“Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!”

Funded Aug 23, 2018

Thank you so much for your wonderful donations to our classroom library! According to my students, reading time is the best time of the day! Many of the books you helped in funding, I use as read alouds in my classroom. This is a time that I read books to my students so they are able to hear *how* reading should sound (reading fluency) and also give them a chance to access texts that they might not be able to read by themselves. For my read alouds, I like to choose books from a series. That way, if a student enjoyed the book I read, there are several more books on that topic for them to explore (alone or with their families).

During reading time in my classroom, students are utilizing books in a variety of ways. They are reading "just right books" independently, reading out loud with a partner, and writing about their reading (either a book read to the class or a book they read by themselves). In order for reading time to run smoothly and be an effective learning environment, a wide selection of books is imperative. With your assistance, I was able to add to my library to help with this.

Currently, the Fly Guy series and the National Geographic series are incredibly popular with the boys in my classroom. One of my students said, "I finally found a book that I find interesting!" He even chose an idea for our school science fair from a book he discovered in our classroom library- growing crystals. He asked to take the book home with him to do further research to help with his project and learn more about rocks and crystals. It's such an amazing feeling watching a child realize that he (or she) can gain information from reading and even enjoy it!

I cannot thank you enough for helping with this project. It was such a positive process that my students were a part of every step of the way. For them to realize that people they don't even know are rooting for them to succeed was a really special experience for me.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Keane