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 room is full of hard-working and excited learners who crave knowledge and growth. However, most of my students have experienced extreme challenges both in and out of the classroom. 72% of our students are from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes, and more than half are bilingual or learning English. Many students live in cramped or unstable living environments. Our classroom is a place where students feel safe and loved, and where equity is created through providing all of my students equal access to materials and resources.
My goal is to create equity in my classroom that does not exist elsewhere.
These kids will devour any and all resources given to them, because they want so deeply to learn and grow. I'm so amazed by how resilient and loving they all are, despite life experiences that could easily have broken them down.
My Project
Helping students love reading requires authentic and engaging reading experiences. I love to supplement our language arts curriculum by providing these experiences to my students through class novel studies. In addition, I strive to expose them to novels that represent a diverse range of characters.
My students love to read, but our resources are limited.
More than half of my class reads below a 5th grade level, but they still want and need access to engaging 5th grade level material. Many students don't have books at home, and the only way they are able to read is through borrowing from my classroom library. I want to create a community of readers in my classroom who can share their love of reading through a common novel.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read, with a strong female heroine on an exciting journey, an engaging cast of quirky characters, and a dive into Chinese culture and mythology. Without this opportunity to read it together as a class, however, most of my students would probably never come across this book on their own. Without our class novel studies, my students wouldn't have any opportunity to share a love of reading in an authentic way. I hope you will consider supporting us in our mission to engage ravenous readers in diverse literature.
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
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Shpizner and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
