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
"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere..." I want my freshmen to begin building confidence in their writing with these writer's notebooks. I want them to see that what they have to say matters and how their writing can grow in a matter of months.
My students are freshman in an urban, Title I high school.
They are the best people I know. For some, their resources are very limited, however they do not let that stop them in the classroom. My students are creative learners and bring a lot of their background to the classroom. Many of them are very eager to express their ideas, while some are more shy and reluctant. I am hoping with these writer's notebooks, those who are reluctant to speak will be more comfortable with communicating their ideas in these notebooks. Some are also challenged by limited English proficiency which effects their writing. I especially want these students to begin to feel comfortable with their ideas down on paper and not fear making "mistakes". Despite the fact that these students live in the city of Providence, RI, where the poverty level is approximately 30%, they come to school every day following our three school rules; respectful, responsible and most of all, ready to learn!
My Project
My students need the composition notebooks to serve as their "Writer's Notebooks" for the 2015-2016 school year. They will be given time to personalize the covers of these notebooks, giving ownership to their "book". Each class will have a separate crate where these will be stored. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will have the students write for a half hour, practicing a writing strategy that I have taught that day or the day before. Strategies we will practice: writing from lists and literature, questioning, observing, highlighting, punctuation, idea mapping, etc. They will see how these strategies can be easily transferable no matter which topic they are interested in exploring. Throughout the course of the year I want them to see how their writing grows and how much more comfortable writing feels as they keep practicing these strategies. My students will also need 2 pocket folders to file all handouts they are given explaining these strategies.
Having donations for writer's notebooks and folders will give my students a sense of ownership, value, confidence, and importance in their writing.
With new curriculum and reading interventions, it is not easy to find time to write, especially when resources are limited. I feel that with these notebooks, a sense of urgency to write will be created. These notebooks will belong to the students. It is something they can take home and show their families as well, creating community in our room.
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 Ms. Minutelli and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
