My students dread reading. It's easy to understand why. Almost all of them read with no understanding of the material. With outdated books and students who are years behind in their reading levels, they struggle to comprehend even the easiest books.
Each day, my students are encouraged to be the best students and people they can be.
We have goals for the year that the students are excited about, but they have so many things stacked against them. We are located in a 'not so old' charter school in one of the most poverty stricken areas in Miami-Dade. Violence is very much a reality in the community and many students only feel safe and secure inside the classroom. This is one of the reasons in which I hope to create one of the most safe and engaging learning environments possible. Our class is ready to take on the challenge of reading despite coming in with many deficiencies. Books are starting to become 'not so scary' after all.
My Project
Having a leveled library will help my students move up in their reading levels. Right now, we have some older books that are falling apart from overuse. The new books will allow my students to pick books at their level, and they will be able to move to more difficult levels as their reading ability improves.
The comprehension games will allow my students to have fun while battling their most complex reading issues. Unfortunately, some of my students associate reading with failure and they dread it. Having games will have them increase their skills while showing them that reading can actually be exciting!
The Kindles will serve multiple functions in my classroom. They will open up access to millions of books, which is quite a stretch from my current two-shelf library. They will also encourage my students to do their very best, and they will be excited to use technology in the classroom.
Reading is essential to be successful in life.
Over the years there have been studies that estimate that kids who are behind in 3rd grade reading are 4 times more likely to drop out. Furthermore, in the state of Florida students may be held back for up to 2 years if they are not able to pass the end of year reading test. The lack of resources in our classroom is disturbingly evident. Please help change the lives of my students by providing access to what every child should have: books.
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
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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. Padilla and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
