This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Goal: Motivating reluctant and/or non-reading middle schoolers from at-risk environments to learn how and love to read! Students take trips, create video/art projects/games based on books we read, to bring books alive. Motto: Suess's "Oh the Places You'll Go!" invigorates us to experience reading.
I teach middle school students with a variety of reading problems often causing behavior issues as well.
Their life experiences/vocabulary are severely limited, as is their self-confidence. Most of our students are on free or reduced lunches, live in the projects and come from minority backgrounds. Few have traveled outside the city or participated in extracurricular activities. Though our school building is old with air, heat, roof, water systems failing regularly and no funds for books for years; our staff goes the extra mile. Many of my students are in our weekly after school Bike and Book Club where we read and then take a bike trip on donated/repaired bicycles. Our class often takes trips to plays, festivals, poetry readings, museum programs, "real" restaurants, farmers market, etc. so students experience more; bringing it back to our class and relating it to our reading. This often results in major improvements in self-confidence, reading levels and behavior.
My Project
Students will read the book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever before Christmas break; then compare the book with the movie version and a live performance of a play based on the book which is being put on by our local community theater. As student teams discuss the book and create projects based on the book, they will be applying skills they are learning to utilize context clues; newly acquired phonemic/decoding skills; speaking and writing in complete sentences and backing up their opinions with evidence from the text. Students will generate their own vocabulary words based on unknown words they encounter as we read and discuss the text and will complete related vocabulary activities with these words. They will have an opportunity to discuss and compare setting; character development, plot and theme.
Our class needs 36 copies of the book instead of sharing one projected book.
We would like to read it in November, so that we can complete the book and related activities by the time we see the play on December 18th. Students will each have their own copy of the book to read, allowing us to break into smaller groups, individual or partnered reading. This permits more actual reading time for each student as well as individual differentiation of skills, interest, needs and pacing.
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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. Skinner and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
