My students need one copy of the book House of the Scorpion to participate in a school-wide read for all grade levels across the curriculum and and content areas.
I am a school librarian and I want to encourage all my students to become better readers. Reading is the foundation of all learning and a school-wide read is a great way to engage all students across the curriculum to connect to a piece of literature and to each other.
Our school is a middle school, grades 6-8, ages 11-15.
We have a very diverse population, 35% African-American, 35% Hispanic, 25% White, 5% Asian. We are a Title I school with over 75% of our students on free or reduced lunch. We were recently designated a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) magnet school. Collaboration, problem-solving, hands-on learning, and preparing students to be competitive in the 21st century global economy are some of the main elements of STEAM. There is a significant achievement gap within our school. Closing that gap and improving literacy is a school and district goal and the school-wide read is designed to address literacy across all subject areas.
My Project
Students, teachers, parents and community partners will read the book The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. The book has won many awards including being named a Newberry Honor Book in 2003, is a 2014-2015 Battle of the Books selection, and is on the recommended 6th grade reading list. Several themes and issues in the book are relevant for our students and our STEAM-infused curriculum: genetics/cloning, immigration, labor laws, second-class citizens, outsiders, Mexican-American relations, drug economy, greed and power, modern global issues, geography. Students will be able to analyze and discuss literature on the basis of theme, character, plot, setting. Students will be able to make connections between a piece of literature and their own experiences. Students will be able to understand how fiction may be used to examine real-world issues and topics in language arts, science, social studies, and math. Classroom teachers will integrate the school-wide read into content areas.
The school-wide read will provide an innovative and exciting way to unite the school community, increase literacy, and integrate STEAM across the curriculum through book discussion activities, cross-curricular instruction, and collaboration with community partnerships.
The project will allow teachers to model teamwork, lead analysis and discussion, help students make connections to life experiences through literature, and improve communication skills.
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. Lyons and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.