Reading Our Way to Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness!
My students need historically engaging texts that range in both topic and level to build excitement, intrigue, and engagement around historical and academic literacy.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Spitz's classroom raised $589
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
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
My students are bright, imaginative, and inquisitive. Each day I see countless examples of their love for learning and genuine desire to be challenged and inspired. As an arts and technology-based school, we pride ourselves on the levels of creativity and individuality embraced by our students.
My students are predominantly Latino and African-American, and most will be the first in their families to attend college and for some, to graduate from high school.
They come from some of the most violent and impoverished neighborhoods in our state and so genuinely want more for themselves and their families. They are exceptionally brave in expressing themselves and communicating an idea, yet many of them struggle when it comes to broaching written text. In my 11th grade U.S. History classroom, my students' reading levels range from 2nd grade to college level, with an average reading level at around the 7th grade. My school is in many ways a learning community reminiscent of the "Little Engine That Could." We are small and underfunded, but what we lack in resources, we make up for in heart and dedication.
My Project
Independent reading has become a cornerstone of my classroom culture and I'm amazed at the academic and personal growth I've seen as result of a structured and supported SSR. All of my students read books from my classroom (with 112% enthusiasm!), as books at home and other parts of the school are very limited. Students select books from my library (with the help of peer and teacher recommendations), and read these books at the beginning of class every day for 15 minutes. My page tracker provides priceless data for determining individual, class, and whole grade progress with regards to reading pace, reading at home, the quality of book selections, as well as book completions. I hold conferences with individual students which vary in topic and length, (i.e. book talks, reading goals, etc). From these conferences, I learn a lot about skill-building (summarizing for example), and we use the books as a way to work on student-to-student feedback and discussion protocols.
These books would mean the absolute world to my students.
I really believe that it just takes ONE; one great book, one wonderful story to convert a non-reader to a reader. The problem is that so many of my students haven't had THAT book yet. More books would mean more opportunities to find THAT BOOK and ensure that they leave my classroom confident in their reading identities, and excited by the role that reading will play inside and outside their academic lives.
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
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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. Spitz and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
