- Description:
Mark Twain Elementary will use the funds to purchase texts to support third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms during small group reading instruction. Small group instruction occurs when a teacher works with students on their reading level to help improve fluency and comprehension.
- Need Represented: The need that is represented by the request are a variety of books that are appropriate for third, fourth and fifth grade literacy support. Currently, the texts that we have available for students in these grade levels are too long or outdated. New books would allow students to read books that are current and allow teachers to dig deeper into strategies and comprehension.
- Academic Impact: This project will impact our students by helping to increase student reading abilities. By having quality reading materials available to our students, teachers will be able to provide better explicit instruction and move struggling readers to proficient and provide enrichment opportunities to those reading on or above grade level. Students will also benefit from reading books that align with their science and social studies standards. This would allow teachers and students to use these books to deepen their understanding within content areas as well as provide a resource for research purposes.
Student engagement is also critical during reading instruction as it ensures students are focused on their learning. When texts are difficult to relate to or lack interest, students can become disruptive to the learning environment. By having increased student engagement, teachers will be able to spend more of their time teaching students proper reading strategies which is an essential tool for their future learning. - Student Population: Mark Twain has a student population of 336 students, with 69.35% of the population receiving free and reduced lunch. This grant will impact 156 students in third, fourth and fifth grade.
