I am a middle school reading teacher, and the majority of my 7th and 8th grade classes are filled with below-grade-level readers. I promised them that I would do my best to find books this year that they would actually enjoy reading....but it will definitely be a challenge!
I was lucky enough to have a mother who instilled within me a genuine love of books and reading....but most of my struggling readers were not so fortunate.
As you can imagine, they don't like reading because they find it both difficult and boring. My goal this year is to read book after book that they find interesting, captivating and fun. I've told them from day one that if they don't like to read, it's only because they haven't found the right book yet! Please help me to introduce them to as many novels as possible this school year.
My Project
Walter Dean Myers is known for his gritty, realistic portrayal of life today, especially "street" life. The main character of this particular book is not much older than my students...but he's leaving Harlem to go fight in Iraq. Reader reviews have noted that although the character is fictional, "his impressions, experiences and friendships portray vividly the emotional tension of a war zone", and that the book captures the "very essence of the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom." Not only will this help them become more exciting about reading, but it will also assist in teaching about recent historical events (this group of kids were babies and toddlers during 9/11).
I believe in my heart that there is a book out there for every reader--but with 150 middle school kids, that's a lot of books!
Please help me to start this school year off with a bang. I went out on a limb and promised my kids that by the end of the year, they would find that they actually enjoyed reading class. I would sincerely appreciate any assistant you can provide in fulfilling that promise!!
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