My students need class sets of poetry books they can read together. These beautifully illustrated books support comprehension and imaginative interpretation with their graphics.
My students are beginning English language learners. They come from over ten different countries and speak many different languages. For some of them, English is the fourth language they know!
Although they are new to our school and America, they are teenagers, and they need access to books about topics that are interesting to them.
Sixteen and seventeen-year-olds want to read about science, history, geography, and other topics that aren't covered in typical books designed for beginning readers. Although my students are still learning English, many of them are highly educated and proficient students in one or more other languages. Even the students whose prior education has been interrupted, which has affected their literacy in all languages, should be able to read about something they find interesting as adolescents. They need access to reading materials that are respectful of this aspect of their identities.
My Project
My English Language Learners are beginning their exploration of poetry in English. These collections of classic poems will support my students as they read, think, and discuss poetry (and begin to write their own poems)! Students have enjoyed becoming familiar with the first few poems we explored and they need access to a larger selection of poems they can hold and read on their own and with peers in the classroom. Students at our school love poetry and my newcomer students can't wait to get involved. It's so exciting to imagine where their exploration of words and meaning will inspire them to go!
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