Help me give my students high quality picture books and graphic novels that are nominated for the Black-Eyed Susan award so that we can participate in our own Tournament of Books.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My school is located in a high poverty area in Baltimore City. It is a Title I school with over 470 students in grades pre-k to five. My students love to read and they get excited about new books I introduce. They come into the library eager to discover what we will be reading that day.Many of my students do not have books at home.
Checking out books from our school library each week provides students with greater access to books.
My students are able to check out a book from my library every week. It is one of their favorite things to do. Many of my students stop by the library before school to check out a new book. They are so excited to get a new book that they do not want to wait until their next class period. They are truly developing a love for reading.
My Project
Every year the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) nominates books for the Black-Eyed Susan book award. Picture books, novels, and graphic novels are nominated. This award is unique because it is voted on by students.
In order to build excitement for reading, I would love to do a tournament oF books.This will be my third year conducting our school-wide Tournament of Books making this an annual event.
Books will be placed into a bracket, similar to March Madness basketball brackets. After reading the books, students will vote which books will move on to the next round. By the end of the tournament, one book will be chosen as the school favorite. After our tournament of books is complete, each student can place their individual vote for their favorite book online on the MASL website. I did this last year and my students couldn't wait for the announcement of the winner to see if their favorite won. Last year, our school winner (The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors) ended up being the state winner as well! The previous year, our school winner was not the state winner. We were able to have a nice discussion about why we thought the winning book was the favorite of the students in the state of Maryland even though it wasn't our school's top choice.
In order to complete this project I need the nominated books. I am requesting each of this year's picture book nominees. There is a range of fiction and nonfiction titles. Examples of these books include: The Day You Begin, A Place for Pluto, and The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs. I am also requesting this year's nominated graphic novels for 4th-6th graders. These books will allow me to grab the attention of even our most reluctant readers!
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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. Guidera and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.