| Summary: |
As teachers, one of our primary goals is to help our students become readers. This means not only teaching them the skills to succeed with a text, but also encouraging them to see themselves as readers. In fact, studies have shown that readers with higher self-confidence are “more willing to learn, challenge themselves, and have better resilience in the face of difficult transitions.” Some research has even suggested that confidence is “the number one predictor of academic achievement.” With that research in mind, we were disheartened to see a total lack of confidence in our third graders when it came to reading. In getting to know them, many of them said they didn’t see themselves as readers, and that they weren’t “good readers.”
The purpose of this grant is to create a mini graphic novel unit to help our students become more confident readers. Strong imagery in graphic novels can help support our readers in understanding complex storylines, developing their higher level thinking skills, captivating their attention, and making them see themselves as readers!
We are asking for $500. This money would be used to purchase graphic novel sets (sets of 6 books) that we could use during this unit across our 3 third grade classes. While we would hope to use these books in grade 3, we talked to Jess Bixby (our reading coach/specialist) and Barbara Kennedy (VO librarian), who said that they could house these books in a central location, so that this unit could be utilized by other grades, as well!
Sources:
https://www.ncfe.org.uk/all-articles/confidence-benefits-learners/
https://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/blog/research-behind-graphic-novels-and-young-learners
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