My students need new books in order to help build and foster a love of reading so they can expand and build upon their imagination, cultural knowledge, and critical thinking skills.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Our school is a free, independent, public charter school that specializes in education for urban youth, designated most at-risk for dropping out of school. A Title I school, with most of our families live near or below the poverty level. Most students come from female-headed households where the caregiver has not completed high school or attended college. Nearly 75% of students who enroll are 2-4 years below grade level in reading and math. When children start off disadvantaged, they are more likely to drop out of school because they fall so far behind.
A huge part of my job is to help those incoming students who are reading multiple years below grade level to strengthen and develop skills that are necessary to their growth as a reader - which isn't possible without books to read!
Our school motto is "Accepting failure is not an option!" For 2017, our high school received an excellent score of 85.4% from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. We are preparing some of the city’s most disadvantaged children to have what every child deserves–a chance to achieve and successfully contribute to the community.
My Project
These books will help to create and foster a love of reading in my students. In my efforts to create a classroom rich in print-books, my students would have access to a variety of genres, cultures, and characters in order to engage and encourage them to read. Because many of my students are reading 2-3 years below grade level, it is crucial for them to see and experience books that will capture their interest and help them to build the skills necessary to become better readers. Students will have the freedom to choose books that interest them to read both in small groups and independently. With these new books, my students will be able to choose from a variety of genres that will allow them to read at their grade level so they can become better and stronger readers.
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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. Eikmann and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
