Bethany Hilyer is looking for additional reading material for her sixth grade class at Thorsby School and is asking the community for help.

She has placed her project online at donorschoose.org, which is a website designed to support teachers and help them get the resources that they are lacking.

Hilyer is in her second year as a teacher and is still working on expanding her class library. She has two classes with 26 students each.

“It is one of my goals to develop a love for reading in my students,” Hilyer said. “In order to do that, I am trying to build a classroom library of quality children’s books.”

She hopes to have novel studies, literature circles and develop more interesting ways to study and practice reading strategies.

There have been students that have told Hilyer that they do not enjoy reading, and she continues to search for the material that will spark that passion for reading.

“They just haven’t found the right book yet,” Hilyer said. “It’s my goal to help them find that book.”

Hilyer is asking for the funds for a classroom set of a novel, as well as some smaller group sets so that students can choose a novel group that fits their interest.

According to Hilyer, breaking the class into smaller groups for literature circles allows the students to take charge of their own learning.

“I really want to do as many of those novel studies as I can,” Hilyer said. “It’s much more authentic than just reading the stories that come with our curriculum.”

Some of the books that Hilyer is looking to purchase with the donations include The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Holes, Hatchet and Fever 1793. The cost of the materials is $595.

This is the first time that she is using donorschoose.org to fund materials. The majority of her current classroom library has been purchased with her own money.

“It’s all about getting a variety of books,” Hilyer said. I’m trying to figure out what interests them, because a lot of them really don’t know. They’re just not regular readers.”

Anyone interested in donating or looking for more information about the project specifics should visit donorschoose.org.

The donation request expires Nov. 16. If the request is not reached by then, it will be removed from the website and the money will be redistributed to the donors.