Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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Our public middle school is located in a small rural town. Unemployment exceeds 13%, and more than 90% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Reading skills are consistently below grade level, partly because students' exposure to books is confined to the months they are in school, and while at school, primarily to one class a day - language arts. This year, state budget cuts necessitated teacher cuts, so science classes have at least 35 students. The daily challenge is to teach important science concepts while encouraging students to make personal connections to the subject as well as improve reading skills. Reading must be taught and reinforced across the curriculum so that our students develop the skills they will need when they graduate and join the work force or go to college. Adding this fun novel to the daily science lesson introduces important science concepts in an entertaining package and should motivate students to delve deeper into the subject.
About my class
Our public middle school is located in a small rural town. Unemployment exceeds 13%, and more than 90% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Reading skills are consistently below grade level, partly because students' exposure to books is confined to the months they are in school, and while at school, primarily to one class a day - language arts. This year, state budget cuts necessitated teacher cuts, so science classes have at least 35 students. The daily challenge is to teach important science concepts while encouraging students to make personal connections to the subject as well as improve reading skills. Reading must be taught and reinforced across the curriculum so that our students develop the skills they will need when they graduate and join the work force or go to college. Adding this fun novel to the daily science lesson introduces important science concepts in an entertaining package and should motivate students to delve deeper into the subject.