Thank you so much for the grant. I invested the funds to purchase books for my classroom library. The books that I purchased are the “Who Is/Was …?” series, “What Is …?”
series, and “Where Is …?” series books. The students adore these expository books which provide a wealth of knowledge. Moreover, these books inspire them to read and research further related topics. They read biographies about prominent people and were intrigued, inspired, and motivated by them.

The “Who Was/Is …?” biography series are the most popular. They are easy to read, and have timelines, maps, photographs, and illustrations. They introduce the students to interesting characters from the past and the present. For instance, they read about Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, the founding fathers. They learn about the American Revolution and realize why we celebrate 4th of July. They are fascinated by the fact that Franklin and Jefferson were highly educated and accomplished in many fields. Furthermore, many students expressed their interest in reading about the other founding fathers such as George Washington and John Adams. Interestingly, a few students hoped that the publisher soon release titles about Adams and James Madison. In fact, curiosity led a group of students to research and read available biographies about them. As part of their homework, my students read two related books and write a book report comparing and contrasting (i.e. Franklin and Jefferson).

Through experience I have learned that expository reading helps students improve their reading comprehension skills. My students scored highest in reading and math in all of 5th grade. Thank you for the grant. The books we purchased helped our students score higher in reading comprehension and caused many to be intrigued and inspired. I will apply again next year to buy more books. I express my great gratitude.