Past projects 2
Book Nook Diversity: More Books for All
Funded Sep 7, 2018I am so moved and humbled by your generosity. It is so heartwarming to have so many kind people donate to help my students have access to so many exciting, interesting, and diverse books every day.
I had to wait several weeks before all of the boxes of books arrived at my school. I brought the boxes to my classroom, and planned a day to have my students open the boxes. I was nervous! You never really know how seventh- and eighth-graders are going to react to anything, especially if it involves reading. However, my nervousness quickly turned to joy as my students opened the boxes of books. As they pulled out books like The Hate U Give, they were shouting in excitement, and they were all trying to call dibs on the books they wanted before anyone else could claim them first! It was the most fun I've had all year! They were very impressed and thankful that so many people donated money to buy these books.
Every day, we begin class by reading 15 minutes. This is independent reading, a time to allow students to read a book of their choice. One student read I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. She told me that she loved this book because she could relate to so much in it! It is so important for kids to find books that they can relate to. This helps them learn that reading is not just a boring academic thing that teachers make them do, but something that can be fun, enjoyable, and even a refuge from the challenges of middle school.
Thank you, again, for your thoughtful generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
Book Nook: Creating a Classroom Library
Funded Aug 23, 2017My students and I are so very grateful to you for helping to build up a library of new and engaging books. My students now have a variety of books for independent reading.
Class begins each day with 15 minutes of independent reading. The students love having a cozy reading nook to snuggle up in. They like to out-do each other with good behavior in order to earn a turn in the reading nook! I love the positive attitude toward reading that this is fostering in my students!
Two boys in my class are especially excited about reading the Maze Runner series, and one girl was particularly excited about being able to finish the Ugliest series and begin the Cinder series. She couldn't decide what to read first, she was so excited! When other students see these kids so excited about books, then it makes them curious about reading and they begin to want to experience that excitement themselves.
My goal is to help each student discover his/her own love of reading. We will do "book tastings" once a month, and the students will give book talks about the books they read. These will give the students a chance to discover new genres and new books, plus they will hear their peers' reviews of books and choose books to read based on their classmates' descriptions.
I'm really excited about this year! My goal is to have them read 3-5 books independently per quarter (8 weeks). My classroom library is already helping my students reach that goal!
Thank you again for your kind and thoughtful generosity!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by Sergey Brin Family Foundation and 6 other donors.