I teach First Grade and I have a fun and quirky classroom of readers with diverse abilities and needs. As part of our curriculum, I was given a series of Primary Phonics books that my students earned the privilege of taking home by demonstrating certain skills. Students started saying they were “readers” once they started taking these books home. I had one ELL student left who was working hard to get into these books but was getting discouraged. I’ll never forget when he told me “I’ll never be a reader.” Inside, my heart broke, but I looked at him and, with all my confidence, I said, “Oh, yes you will be.” He’s just about ready to complete the prescribed series of books and he, and all of the students, need more. More choices, more challenges, simply, more opportunities to learn and explore independently through literature.
My Project
I am a first-grade teacher in my first year of teaching and I need help building my first classroom library. I teach a population of rural students in Idaho who have limited access to public libraries, the nearest library is in another county and may not be free for every student I teach. As such, many families rely on the schools to get books into children’s hands.
By donating to my project, you will help ensure my students get the opportunity to read books that interest them and that are at their reading level.
Currently, many of my students aren’t ensured a book that they can take home and read independently. With these books, I will be able to meet this critical education component that builds reading confidence and plants the seeds that grow into a lifelong love of 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 Ms. Burns and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.