One of the most special parts of the MME Live Auction each year features an item chosen by the teachers, staff and parents as the Fund-a-Need. At the Annual Dinner & Auction in January 2015, the Fund-a-Need item was the MME Reading Room Library. Separate from Reading Rodeo & Círculo, the Reading Room Library contains multiple copies of books at different reading & grade levels available to teachers for small reading/learning groups. For example, a teacher may have 3 different reading groups of 6-8 students in their classroom, and each student in a specific group will read, discuss, and perform activities for a particular book. The Reading Room Library contains sets of books such that a teacher can check out copies of the same book at the same time for each student in a reading/learning group in their classroom.
There was a critical need to add to & update the offerings of the MME Reading Room Library:
- With the adoption of the Common Core standards, there is a greater emphasis on non-fiction text. While our collection does have some non-fiction text, we have a strong desire to have a broader range of non-fiction at different reading levels from which to choose.
- With the Spanish Immersion (SI) program expanding up to 6th Grade and now having 2 Two-Way Bilingual Immersion (TWBI) classes-per-grade in Kinder & 1st Grade projected to continue through 6th Grade, there is an important need for more variety in the SI/TWBI collections. With a larger number of students learning in Spanish at multiple levels and embracing the Common Core standards, we need a greater number & variety of books from which to choose.
- With the successful uptake of the TWBI program, we also have an increasing number of students learning English, and they too need a greater number of books at each level to support their learning needs.
- Teachers are excellent at differentiating for their students’ needs, and that differentiation requires a lot of materials, often having the same topic written about at various reading/learning levels.
Please stay tuned for details on the implementation of these funds over the summer of 2015.