R.E.A.D - Reaching Out to Every Author to Come to Drew
My students need 1-5 copies of 13 books written by these authors who have been requested to come to our school and speak to the children.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Hall's classroom raised $624
This project is fully funded
Opening doors to opportunity!
This is what I tell my students at the beginning of each school year. I am an eighth grade reading teacher in Maryland in a high-need community. I teach at one of the largest middle schools in our school district, and it is a school which has failed to meet state and federal standards under "No Child Left Behind". Becoming a proficient reader is a struggle for my students. I want my students to become avid readers and enjoy reading instead of looking at reading as a chore! This is why I'm asking for your help!
The children at our school have got to value reading. They also need to see that reading is an outlet and can be used to express their feelings. Teens like to say that adults don't "listen", but many of the kids don't think about getting their point across in ways other than vocally. I want them to embrace writing and reading.
One way to do that is for them to see and meet writers and authors who convey messages and ideas to society! Many of the students like to "rap" or write "love poems" but they don't expand their natural talent. I believe coming face-to-face with more talented and accomplished writers will serve as a jump start and motivation for them. It could even change their lives!
The staff is aggressively trying to get the students to become lifelong readers. Two years ago, I took my classes (about 60 of the kids) to the National Book Festival in DC. Author Sharon Draper was there. She interacted with my students. It was a meeting that won’t be forgotten. My students talked about that meeting the entire school year! They read her books and kept saying they couldn't believe that they met someone famous.
We have a program at our school called the "25 Book Campaign". The goal is to have each child read 25 books so they can be exposed to 1 million words.
The campaign also encourages us to promote literacy in the community and to get everyone to “buy into the program”. That includes bringing in visitors to promote literacy, buying books for the entire student body to read, and bringing in fun and exciting events to celebrate reading. Of course the “buy-in” only includes play money to get you started. You know, the kind you can’t cash!
This project “R.E.A.D” (Reaching out to Every Author to come to Drew) will help accomplish our goal. The children need to hear and see the authors of the books they read in the classroom. Besides Sharon Draper, other possible visits would include: Walter Dean Myers, Nikki Giovanni, Christopher Smith, Andrea Pinkney, Gary Soto and R.L. Stine.
Nearly all 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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