Meaningful Reading Project!

Funded Jul 2, 2023

Brookdale Elementary is a Title One school in a working class neighborhood just south of Tacoma. I have been teaching 4th and 5th grades here since 2016. One thing I have noticed about these students is their eagerness to participate in (and identify with) a big story. So much of the arranged fiction is short-form and perfunctory. With the addition of a quality novel like "The Magician's Nephew" I am able to step them through meaningful character arcs (eg. Digory's superficial temper), sophisticated settings (1910 London and the Wood Between the Worlds), and existential events, like the threat of the Deplorable Word and the weighty presence of Aslan.

We have read the first three chapters together, and already my students are buzzing with the excitement of reading the very first Narnia Adventure. I asked for a show of hands, "...if you want to know what is going to happen next," and all but two students raised their hands (I'm not sure if the other two knew I had asked a question!). One student said they were scared for Polly and hoped she was going to be okay. They are treating the books carefully, as a special treasure, and there is a real sense of gratefulness for them. I have reminded them several times that these books have been donated and I have posted the thank you letter on the wall by where the books are kept. It is a unique honor to have this complete set of hardbound copies. I hope to use these yearly for a meaningful novel study for as long as they last!”

With gratitude,

Mr. Wanager