My students, for the most part, have given up on reading. The struggling 6th and 7th graders at my public middle school in Sarasota, Florida, have been placed in my intensive language arts class because they failed the state standardized test for English Language Arts. They're not happy to have an elective like art or drama withheld so they can be in my class; they know they don't have to "pass" my class to advance to the next grade, and they see no value in it. It is super hard to engage these kids.
Once students lose interest in reading, it's hard to get them back.
My students are apathetic for many reasons. Some have struggled and fallen behind in reading proficiency so that reading is only a source of frustration for them. Some don’t see reading modeled as valuable or interesting at home. Others find no connection to their interests or lives in the material they are given at school. I’ve seen these kids become animated and passionate about real-world issues, and this is the content I hope to use to reconnect them to reading.
My Project
The world our students will inherit is becoming more and more of a global village, and we are increasingly interconnected with people around the planet. When children learn about their world and its people and habitats, they learn to imagine themselves in other lives. This helps them build empathy for the beliefs and cultures of others.
A subscription to TIME for Kids magazine and the addition of some nonfiction books about other countries and cultures will help me grow students’ background knowledge so that they may more easily read about and understand the world they live in.
Authenticity could be the magic ingredient that unlocks a reluctant reader’s interest in academic literacy tasks. What is more authentic than learning about the world you live in? TIME for Kids magazine will provide students with accessible reading on topics they may be hearing about on social media, the news, or over the dinner table. Not only will the students be better prepared to become global citizens as a result of focusing on current issues and real-world events, but they will also develop invaluable skills in researching, close reading, questioning, discussion and deliberation.
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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. McQuaid and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.