Books That Click: Connecting Middle Schoolers with Reading
Natalie Donahue
ID-2833
School Name:Educational Pathways Academy
Grant Request Grade:6-8
Grant Request Subject:Special Needs Students
Additional Details
Educational Pathways Academy (EPA) provides specialized, evidence-based instruction for students with dyslexia and other learning differences. We work to help students become stronger, more confident and independent readers through instruction and resources that meet them where they are.
The purpose of this project is to build a classroom library where my middle school students can find books they actually want to read, and books they can connect with and make their own. I want students to have enough variety that they can explore different authors, genres and subjects until they discover what they love. Just as importantly, I want them to have physical books they can hold, underline, write notes in the margins, go back to favorite passages and really interact with as readers.
For students with dyslexia, finding the right book can be difficult. A book may be at an accessible reading level but feel too young, while an age-appropriate book may be frustrating or overwhelming to read independently. By middle school, students are also developing very individual interests and opinions about what they like to read.
This project will give students a larger selection of high-interest, accessible books so they have real choices. My hope is that instead of thinking about reading primarily as an assignment or something that is difficult for them, students begin to identify themselves as readers who know what they like. Having books available right in the classroom also gives them the freedom to pick something up, try it, decide whether it is for them, and choose something else if it isn't.
My learning goal with this project is to help students develop a personal relationship with reading. I want students to read with a pencil in their hands, to underline something funny, circle a word, question a character's decision, write a thought in the margin or mark a passage they want to remember. That kind of interaction makes reading active and personal. Students are practicing important literacy skills, but they are also learning that a book can belong to them in a very real way and that their thoughts about what they read matter.
This project directly supports EPA's commitment to helping students with dyslexia and other learning differences become successful, confident and independent readers. Our students receive specialized literacy instruction throughout their school day, and this classroom library gives them another place to use those skills in a more personal way.
Ultimately, I want my students to leave my classroom knowing more than how to read successfully. I want them to know what kinds of books they love, to feel comfortable choosing books for themselves, and to understand that reading can be something they genuinely enjoy and not simply something they have to do for school.
Students will be active participants by choosing their own books and having regular time to simply read and enjoy them. Choice is especially important at the middle school level, when students are developing strong interests and are much more aware of what feels “too young” for them. Students will be encouraged to explore different genres, authors and series, recommend books to one another, talk about what they are reading and find the kinds of books that genuinely interest them.
Students will also be encouraged to interact with their books as they read, underlining favorite passages, making notes in the margins, marking something they find funny or surprising, and writing down questions or thoughts. I want the books to feel like something they can really engage with rather than something they need to keep pristine and return to a shelf.
Expanding our classroom library will give students more choices that are both accessible and interesting to a middle school reader. Having those books immediately available in the classroom also makes reading easier to incorporate naturally into our day. Students can try different books, abandon one that isn't working, find another, and gradually learn what they enjoy as readers.
Independent reading will be at the center of the project, supported by informal book discussions, teacher recommendations, student-to-student recommendations, reading responses and individual support when students need it. We will talk about books and characters, interesting vocabulary, favorite passages and connections students make while reading. Students will also use strategies they have learned through EPA's structured literacy and language arts instruction, including decoding unfamiliar words, building fluency, using context, developing vocabulary, visualizing and checking for comprehension. These skills can then be practiced in books students have chosen because they actually want to read them.
The classroom library gives students a chance to take the reading skills we explicitly teach and use them in a more authentic setting. Rather than practicing a skill only through an assigned passage or activity, students can see how those same strategies help them understand a novel, graphic novel or nonfiction book they selected themselves.
For middle school students especially, I want this to be a bridge between learning how to read successfully and becoming someone who chooses to read. Students will still be practicing important academic skills, but they will be doing it through books that interest them and through reading experiences that feel like a personal choice. Over time, the goal is for students to need less direction from me and develop greater ownership of what, how, and why they read.
In preparation for this proposal, I led a class discussion on book selection and topics of interest. The book list that I have requested directly reflects the diverse interests of my students and what they specifically want to read. I have high expectations for positive outcomes and engagement.
For middle school students with dyslexia, reading can sometimes feel like something they have struggled with for years. Giving them access to books that are age-appropriate, interesting and accessible gives them the opportunity to experience reading differently. With expanded access to a variety of high-interest books, I expect students to become more confident and willing readers.
As students read more often, I expect to see growth in reading stamina, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, but I also hope to see them become more curious and adventurous about books. I want students to know what they like, have favorite authors or series, recommend books to friends and eventually feel comfortable trying something that might be a little more challenging.
I will know the project is successful when students are using the library without always needing an adult to direct them. I want to see students looking through the shelves, talking about books, asking for the next book in a series and telling classmates, “You should read this one.”
I will monitor how often students use the classroom library, the books they select and complete, and changes in their reading stamina and willingness to read independently. Student discussions, book recommendations, written responses, annotations and comprehension activities will also provide evidence of how students are interacting with and understanding what they read.
Classroom assessments will continue to provide information about academic growth in areas such as fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. I will also rely on what I see every day, students becoming more engaged in their books, sharing their opinions about what they have read, writing and marking passages that matter to them, and choosing another book when they finish one. Ultimately, the project will be successful if students leave the classroom feeling more confident about reading and having discovered books they genuinely enjoy.
Grant funds will be used to purchase a diverse collection of dyslexia-friendly, high-interest books for EPA’s middle school classroom library. Funding will expand the number of age-appropriate titles, genres, series, and reading levels available so students have meaningful choices and can find books that capture their interest. By placing these books directly in the classroom, students will have frequent, immediate access to literature they can read, explore, annotate, and enjoy as their own, helping create a classroom environment where reading becomes a natural and valued part of the day.
