My students come from incredibly diverse backgrounds and families. Their appreciation for cultures and traditions outside of their own is inspiring. On top of ethnic and socio-economic diversity, our school welcomes children of all abilities and needs. To my students, being different is "normal." Our school is like a microcosm of what the world would be like if everyone were accepted and appreciated for their differences.
My students come to school with a strong sense of social justice.
They take on responsibilities to the school, neighborhood, and beyond. Many of my students are passionate about the environment and create programs in and out of school to help it. They feel deeply for people in need. They realize that no contribution is too small, and they all want to do their part.
Fifth grade is an incredible time when children are becoming more aware of the world around them and their place in it. I think my fifth graders are wise beyond their years, and I learn something from them every day.
My Project
As part of our workshop model for reading instruction, students always have an independent book that they're diving into. They have the power to choose any book at their "just right" level from our classroom library. They jump into those books and apply skills that have been taught in the whole-class lesson or that I've worked on with them individually.
Being able to choose engaging books is empowering to my readers.
They feel more invested in the work they're doing. Having a substantial classroom library is key to that empowerment. Nothing is worse than hearing a student say, "There are only a few books left at my level, and none of them seem interesting to me." It's that much harder to get that student to buy back in, to dive into a book and hone their reading skills.
For this project I have scoured trusted literacy resources and found compelling, worthwhile, and engaging book titles that my students won't be able to resist. I can't wait for them to annotate the pages with sticky-notes full of character inferences, predictions, and connections to the text. Also as part of this project, I have selected a cozy rug that students can enjoy while getting swept up in their incredible books. I can't wait to see how their reading is carried to the next level!
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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. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.