Past projects 2
Fostering a Love of Reading
Funded Feb 9, 2022I wanted to thank all of you again for funding my project. The books celebrating diversity and inclusion, as well as those designed to shine a light on racism and white privilege, have inspired so many wonderful conversations with my students in which they have asked authentic and sometimes tough questions. Having difficult conversations with students is a lot easier than doing so with adults, in my humble opinion, because kids truly come from a place of curiosity and nonjudgment. The book we enjoyed the most so far was The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist. What an inspiring story!
The collection of independent reading books I received from this project has been a hit as well. The students in my pod are asked to read 20-30 minutes each night and complete a reading log, as well as doing 16 units each week Lexia Core Five (an online reading platform), so I strive to have books on their level from which to choose. Students have clamored for many of the high-interest, low-readability books, which is so great to see. One particular student of mine who is a reluctant reader really took an interest in a science-related book I received focusing on gravity. She picks it up every time she's in my room.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by Black History Month Partners and 13 other donors.Cozy Reading Cove
Funded May 10, 2018Thank you so much for your generosity! I received the three amazing blue beanbag chairs and the karaoke machine in the spring and I immediately put them to use. My 2017-18 students got to use them for small guided reading groups, independent reading and for doing research on ChromeBooks for the final three weeks of school, and the immediate impact was nothing short of amazing. We began school this year (2018-19) a few days late and just kicked off the year this week, but I cannot wait to begin reading groups so I can introduce the reading cove to a whole new crop of students!
The cozy reading cove I created was just that, and students appeared more focused (which was a feat in late May and early June) during reading groups and independent reading time. My students looked comfortable and at home and their enjoyment of reading increased considerably. The karaoke machine also improved their mindset during reading time, as they use the microphone and actually hear themselves reading. We have used it to improve inflection and prosody as well as in the pronunciation of difficult, challenging words and in their reading rate. Struggling readers, who used to dread the time they left the general classroom to break into reading groups, now look forward to it and constantly ask me "when are we going to YOUR room?" It has been phenomenal.
I cannot thank you enough for helping me in my quest to foster my students' love and appreciation for reading!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Martin
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 4 other donors.