This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Hello and thank you for reading my proposal. I teach third grade at a public school in Snellville, Georgia. My students are predominantely lower middle class. Our school is in an area that at one time was quite rural, but has grown tremendously in population over the past few years. Our school recently became a title 1 school.
One of the biggest challenges I face year after year is getting my students interested in reading. Many of my students come from a background where reading is just not something that is done. Some of my students were not read to at all as small children and most of them do not ever see their parents reading for pleasure. My students view reading as a chore, something you do because the teacher tells you too, not because you enjoy it. This saddens me on many levels. I personally love reading and know the joys and escape that it can bring. I want to share this with my students. I also know that frequent reading will help my students become BETTER readers and will help them to succeed in all areas of their education.
I have found that one particular series of books, The Series of Unfortunate Events books, by Lemony Snicket, are wonderful for engaging my reluctant readers. Once my students hear me read the first book, The Bad Beginning, they are hooked. They begin checking all of the other books out from the library and even choose to read during their free time, and believe it or not, sometimes their recess!
I would love to have a class set of the first book "The Bad Beginning" so that my students can see the words as I read to them. This book is a little too challenging for most of them to read on their own, but when they follow along as I read they are exposed to new vocabulary and their comprehension skyrockets.
Please help my students discover these wonderful books, get them interested in reading and help them to become more fluent readers!
More than three‑quarters 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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