My students need 24 book titles like the "Elephant and Piggie" Series that are more accessible to their reading levels and are engaging, silly, and excite them during independent reading.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Reyes's classroom raised $413
This project is fully funded
Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
My Students
Picture this. You walk by a school yard, where students should be playing, running, laughing, and enjoying their free recess time. Not our school. In our brand new school, we have inherited children that do not know how to BE with each other, let alone play with one another.
Our brand new school has inherited children that do not know how to play with each other without hurting one another.
My students are growing up in an extremely difficult, poor neighborhood where they HAVE to be tough to survive. Often at recess, children are seen physically hurting one another. They were not excited about school, about learning new things, and especially reading. Reading was the most tedious, boring task for these students at the beginning of the year. When told we would have a read aloud story time, they would often moan, grunt, yell, and stomp their feet.
My Project
As stated above, my students were disgusted by having to read. It was a nightmare for them. Not only reading themselves, but listening to a story was painful to them as well. This was until I introduced Mo Willems' "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" and "Piggie and Elephant" books. After having read a few of these books with them and seeing their joy and excitement when reading them, I knew I needed to get more. I purchased more books when the students started begging to take them home to read to their families. Then, they started asking if we could go on a field trip to the library and/or bookstore so they could buy books for themselves. And now... hold on to your hats! When I walk outside to pick up my students from recess, they run to get in line to go back into the classroom, without me saying a word (!) because they know that if they line up quickly, we get to read a Mo Willems book after recess. They cheer when we get into the room and get ready for the story!
My children are faced with a lot.
They do not live in a safe neighborhood, sometimes do not have enough food, do not always have adults to watch after them, and rarely have books at home. However, they are now excited about books! They smile, laugh, talk about, share, and read Mo Willems' books together. They are learning to love reading and are craving more! If I teach my students nothing else this year, I hope that it's the power and beauty of literature.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Ms. Reyes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
