Reading Our Way Through 1st Grade!

Funded Feb 1, 2022

Thank you so much for donating to our class library! We have been able to use these books to help in a variety of ways. I have used the books "Stella and Her Two Dads", "Hair Love", "Just Ask", and "The Empty Pot" as Read Aloud books in class. They have helped my students have a better understanding of diversity and the importance of being true to yourself. The class especially loved listening to "Just Ask" because they could see themselves throughout the book. These lessons helped teach about inclusion, diversity, and important life lessons (be honest, be brave, be yourself, be kind). They helped our class learn about characters and lessons that they could use in their own lives.

Reading in our class looks like the pictures you see! Students get to choose books that interest them and spend at least 30 minutes a day immersed in books that they enjoy. Reading also looks like small groups that practice skills to help them grow as readers. This can include practicing fluency, comprehension, and retelling of stories.

There are a few students in class that are Asian and have really enjoyed our books with Asian characters. They have really liked reading "The Magic Paintbrush" and "The Boy of the Three Year Nap". Students have enjoyed being able to see characters that look like them and have heard similar stories from their families. A few other students have really enjoyed reading the new biographies that we received, including ones on Harriet Tubman and Benjamin Franklin. Others have dove into the A-Z Mystery chapter books and have been enthralled with trying to solve the mystery before they get to the end of the book.

We truly appreciate your generosity and can't wait to explore these books for the rest of the year.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Hyatt