Transformative Reading for Diverse Population: Seeing Ourselves In Books

Funded Sep 15, 2022

Once again, I thank you for your generous contribution to my classroom library and for helping me to add diversity to this library with various books to meet the various interest of my students. In my classroom, we've cultivated a culture of whole-class and independent reading. On Wednesdays and Fridays, we spend some of our class period in independent reading. Now, with a variety of books to choose from, students are able to choose a book and engage in independent reading which has become a culture that my students have come to love. After reading, my students are usually asked to write a short reflection on what they've read, which includes but is not limited to:

Writing about a character that they think relates to them and why.

Write about an event that has happened in the book that piques their interest and why.

A short summary of what had happened in the book so far.

A quote from the text that stood out to them and why, etc.

My students have been responding very well to independent reading. Some students who would usually not enjoy reading have reported that they found books that they now cannot put down because they're enjoying them so much. Thanks to your donation, I am able to foster a culture of love for reading and diversity in the types of books my students get to read.”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Young