Help me give my students access to the most requested, best selling, most relevant titles in YA literature. These books are not available in our school's library yet, so they would be great incentives for reluctant readers.
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
My seventh grade students come to me as VERY reluctant readers. But, by putting quality material in their hands, giving them the freedom to choose, and setting aside quiet, focused reading time, they leave with a budding love for the vast world books have to offer them.
While their home life and personal ambitions may devalue the importance of reading and writing, once my classroom door closes, each is considered a capable and successful thinker, reader, and author.
The socio-economics of the majority of our student body impede the students' ability to come prepared for school, let alone the access to reading and writing experiences that would benefit their education. My hope is to show them the real world application of analytical reading as well as reading for enjoyment and how nearly impossible it is to get by in today's working world without the ability to write with poise and command.
We're beating the odds here on the seventh grade hall at E. P. Todd and creating self-directed, independent thinkers, prepared to meet the challenges of the future with open minds, fierce determination, and unrivaled work ethic.
My Project
"Reading is so boring."
"Mrs Rexrode, I hate reading!"
"We have to read for how long?"
"You know I'm just going to stare at the pages."
"I'm not doing this."
"Reading is for nerds with no life."
"I'll just watch the movie."
These responses flood the dialogue of my classroom at the beginning of each and every school year. Middle Schoolers. Hate. Reading.
My response?
"You just haven't found the right one, yet."
The goal of this project is to provide them with the right stuff. Choosing books with diverse characters, topics, and formats, I hope to target the various audiences of reluctant readers that grace my classroom door each day.
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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 Mrs. Rexrode and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.