Help me give my students the best chance to develop a life long love of reading with new books.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Mowe's classroom raised $1,971
This project is fully funded
My Students
I have only met this group once, during move-up day, for about forty minutes. We started by practicing a circle based on the restorative justice framework. Within this framework students are introduced to a "talking piece" (a stuffed basketball in my room) and asked a question. They then pass the talking piece and share out or respectfully pass.
The question: What do I need to know about you?
"I am really good at sleeping." " My brother gets mad when I play his video games." "My favorite food is sushi." "I'm a great helper." "Unicorns are the best."
These students came in with all of the emotions involved with graduating to the next grade level and they handled it like champs. Each and every student laughed at jokes and then appropriately allowed the next student to share. If they are even close to that attentive as we settle in it is going to be one fantastic year.
My Project
For many years educational pedagogy preached teaching reading through osmosis. The experts often argued that if books were in the classroom students would learn to read--it was that simple! We know today that it requires a great deal more than that.
Students need guided instruction at their specific level.
They need a teacher to work with them just below their frustration level and then given chances to succeed at their independent level. That success depends not only on getting the appropriate leveled reader, but a reader that interests them. In first grade students are expected to be reading independently at level D to start the year and end at level I. In reality many are in a pre-reading phase and can progress to as high as level N.
These nine sets of leveled readers will help me create the base of a classroom library. Currently I am hustling to pull resources from my city library and the great, but limited, shared school library. It will allow me to pull individuals and groups at their levels and interests. More importantly it will allow me to let them hold onto books for longer periods of times, to fall in love with the words and ideas inside. Reading does not happen through osmosis.
The project says it will serve 20 students. That is for this year alone. I am going into my second year of teaching first grade, third of teaching overall, and expect to be around for sometime. These sets will serve students for years to come.
Disclaimer: the title of this project is a quote from Margaret Fuller, the first full-time American female book reviewer (wikipedia).
More than half of 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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