I teach 6th grade math in a Title I middle school in Oklahoma. I have approximately 100 students divided into four classes, as well as one additional class to focus on literacy skills. The students are a diverse group and many are receiving free/reduced price meals, most of which come from single parent, working households. A large portion of our students do not know much about World War II or the Holocaust, and do not read much about it.
I want to cultivate a love of history and reading in the students that I teach.
They are eager to learn about historical events, and many are looking for a genre to enjoy. My goal is to inspire students to gain a better understanding of history and discover a love of reading they did not know they had. We do this by reading a historical fiction book that shares about the experiences of the Jewish people in concentration camps during World War II, Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic.
My Project
I love to read Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic with my students. It is a modern classic that tells about the experiences of the Jewish people during World War II through the experiences of a girl tired of hearing about her family's past. The mystery of how she is learning of these experiences keep the students engaged.
A new set of books will provide a complete version of the story for the students to engage in the mysterious, intriguing tale.
The set of books we currently read have been used for many years. Many of them have pages unbound from the book, and some are missing pages. Students have a difficult time reading and remaining engaged when interrupted by a missing piece of the story. With your generosity, the students will be able to follow along and lose themselves in the mysterious historical fiction, gaining a love for reading and history!
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