My students have been reading up a storm and making tremendous growth -- our class average for first semester exceeds a half year reading growth. We need books to meet their current and future reading levels.
I work at a wonderful school in East Nashville that serves a large nearby housing project, with a majority of our students qualifying for Free Lunch.
Our school has a reputation for doing well with "value added' scores (we received state recognition this past year for it), but we continue to have low overall proficiency in math and reading. In trying to improve reading, we work a lot with the students who struggle and often don't give the students who need enrichment. As a professional, I know that I need to work harder to support and encourage these students without making them feel as though they are stuck in the corner by themselves. Having these resources will help differentiate our reading and writing activities to engage all my learners.
My Project
We are requested leveled books with bins level K-N. My students have been voracious readers this year. One of the key differences between this year and previous years has been our leveled book library. The students have taken great care of the books and are tracking their own growth to find the right books and to challenge themselves. My current library has fiction and nonfiction books up to level J -- our districts end of the year of the year goal for first grade. However, I've gotten students this year who have already met that goal and others who will surpass it before the end of the year. Having a larger leveled library will allow those students to self-select appropriate and engaging texts during Read to Self time.
This project will help my students continue to excel and work towards reaching their yearly reading goal by expanding the classroom library (a resource that has been critical to their success thus far).
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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