Grade: 5th

Teacher Name: Preeti Malhotra

Description and purpose of grant: 

I am requesting funding for Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Short Reads – Fiction and Nonfiction, Grade 5 to strengthen literacy instruction in our fifth grade classrooms at Lee Elementary. These high-quality, engaging texts are designed for small-group reading and help students build comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills.

The goal of this project is to provide our fifth graders with meaningful opportunities to read, discuss, and respond to both fiction and nonfiction texts. These resources align with our campus and district goals to grow readers who can think deeply about what they read, make inferences, and support their thinking with evidence.

Implementation process:

The Short Reads materials will be used during our daily reading block for small-group instruction and strategy lessons. Students will engage with the short texts each week to practice comprehension strategies, fluency, and discussion skills in a guided setting.

This project will directly benefit 126 students this school year by increasing access to high-interest, level-appropriate texts. Because these resources are reusable, they will continue to support future classes for years to come.

Implementation will include:

• Weekly small-group guided reading lessons using both fiction and nonfiction texts

• Integration into literacy stations for independent and partner practice

• Ongoing progress monitoring through comprehension conversations and formative assessments

Items you plan to purchase with grant money 

In the event my grant is not fully funded, this is minimum amount I would need to get started on this project: