Do you remember the first time you disappeared into the pages of a good book? My students live in a tiny, remote village in Alaska. Books are hard to come by, and the school library is limited. Having e-readers would allow them to instantly access the whole world of literature!
My students are native Yup'ik Eskimo children, and live in severe poverty.
Most have never traveled more than 50 miles from the village in which they live. They must participate in traditional subsistence hunting and gathering with their families, and also attend our Western school where they often run into difficulties, especially with reading comprehension. They speak English and Yup'ik, but both imperfectly, causing them to have great challenges in their education. They are learning to enjoy reading, but the titles available are limited. They love electronics, but few parents can afford to buy an e-reader for them.
My Project
With Kindle e-readers, the whole world of literature will open up for my students. Recently we watched "Little Women" as part of our Social Studies curriculum. The students were begging to now read the book. I discovered that it is not available at our library, but free to download for Kindle, along with thousands of other classics. I feel that I missed one of those precious teachable moments by not being able to instantly hand them the book that they were motivated to read. It would be of inestimable value to have all of the classics of literature at their fingertips!
In order for my students to survive in their own harsh environment, they have 10,000 years of traditional knowledge to draw on.
Help them also survive in the modern world by making books and the world of Western literature available to them. Your donation of e-readers will help them be successful in both worlds in which they live.
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 Ms. Ambard and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
