With these funds I will be purchasing 6 different novels for each of my 105 students. These novels will be read at home as part of their homework. The goal this year is to deepen our understanding of U.S. history by reading historical fiction novels. As a teacher of lower income students, I believe that the education gap is really a reading gap. Learning a bunch of fact, dates, and famous people is great and can be very interesting; but it doesn't mean as much if it doesn't feel personal. By reading historical fiction, the content (events, people, places, and inventions) come alive and much more memorable.

Over the years of teaching U.S. history to 8th graders, I have realized that students who read well did well on tests. It also occurred to me that the reason why I did well in my history classes was because I read a great deal of historical fiction myself. Therefore, we will be reading the following novels this year to supplement our curriculum: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie by Kristina Gregory, Bull Run by Paul Fleischman, The Land by Mildred Taylor, and My Heart is On the Ground by Ann Rinaldi.

The best part is that by ordering 105 copies of each of these novels, is that at the end of each novel students will return the novel to be used again next year. Therefore, students next year and for years to come will also benefit from your contribution.

Thank you for considering contributing to this project!

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