Victor Hugo once said, "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." Books can take you to the age where dinosaurs roamed the Earth, to the time of King Arthur, to a galaxy that doesn't even exist or to 100 years in the future, the possibilities are endless.
I currently teach 2nd grade in a school where more than half the population is low-income.
We have more than 2/3 of our students on free and reduced lunch, many students have no resources at home to help with their education and many students come from single-parent households. Our town is still recovering from Super Storm Sandy and there is no money in our budget to provide enough accurate leveled books for all the students in each class. Reading is such an adventure, but when you have books that interest you, but that you can’t read, there’s a roadblock to the beginning of your adventure. This is what is currently happening in my classroom. Many of my 2nd graders are considered Beginner Readers and finding books that are interesting and fun for them, on their level, is very, very hard. Booksource has found a way to create a custom book list for my classroom, with age appropriate books on each and every one of my student’s levels.
My Project
With the 119 books on the custom book-list that Booksource created for my classroom, each and every one of my students will have 10 or more books on their level. That means that they will be able to independently read and have all the amazing adventures that books hold for each person that opens each cover. With every word that they can read on their own, the spark of interest will burst into the flames of love for reading anything that they can get their hands on.
Right now, more than half of my students are struggling readers.
They cringe every time I ask them to pick a book from the classroom library and they sit and stare at the pages, as if, by magic, they will be able to read what is in front of them. If awarded this grant, magic will happen in my classroom. Those same struggling readers will find a book, where they can go to a time of dinosaurs, or meet King Arthur or see 100 years into the future. With these books, the choices are endless!
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 Mrs. Langer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
