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
Our middle school is on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles. My students encourage me daily with their unending resolve, continual resilience, and strength of will. They are so starved for knowledge and they have a great desire to learn, despite many traumatic circumstances. Truly, they are my inspiration.
Many students at our school are lacking meaningful interactions with texts.
There is a shortage of class sets of novels at our school, and students struggle to stay engaged because they have to share books. Each child in my classes wants to learn, and I am raising funds for student book clubs and content English Language Arts classes.
I fully believe that when we match students with the right book, it can spark a love that lasts a lifetime. Literacy is power. Words create meaning. We can give this power to these under-served students, and create inquisitive, voracious readers--readers who crave to discover their newest adventure, and readers who can serve their families and communities.
My Project
My students must be able to read and write at grade level in order to feel successful at school, and because of their circumstances, many cannot. They're falling farther behind each day, and ONE interesting story can change everything. I want to share the love of reading and discovery with them through novel study and book clubs. Please consider the following data:
The consequences of not reading although you are able to are only marginally less frightening than those arising from illiteracy itself.
(Crompton, 1980, p. 80)
If we teach a child to read, yet develop not the taste for reading, all of our teaching is for naught. We shall have produced a nation of ‘illiterate literates’–those who know how to read but do not read. (Huck, 1973, p.305)
Young people who cannot read at all are far outnumbered by young people who can read (poorly or well) but won’t. The latter, who choose not to read, for whatever reason, have little advantage over those who are illiterate. (Holbrook, 1983, p. 38)
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
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. DiVincenzo and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
