My students need 41 copies of The First Rule of Punk, an engaging, new novel with a Latino/a protagonist to match the demographic of our classroom. This book is well-written, fresh, and captivating.
My students are from a remote town in Northern California, where though beautiful, the cost of living is high and the wages are low; we can be defined as poverty belt--over 60% of the children qualify for free and reduced lunch. Many of these students have ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences), yet they are amazingly resilient.
Within this class of 125 6th graders, we have a diverse population considering the small size of our town.
We have about fifty percent Hispanic students, as well as a multitude of other cultures represented. Our school, though full of highly talented and motivated staff, is sorely lacking in funding. All of my students will benefit from an exciting, new novel to motivate them them, particularly one with a protagonist that they can relate to.
My Project
The Fort Bragg Middle School language arts teachers have been asked to add a novel with a Latino/a protagonist to their curriculum this year to match the demographic of our school. Sadly, there is nothing in the book room that is appropriate or fresh, and we have no funding to purchase something new.
The First Rule of Punk, by Celia C.
Pérez, is a 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book with a charming and quirky main character named Malú (Maria Louisa) who is half Mexican and half white, and follows the first rule of punk which is "Always remember to be Yourself." The message is invaluable, the writing is strong, and is likely engage all my students. I am excited to teach this new novel to my 6th grade class about standing up for what you believe in. This fits in perfectly with our first theme, "Facing Challenges," and will be used to help us write our first narrative essay.
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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. Sugrue and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
