Campaign supported by Beaverton Education Foundation
I’m Trisha Parks an 8th Grade Humanities teacher at Cedar Park Middle School. Our Humanities course covers three (yes 3!) subjects: History, Reading, and Writing. We are using book clubs to spark interest and discussion amongst our 300 kiddos. While we had a few historical fiction titles, some were not popular/liked AND we need multiple copies per title in order to form proper book clubs.
The beauty of book clubs is students have a choice in the title they will read. This means we have a cross section of lower and higher reading levels to choose from.
As you may have guessed, I'm one of those teachers who spends a lot of my own time reading Young Adult novels just so I can stay current and be able to match books to students. I believe in the value of reading about historical events, especially around the U.S. History events we teach in class.
I also know through my 28 years of experience, the more a student reads, the more motivated they become to read, (because the skill increases). The better the reader, the better the writer, the better the thinker, and a better informed student is the outcome.
All students in 8th grade (including ELL, IEPs, 504s, and TAG students) will be able to choose their own high-interest reading if we fully fund this project!
Titles to strengthen 8th Grade, Historical Fiction, Book Clubs
Long Term Goal:10 sections of 8th grade Humanities, 5 books per section = 50 books per title.
Titles | Buy | Cost |
All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds | 15 | $15.47 $232.05 |
Uprising, by Margaret Peterson Haddix | 10 | $14.71 $147.10 |
Come August Come Freedom, by Gigi Amateau, | 5 | $13.18 $65.90 |
Ashes By Laurie Halsey Anderson
| 10 | $19.48 $194.80 |
A Soldier's Secret: The Incredible True Story Of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero, Marissa Moss, | 5 | $6.94 (paperback only) $34.70 |
The Fifth of March, by Anne Rinaldi | 5 | $12.07 $60.35 |
Kindred, By Octavia E Butler | 20 | $18.46 $369.00 |
To Stay Alive, by Skila Brown
| 15 | $13.94 209.10 |
Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
| 15 | $13.18 $197.70 |
A Break with Charity, by Anne Rinaldi | 15 | $12.07 $181.05 |
An Unlikely Friendship, by Anne Rinaldi | 5 | $11.35 $56.75 |
The Ransom of Mercy Carter, by Carolyn B Cooney | 15 | $12.65 $253.00 |
Total $ 2,001.50
This project is supported by the Beaverton Education Foundation.
Founded in 1988, the Beaverton Education Foundation raises money to provide hands-on innovative academic enrichment and advancement programs & projects that go beyond normal school funding at all Beaverton public schools and is a 501(c)(3) community-based nonprofit organization. BEF mobilizes community resources to fund innovative classroom, summer and after-school programs.
In the event that this project does not reach its goal, BEF may apply the funds received to another project in need.
