Using Scholastic Classroom Magazines To Improve Literacy In The Classroom

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.

I am a third grade teacher at P. S. 70 in the South Bronx as well as a product of the New York City School System. Every couple of years there are changes in the curriculum as well as the reading and math programs used to teach the new curriculum. The teaching tools that remain a vital resource to supplement any curriculum are the Scholastic Classroom Magazines. These magazines help give my children the resources needed to excel in school, score high on standardized exams, and compete in today's world. This past school year (2005-2006) was the first year that the New York City School System required that students pass the New York State ELA (English Language Arts) and the New York State Mathematics Standardized Exams for promotion. My students were truly prepared thanks in a large part to the interesting, thought-provoking, varied, and challenging way that standards based information was presented in these periodicals. My children come to me each September with a range of reading abilities--many reading in a monotone fashion and finding it difficult to read books on grade level. Many do not meet the New York State Standards and need remediation. By the close of the school year, their reading is far more fluent with comprehension, vocabulary, reading, writing, thinking, and reasoning skills significantly improved thanks in part to the way in which the information in these magazines is presented, reinforced, and drilled. One key reason why Scholastic Magazines appear to be so successful in improving the children's reading and math skills is the fact that the information is presented in a manner that is not intimidating. At the same time, it causes the children to succeed at pushing themselves and working harder despite the fact that initially, some words may be challenging. In fact, the children look forward to each new issue with its colorful illustrations and interesting articles. With these magazines, they truly develop a love of reading. The magazines I am requesting are: Scholastic News - This magazine presents reading with a focus on current events and social studies. This magazine presents grammar and vocabulary and provides assessment exams during the year. Story Works ? This magazine includes plays poetry, fiction, non-fiction, grammar, book reviews, vocabulary and much more in a kid-friendly yet very informative and interesting manner. Super Science ? This magazine presents reading through science--a subject in which many children in the United States are weaker. The children enjoy the articles as well as the experiments found in each publication. Dyna Math ? This last magazine is a classroom magazine that I wish to include this year with the other classroom magazines. Each issue includes problem solving, logic, and reasoning, and also applies mathematics operations to real life situations such as sports and careers and includes a skills review section. I am in a school where 98% of the students are eligible for free lunch. Many parents cannot afford to pay the subscriptions for their children. These children have great minds that need stimulating and motivation in order to meet and exceed the standards of No Child Left Behind and more importantly, to be able to compete in our society. Therefore, I am asking that you consider my proposal. My students and I would be most appreciative.