Valleys' Voices: Building the Capacity for Connection
Help me give my students books to improve inclusion and empower children of diverse backgrounds to find their voice and do their best work.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Luna's classroom raised $957
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
My students represent a multitude of cultures, backgrounds and lifestyles. The culture here at my high school requires students to demonstrate a certain fortitude that not many other high schoolers have. My students have had to overcome challenges that have pushed them to realize just how strong they can be.
It is important that students see themselves represented in the texts they read.
They deserve to feel accepted and represented in the literary works that are provided for them. Seeing yourself in someone else can make someone feel less alone. Loneliness was something that many of my students have felt; not only in this past year and a half but throughout their life. It is time for these students to feel accepted and valued; not for who society wants them to be but for who they are deep down no matter their race, ethnicity, economic status or family situation.
My Project
These sets of books written by diverse authors will help promote greater knowledge and understanding of my students' own cultures as well as others. These books will help create book clubs for my students so they have a chance to feel empowered by what they read. By having access to these specific set of books, my students will be able to explore the realistic portrayal of marginalized groups while shedding light on the implicit bias people may or may not have in their life.
These books will help foster a student-centered approach in helping kids see themselves represented in American culture while also creating a space where kids can learn to empathize with those who are different from them.
These books will engage students in discussions about diversity that would perhaps not happen otherwise. Independent reading is such an important skill and sacred practice that is heavily valued and cherished in my classroom.
These books are especially important and are key factors in giving students a voice because they are relevant to the times students are living in. These book sets foster deep rooted connections from diverse perspectives. It is harder to hate someone when you know their story. With the help of these books it will create book clubs that will provide an outlet for students who feel alone, ashamed, misunderstood.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
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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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. Luna and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
