Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and attend a central high school. As teachers, we are working to create a curriculum that engages students despite the obstacles they face in the English classroom. Some of our students have lived in our community their whole lives, while others are refugees and asylum seekers from other countries. We have students who struggle with reading for numerous reasons: learning disabilities, learning English as a second, third or fourth language, and lack of interest and/or confidence. When students have texts they can relate to, they are more engaged with their learning, through reading, discussion and writing. They come alive and see school not as a daily struggle where they feel behind and overwhelmed, but instead as a place to learn and grow. We would like the titles in our classroom to reflect the growing diversity of our students.
My Project
Often, poems are taught in isolation. Students read one poem, analyze it and move on. Students are intimidated by poetry because it is seen as a high art that only Shakespearean scholars can understand.
I would like my students to see that poems and poetry can be windows to their own lives.
Poems can ask important questions and answer cultural problems. These resources, books by award-winning poets of diverse backgrounds, reflect the diversity of our country and our school. They are each poets who make poetry accessible to their readers and talk about important issues of race, class, relationships, and being a human in the world.
The books I have selected are books I rely on in the classroom, but do not have enough copies to share with my students.
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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 Ms. G. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
