My Students

There are few things as important to a person's success as their ability to read. I teach at a school where increasing literacy skills is a constant struggle. Many of my students have struggled for years to become successful readers.

Most of my students come from homes where guns and gangs are talked about more than books and newspapers.

They come from poverty stricken neighborhoods and under resourced elementary schools. This lack of a print-rich environment has impacted their ability to grow and advance as readers. This year, I have made a commitment to read a novel in my history class. It is my sincere hope that this will give students a richer understanding of the experiences of enslaved Americans and experience the power of a novel.

My Project

I need a classroom set of novels about slavery to enrich the historical unit I will be teaching. This novel is wonderful because it is about the personal experiences of a teen, close to my students age, as he bears witness to the horrific middle passage. Reading this book while studying history will simultaneously provide students with an important reading experience.

Please help my students to understand that there are genuine messages in novels that can impact the way they live and the way they learn.

This project is important because it will provide students with a meaningful reading experience.