These Are the Top Books Black Teachers Want This School Year

By Maya Pottiger, Word in Black

The elementary years are key for students to gain literacy skills. Third grade is often considered the make-or-break year, where students are no longer learning to read, but reading to learn.

So it’s really critical for students to have books they engage with and enjoy.

In her third-grade classroom in North Carolina, Ms. Pines knows that her students are in a “vital time” for reading, and is requesting books to stock her classroom library. Her list includes the “Pete the Cat” collection and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series.

“My plan is to fill our library with popular titles and series,” she wrote on the project page. “Having access to more chapter books will continue to grow their love of reading and build reading stamina. Having books [in] a series will allow them to continue reading books they love.”

[…]

Mrs. O’Keefe in Massachusetts is requesting the National Geographic Readers so her students can research specific animals and habitats as part of the project-based learning curriculum. 

“With these materials, our students will be able to dive even deeper into animals and their habitats by researching and creating their own enclosures for animals to not only make sure they survive but thrive,” she wrote on the project page.

Find out which books other teachers want in schools.

Some children may also enjoy these books about Juneteenth.

Find more Black culture stories.