My students need books that will inspire them to read! For many students, books are not something that they have easy access to, and building my class library will help with that!
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Imagine dreading reading, yet knowing that it is a required subject, and cannot be avoided. Now, imagine a classroom where students are arguing over what trade book should be the next to be read. This is happening right now with my students, and I couldn't be more thrilled!
My students are primarily Title I students, and for many of them, reading is not and has never been a priority at home.
Many of my families are multi-generational and/or single parents living under one roof. Many of my kids come from traumatic backgrounds, and reading gives them a way to put that aside for a few brief moments.
I truly love the environment that I teach in and wouldn't trade 'my kids' for anything. I have a passion for teaching about the struggles of the Holocaust, and using that to connect to events in real life today. After finishing a Holocaust unit recently, a student asked me "What else is there? I want to read more." My kids are learning the value of fighting for change, and I love that literature is giving them one more weapon in their arsenal, so to speak.
My Project
My students need a class set of Farewell to Manzanar as well as a set of the graphic novel Maus. These titles will improve their literacy as well as their interest in reading. My students will use these Holocaust titles as part of a World War II and Holocaust Unit. The Holocaust literature will provide them examples of paired texts as well as primary source literature, both of which are valuable learning tools at the 7th and 8th grade level. The Holocaust literature will also be linked with nonfiction text dealing with similar themes.
Many of my students come to me with a strong dislike of reading.
Being able to show them that a graphic novel is considered reading will do a lot to change their opinions.
Donations to this project will go a long way to engaging struggling readers, and will be a stepping stone for them to branch out into other genres of their own choosing. My students aren't used to being put first, and this will show them that people care.
More than half of 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
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. O'Hara and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.