Last spring, I applied for a grant from the State of Maryland International Reading Association Council (SoMIRAC).  In September, I received $1,000 check from SoMIRAC to begin administration of my project.   Here is a little background on The Storyteller’s Project/Proyecto del Cuentista:

Our school is extremely diverse. We are a Title I school and the majority of our students are Hispanic. Some of our students are children of undocumented immigrants.  Our students have stories to share and I want them to feel empowered to share those stories.  I want students to feel valued and realize that the stories they have to share are important.  I want our students to view writing and reading as a pleasurable activity. With this vision in mind, I designed the Storyteller’s Project/Proyecto del Cuentista.  

I created this project for our 5th graders.  Once a month, I go into both 5th grade classrooms and teach a writing lesson.  The Storyteller’s Project/Proyecto del Cuentista will allow for students to authentically write their story in the form of a memoir. My hope is that they will share their memoir at their 5th grade promotion in June.  

With the grant money, I was able to purchase copies of three mentor texts for every student as well as one copy for each classroom teacher to place in their classroom libraries (I will share these in future posts).  I also purchased and gave each student a writer’s notebook, pens, and colored pencils.