We Need a Clue: Help Bring Mysteries to Our Libraries
My students need mystery novels and picture books to develop problem-solving skills.
FULLY FUNDED! Ms. Moore's classroom raised $415
This project is fully funded
My Students
"Look Around You" is the name of a silly fake-science BBC show, but it's also one of my mantras in the classroom. I want my students to learn to use their observational skills to answer questions and solve problems.
I am the librarian for two elementary schools, seeing nearly 700 PreK-6 students each week.
In addition to managing the collection, I teach the kids about information literacy. The curriculum can be boiled down to two main threads:
1. Find stuff
2. Use it responsibly
Honestly, my kids need a lot of help with the "find stuff" part of the equation. They have to learn to put in more work than one click of a button. True research involves creating your own questions and then searching for the answers from a variety of sources ... just like in a mystery.
My Project
I will use the picture books as readalouds, encouraging younger students to mine illustrations and text for clues. For the older kids, I will booktalk the mysteries and make the connection between detective skills and research skills. In both cases, you're searching for evidence to answer a question.
Having an expanded collection of mysteries, from picture books to early readers to novels, will help my kids hone their investigative skills and be able to better solve real-life problems.
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. Moore and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
