Past projects 2
Building Classroom Community
Funded Aug 13, 2023THANK YOU so much for making this incredible donation happen for my students! We are so grateful and we can’t wait to show you how awesome the rug looks in our classroom!!! This rug will make a huge difference every single day in our room! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Corriveau
Diverse Literacy Experiences: Books as Mirrors, Windows, and Bridges!
Funded Nov 28, 2019I specifically chose the books you purchased because of the diverse representations they each featured. The nucleus of our classroom is our classroom library. I truly believe that books are windows, mirrors, and bridges. They are mirrors for students to see themselves represented in, windows for students to see other people who may be like them, and bridges for students to learn about new and different cultures. I try to rotate the books in my library often to keep my readers interested. I currently have many of the books from this project displayed in my library. I attended a literacy training last summer, and one thing I learned is to make sure books are displayed with the cover out (just like at a real library) because they are more apt to catch kids' eyes that way. Thus, I have been displaying some of the books you purchased like this (see one of the photos for a snapshot of our classroom library!).
My students LOVE to read. They gripe when silent reading is over and almost always ask for more time to read. When I read aloud, my students crowd around me, wide-eyed and enamored as I read various texts to them. I love that they are voracious readers, and I capitalize on this any chance I get. In terms of silent reading, I have several curated "comfy spots" used mostly for reading. I don't believe that students should sit at desks for their entire school day- these comfy spots are a break from sitting upright, and make it so that reading is a comfortable and relaxing activity. I have several struggling readers in my class, so I do as much as I can to make reading an enjoyable activity for them.
So far, we have read three of the texts you purchased in my guided reading group. I am so grateful to have received so many book sets to use in my reading group. Reading these texts in a small group gives me the opportunity to discuss them in greater detail and have deeper conversations with my learners.
After placing the order, I got an email that several of the books I wanted were out of stock. I tried to find comparable texts, but I still had a bit left to spend, so I chose a few bilingual books for my learners who are learning English. These have been tremendously helpful.
From the bottom of my heart, I am truly so thankful for your incredible generosity. There is no greater gift than the gift of literacy. I am excited to have these books in my classroom to use for years to come. Diverse literacy will always be relevant, and I will work hard to continuously share underrepresented cultures' stories. My students and I thank you SO much!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Corriveau