. More specifically, many of them have lost their love of reading. They view reading as a boring chore, one that they do begrudgingly, or even worse, don't do at all.
My students crave choice and independence in their learning.
I believe they need more choice in what they read and study, to entice them to be lifelong readers and learners. Also, as in any classroom, I have a huge range of reading abilities. By giving them choice, I can better differentiate instruction and use reading conferences to make sure each student has a book that works for him or her.
My Project
As Jorge Luis Borges said, "I have always imagined paradise as a kind of library." That is how I want my classroom to feel. When students walk into class, I want them to feel like it's a place where reading is important. Where reading is valued. Where reading matters. A place where they can take a breath from their busy lives, and have a moment to just read.
We live in a society where reading often happens in quick bursts on our phones, and where silent, sustained reading often doesn't happen at all.
In my classroom, I start every class period with ten minutes of reading. Students come in, and immediately know to get out their books and start reading. It is a nice break for all of us, but it's also more than that. During our reading time, I conference with students about their reading and help them set goals for the year. We also share our books with the class via student book talks, discussions, and other activities.
The books from this project are all on topics of interest to my students. They might be part of a popular series, like War Storm, which is part of the popular Red Queen Series. Or they might have been made into a movie, like the book A Simple Favor. I try to provide access to books for a wide range of abilities, on a wide range of topics, so that every student can find something that works. My hope is that students will leave my class with a greater appreciation and fondness for reading.
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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 Mrs. Agostino and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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