Each year, I am greeted with 18 - 22 enthusiastic first graders who are eager to learn and grow. They are full of energy and love to explore and experience new things! Over half of my students receive free lunches. On average, about 52% of my students will need Title I services.
Our diverse students come from a very rural neighborhood where it takes an hour drive to the closest city.
Within our community is a variety of different races and backgrounds that range from Haitian Creole, Hispanic, Asian, African-American and Caucasian. About 41% of these students are English Language Learners.
My students enter my classroom at a variety of different reading levels. I have some working to still master their phonics while others thrive with 3rd grade books. But despite the challenges and differences within our classroom, we are a community. We work together as a team to take care of our classroom and of each other. Our classroom is one of many beautiful and lovely little learners who are eager to learn and grow throughout.
My Project
Within my classroom is a wide range of readers. Every year I will have students who enter my room still working on letter sounds, as well as others who are ready to be challenged with higher level books. For this project, I would like to focus on those students who are ready for above first grade reading material.
Some of my students are soaring with their reading and are ready to explore the wonderful world of chapter books.
However, I am often challenged with finding enough books for my guided reading groups. While we are supplied with lower level readers, we have very limited access to transitional chapter books.
While I have partial sets here and there, I don't have enough to actually teach with them in guided reading. It is much more beneficial for each child within my higher reading group to have access to their own book. This way they are able to take them home, read and reread them, discuss them in small groups, as well as review and learn about the story with me.
Please help me fund chapter books for my group of soaring readers. My plan is to have seven for the students and one for me to instruct with. Some of these books I've already begun building a set of, and just need to have the additional ones to finish it off. My soaring readers will fall in love with not only the challenge but also the excitement and adventure that these stories will introduce to them. From adventures with "Frog and Toad" and "Henry and Mudge", to exploring mysteries with "Jigsaw mysteries" and "The Black Lagoon", I am sure that these students will treasure these experiences for years to come.
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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. B. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
