My students need 11 books for my classroom so my students can read! These include Ender's Game, Dark Dude, The God Box and more.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Isero's classroom raised $172
This project is fully funded
My Students
Thanks to DonorsChoose, there's been a reading revolution in my classroom this year! Students are reading more than ever before -- and loving it. It's a joy to witness. The only problem is, I can't keep up with their book requests!
I teach ninth graders at a public high school where 98 percent of students are of color and 80 percent will be the first in their families to attend college.
Despite our school's success, in my 10 years, I've observed a stark pattern: Students who read do better than students who don't. Nearly all of the students who don't graduate enter our school three or more years behind in reading and never catch up. Something big needed to happen -- and did!
My Project
In August, I unveiled "The 1,000,000 Word Challenge." Instead of prescribing all of the curriculum and telling my students everything they must read, which doesn't work for developing readers, the students choose what to read. And they read a lot. (One million words is 20-30 books.)
Why 1,000,000? Not only does the big number inspire students to meet a difficult academic challenge, but it also leads to the voluminous reading needed to boost reading scores quickly and substantially.
In order to make my dream a reality, however, I need more books for my classroom library. Our school does not yet have a library, nor does it have a budget to purchase books. It's up to me to scrounge.
Experts say I need around 1,000 books to make sure there's enough variety. Right now, I'm up to about 490. It's been fun but challenging to find good books at garage sales and Salvation Army stores. Thanks also to the people who have contributed on DonorsChoose!
With your help, more of my ninth graders will meet The 1,000,000 Word Challenge because they will have good books that are about them.
They will see themselves in the books, be interested in reading, and gain confidence in themselves.
Please consider donating to my proposal, and thank you so much!
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 Mr. Isero and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.