To foster a culture of literacy, we must ensure that students have access to a variety of books. Research confirms the importance of providing students with books that are at an appropriate level and are of high interest. Students also benefit when they are able to make choices about their independent reading material. Currently, only a few classrooms on our campus offer students a variety of books. My own classroom bookshelf, for example, is mostly filled with books that our English teachers no longer use, an assortment of old textbooks, and a few books that I've brought from my home or purchased myself for students.
This project will help me start a classroom library that provides my students with choice and a selection of books that are written from diverse perspectives. In selecting these books, I intentionally chose books that address issues of race, gender, immigration, and religion. These are topics that are underrepresented in the books currently available on our campus. They're also topics that align with our school's mission to prepare students to "seek justice and challenge injustice." I also selected books that do not specifically address these issues but are about topics that are of interest to my students or written by popular authors. Many of the books I have selected were on national award lists including the Stonewall Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, or the Morris Award. Others were listed on recommended books lists for young adults.
Since our school lacks a shared library, the books will remain in my classroom, but they will be available to be checked out by students from any grade level.
About my class
To foster a culture of literacy, we must ensure that students have access to a variety of books. Research confirms the importance of providing students with books that are at an appropriate level and are of high interest. Students also benefit when they are able to make choices about their independent reading material. Currently, only a few classrooms on our campus offer students a variety of books. My own classroom bookshelf, for example, is mostly filled with books that our English teachers no longer use, an assortment of old textbooks, and a few books that I've brought from my home or purchased myself for students.
This project will help me start a classroom library that provides my students with choice and a selection of books that are written from diverse perspectives. In selecting these books, I intentionally chose books that address issues of race, gender, immigration, and religion. These are topics that are underrepresented in the books currently available on our campus. They're also topics that align with our school's mission to prepare students to "seek justice and challenge injustice." I also selected books that do not specifically address these issues but are about topics that are of interest to my students or written by popular authors. Many of the books I have selected were on national award lists including the Stonewall Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, or the Morris Award. Others were listed on recommended books lists for young adults.
Since our school lacks a shared library, the books will remain in my classroom, but they will be available to be checked out by students from any grade level.
Read more