A Class Library Grows in Brooklyn

Funded Dec 13, 2019

Thank you all so much for your generous support of my Donor's Choose Project "A Class Library Grows in Brooklyn." I told my students about the project when I posted it, and they were hopeful it would be funded. When the day came that I got the news that it had actually been funded, we were collectively shocked and elated! That is all thanks to you. Once the project was funded and the books arrived, I realized I needed to get new bookshelves that were worthy of the beautiful new books. My classroom library, with the two new bookshelves and all the amazing books you gifted me, looks amazing!

When I opened the library to my students, I did an initial lesson where I picked about five books and gave a little book talk about each of them to get students excited about some of the new novels. I reminded them about some of the skills we use when selecting a book. From there, you could feel a real buzz in the classroom as I officially opened the library and let them browse and select an independent reading book. I have stressed to my students the importance of reading independently during the school day and at home. I will often start the class with some independent reading time, which they now absolutely love. As they read, students are working on jotting down their big takeaways from their reading on post-it notes or in their notebooks. I have also taught my students the Fiction Signposts, which is a great set of reading strategies developed Kylene Beers and Robert Probst.

I have seen a huge impact from this project. Students are reading more than ever before and they are having more and more conversations with their classmates about what they are reading. Many students are giving book recommendations to others, which has helped keep the momentum going. Some of my reluctant readers have become much more willing to read now that they see books in the library that actually interest them and books that have characters that represent who they are. I thank you again for your tremendous support and for making all this possible. From Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn with love!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Lehman