Literacy Counts Mission Statement
Our goal is to help gift books to underfunded traditional public schools that serve poor and minority children. As opposed to expendable supplies, books are sharable resources available to multiple students. Books open minds to new ways of thinking and experiences which, in turn, open opportunities for readers of all ages. Gifting books levels the playing field with students who live in resource-rich school districts, and offers donors ways to further social justice through conscientious giving.
Now for the projects we chose for this week (though we encourage all to visit DonorsChoose.org, browse and donate to your heart’s ((and wallet’s)) content). Click on the link to go directly to a project’s page.
Please Note: Every contribution of any size helps!
Listed here are two projects we have selected for the week of August 6
How Many Different Science Fields Can You Name?
Note: As of August 6, eight donors, combined with an anonymous donation doubler, have contributed $294 to this project, with $137 still needed by August 31 for full funding.
Mrs. Ellis
Grades 6-8 Chaparral Middle School
Chaparral, NM Nearly all students from low‑income households
My students need a collection of science-related books to expand their knowledge of different types of science.
My Students
The students at our middle school face tremendous obstacles to achieving academic success, including the fact that many of them are English Language Learner (ELL) students. State testing shows that such students score low in vocabulary skills and language as well as critical thinking and application. Most students at our school are children of immigrant parents or are the first generation of students to attend public school in the United States. Our school is a Title I school, and 100% of students are on free lunch meal plans. These students are in dire need of technology support and methods of differentiated strategies to help them close learning gaps.
My Project
There is a strong correlation between increased vocabulary skills and increased language skills. In addition to vocabulary, I would like to address common misconceptions about science, including the notion that science covers one or two subjects. Science encompasses a whole range of subjects and is intertwined heavily with our daily lives. My goal with this project is to collect an array of science-related books relevant to themes ranging from environmental science to medical science.
The more educated our students are about the language of science, the better equipped they will be to make decisions about their own healthcare, voting for legislation to protect our planet, and even coming up with ideas on how to improve science education.
My projected reading list includes, in part:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Apollo 13
The Story of Science: Newton at the Center (Common Core Exemplar)
The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
Archimedes Ancient Greek Mathematician
An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming
Silent Spring
Archimedes and the Door to Science
Star Maps for Beginners
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith
The Maze Runner (Book One)
The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker
Black Pioneers of Science and Invention
Simple Machines: Forces in Action
Forensics
There's a Fungus Among Us! True Stories of Killer Molds
Bearstone: Face-to-Face with the Last Grizzly in Colorado
Shark Life True Stories About Sharks & the Sea
Let the Stories Come to Life!
Note: As of August 6, four donors have contributed $135 to this project, with $331 still needed by October 28 for full funding.
Mrs. Ippel
Grades PreK-2 Indian Hills Elementary School
Gallup, NM More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
My students need a mix of fiction and nonfiction that will engage and empower them during our daily “read-aloud” time.
My Students
I have a group of 18 second graders that live in Gallup, New Mexico. Most are Native American and live on a reservation. Every student in our classroom receives breakfast. No matter their life situations, students find a safe, nurturing, and loving environment in our classroom. It is also a place where I try to provide my students with opportunities they would not have outside of school. Reading helps my students explore the world, see through someone else's lens, brainstorm new ideas, and chase after our passions/interests.
My last group of second graders were bored with the reading curriculum we had last year. The books were worn and old. They were dull and uninteresting. “Read-aloud” times quickly became their least favorite time and quite honestly, it became mine as well. For my new group of students, I want to quickly engage them into our literature and change read-aloud time into a space of exploration, questions, and problem solving together.
My Project
This project will provide three to five books that I could use to follow our theme and our reading strategies each week for the entire year. Books from this project will be used during the read-aloud portion--20 minutes with 15 minutes of dissecting our reading strategy through book talks, writing, or post-reading activities. The literature included in the project has strong vocabulary, empowering themes that relate to our standards. The “read-aloud” times consist of a mix between non-fiction and fictions texts with themes ranging from mummies to inventors, from friendship to fairy tales.
For example- in March, we will spend two weeks learning about inventors and the connections to history. With books like On a Beam of Light, a story about Albert Einstein, and What Do You Do with an Idea?, students will make inventions of their own. This unit will also include coding opportunities for my students and STEM projects to help develop an inventor’s mind. In December, my students will be learning about the Iditarod- the last great race on earth through books like Stone Fox and DK Readers L4: Snow Dogs!: Racers of the North. Student will have the opportunity for a virtual field trip to experience the race in a new way.
This set of literature will follow weekly themes that help students grasp reading strategies more effectively and develop new learning experience with hands-on units. Literature is our basis for experiential learning. “It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations...”-Katherine Patterson
My projected reading list includes, in part:
The Miracle of St. Nicholas (Golden Key Books)
Trapped! A Whale's Rescue
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau
You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy!: Digusting Things You'd Rather Not Know
If I Built a House
Gravity
I am George Washington
I am Helen Keller
Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests
And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
Seriously, Cinderella Is SO Annoying!: The Story of Cinderella as Told by the Wicked Stepmother
Trust Me, Jack's Beanstalk Stinks!: The Story of Jack and the Beanstalk as Told by the Giant
Frankly, I'd Rather Spin Myself a New Name!: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin as Told by Rumpelstiltskin
Amazing Animals: Polar Bears
Trust Me, Hansel and Gretel Are Sweet!: The Story of Hansel and Gretel as Told by the Witch
Seriously, Snow White Was SO Forgetful!: The Story of Snow White as Told by the Dwarves
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
In the Rainforest
Amazing Animals: Pandas
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
Those Shoes
If I Built a Car
The Legend of the Poinsettia
National Geographic Readers: Level 2 - Pandas
The Truth about Bats
National Geographic Readers: Polar Bears
Twenty-One Previously Highlighted Projects That Have Received Full Funding
Classics for Language Learners!
Grammar Workbooks for Struggling English Students
Students Seeking Knowledge From Invisible Man
Love For Literature
Diverse Reading Materials for Advanced Readers
Build a Library; Support Authentic Literacy
A People’s History
Dive Into Marine Science
The Road to the Success of My Students!
The Modern Hero: Inspiring Teenagers to be Good Readers
Orwell or Junger: Which Way Will Society Go?
Bring the Bard to Our Students
Required Reading Turns Into A Love Of Literature
Books For My Buccaneers!
Lots of Books for the Classroom Library!
Handmaid's Help
Teaching Tolerance to Create Culture Change
Using Poetry Books to Learn About Diversity and Acceptance
High-Interest Magazines for Low Level Readers
Travel Back in Time with Books
A Classroom Library to Support Social Studies & Science!