My students are from Durham, NC and mostly come from low income families. About 50% of my students are Black and 50% of my students are Latinx. In addition, many of our students are newcomers (new to the U.S.). Our school is a Title I school that has exceeded its expected academic growth in the past few years. The students, parents, faculty, staff, and overall community are dedicated to students learning and success. My students are very passionate about learning and helping each other learn. I'm a brand new teacher and after the first week, I've got to say that I could not have asked for a more compassionate and motivated class. My students have been begging for me for a week to open up my library for them to explore and learn. Today, I ("finally," as some of my students put it) had the grand opening for my classroom library.
Today, I saw my students light up with joy when they got to explore the classroom library.
Some of my students who I have been shy around ELA activities in class, are now seeming to be looking forward to ELA time and can't wait to get to their books.
My Project
The demographics of my students in my class are about 50% Black students and 50% Latinx students. The content of my classroom library right now is not. This project will help me get closer to having my classroom library reflect the students I have in my classroom. In addition, I'd like to add books that give students an insight into other cultures that aren't highlighted in our day to day life as well.
My students need books that reflect them and their experiences.
There is great importance in this for their mental, emotional and academic health/growth. Students use their classroom libraries as a way to explore their interests and find new interests. Students use our classroom library on a day to day basis to find books they enjoy that they read throughout the day; they read them either with me, a partner, or on their own. In addition, I also have students pick a few books a week from the library to put into their book bins in the classroom. They can go read books from their book bins if they finish other work early, or if I've asked them to do independent reading during literacy centers. A goal of mine is for my students to eventually be able to take some of these books home to share and read with their families as well.
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