Past projects 12
Manga and Graphic Novels FTW!
Funded May 5, 2022I apologize for the delay! The library was painted during the summer and they found asbestos, so it's been an interesting start to the school year. When the books were received back in May I was able to start processing right away. The
One aspect I love about librarianship is recommending books to students. I don't have to think about whether or not they're reading their Lexile, or what standards I'm hitting. Rather, I can provide books to children they're going to enjoy. Graphic novels are a prime example of providing books to students I know they'll love.
I can't wait to return to the library and have the students reading throughout the day. I get asked several times a day, by students and teachers alike, when the library will reopen. The graphic novels will be among the first books I unpack!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gualano
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 5 other donors.More Voices, More Books Part 2
Funded Nov 10, 2021I'm so sorry for the delay! My students and I have enjoyed being able to choose from so many great books to read together. Currently, we have Reading Fridays. My students and I read a couple chapters (depending on the length) each Friday and then answer discussion questions. When I'm not collaborating with other teachers, we also discuss what they've read and learned. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with several students wanting to read ahead!
Next year I'll have an elective course called "Reading Diversely" where we will have small group literature circles and read from the books purchased. Students will be able to self-select from the books. Being able to choose their own books often helps with motivation and interest. My hope is that students in the course will gain valuable insight into cultures and people they may otherwise not have been familiar with. We will have small group and whole class discussions where students share their knowledge with the rest of the class.
I also have a couple more teachers who now know I have these titles (including entire class sets for Stamped the Remix and for Kids) are are considering teaching all their classes next year. It's not often when a nonfiction title is written clearly, concisely, and interestingly enough for teachers to read together. I'm excited for the projects in the future!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gualano
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 3 other donors.Many Voices, Many Books!
Funded Mar 17, 2021Wow, this school year is off to a great start! Last year I introduced the idea to a couple English teachers and they were interested in collaborating with me. One teacher wanted to start right away and we started reading "The Black Friend On Being a Better White Person" as a small class in May 2021. Although we didn't finish the book we had some fabulous discussions! We spoke about issues ranging from redlining and sundown towns to racial stereotypes like playing sports and doing well in school. This teacher and I worked together during the summer to formulate a full year curriculum with the books.
Mr. Roig, a 7th grade English teacher, split up all his classes into four groups. Each group reads the same book for half the semester. When the semester reaches the halfway mark, they switch books. This will repeat during next semester, so each student will read all four books. There are a total of 175 students who are involved this semester, though I hope to expand to more teachers as word spreads. Mr. Roig and I rotate through the groups, listening to students read and ask questions about their thoughts and opinions.
Overall, students say they are enjoying these more than the books they've had to read in class in previous years. Students are surprised to learn that Abraham Lincoln isn't the anti-racist he's made out to be in most history books. They relate to Frederick Joseph's book because of all the modern references he uses. Some students get really heated when they read about the explicit racism Frederick has experienced. The groups reading "The Distance Between Us" pretty universally say the grandmother and parents are 'poopy,' and recognize most of them have more adults they can count on.
It's been a really good experience thus far! I'm excited to get even more teachers on board and order more books to expand with more unique voices and different perspectives. :)”
With gratitude,
Ms. Gualano
This classroom project was brought to life by Chevron and 9 other donors.