"If you want your students to be better readers, you have to let them read." This is one of my favorite quotes for classroom instruction. My students do love to read, but most of the books in our room are worn out, torn, and sometimes missing pages. This is not from neglect, but from overuse.
My students come from poverty-level backgrounds, where books are not in the home, and reading is often not a priority.
Our school is a Title I school, where we are continually trying hard to help our students feel safe and successful. Our Parent-Teacher Organization does what it can to help teachers and students, but often lacks the funds to do more than the basics. I love the children in my class and want to offer them some resources to help them learn comprehension skills in non-fiction texts.
My Project
With sets of non-fiction texts, I can work with small groups as we analyze text features, author's purpose, central messages, and new vocabulary. My students come to our school with less experiences to enrich their background knowledge. This puts them at a disadvantage right from the start. The books I am asking for are engaging, colorful, and informative. They are current, and exciting. I have visions of my students seeking these books out on their own, besides reading them with me.
If my students begin to see nonfiction reading as entertaining as fiction, they will increase their ability levels, fluency, decoding skills, and so much more.
We can use the books for partner reading, and group reading. Partners can use the texts for research work, and presentations to the class. My students will enter third grade with a broader base of knowledge to attempt more complex skills. They will also feel more at ease and confident when taking the state tests in third grade.
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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 Mrs. Derheimer and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.