Past projects 2
Books for Creating Life-Long Readers
Funded Sep 18, 2022I would like to first start off by once again thanking you for your generous donations to my students. It really made my day when I saw my first donation come through to start this project. And then as the donations kept coming in it was a series of wonderful days.
I started this project as a way to add more middle school and specifically 6th grade level books to my classroom. Books that students could connect with, learn from, and get lost in the experience of reading. My ultimate goal as a Language Arts teacher is to not only create life-long leaners but life-long readers. So many times I talk to people who have not read a book in months, years, or even decades. It breaks my heart every single time as I feel like someone along the way did not open their eyes to the world of reading. I do not want any of my students to feel like books are something that is "not for them" or they are "not a good enough reader" to enjoy. I want them to believe that no matter what they read it is valuable and worth doing. These books are a step in that journey for my students everyday.
When I first let my classes (I teach four in the middle school setting) know that I had set up a donation page for books they got so excited. I have some very ferocious readers who could not wait to get their hands on some new books. As well as some reluctant readers who were excited to see books with characters that looked like them. I actually did an un-boxing for my students to see all the books that would be available for them to read. We played music and they got to pass around the books in each class to see all the diverse stories. It was a magical experience to see 120 6th graders get excited about at least one book that would be in the classroom library. They connected with stories of adventure, body positivity, immigrant students adjusting to a new country, graphic novels of acceptance, tales of finding your voice, and middle scholars like themselves.
The books have been used to help advance my students reading comprehension and story retention. When I work in my small groups students are able to select a story and we work on building our knowledge. They practice using context clues to figure out words they do not know, charting character growth throughout the course of the story and recognizing plot structure. These stories keep the students engaged and excited to read the next chapter or section.
Even thought I teach middle school my students still love a good D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything and Read). These books in my classroom library give my students a bigger variety to chose from when selecting their pick. They like to be able to browse the titles and find new stories each time to explore. Every story to them creates a new connection or experience they did not have before.
Overall this book donation has changed my classroom and my students reading in so many ways. I thank you once again for being willing to help my students become life-long readers.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hoglen
Read, Build, Change the World STEM Library
Funded Sep 25, 2022I was so excited when I saw my email this morning telling me my STEM Library project had been funded I screamed with excitement! I am so excited my STEM students will now have access to books about science, technology, engineering, and math. They will be able to read stories about students like them who want to explore the world, solve real-life problems, and one day soon change the World!
I cannot wait till I can share with them about the books that are coming and set everything up in our STEM room for them to enjoy!
Thank you seems so small for how much you have done. But honestly thank you!!!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Hoglen