Scrabble Vocabulary Dabble!!!!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

It's time to play Scrabble Vocabulary Dabble, and while we're at it, let's throw in a heaping cup of word play! To become more involved in the community in which I live, I transferred to a school close to my home. The school at which I teach is a Title 1 school with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunch in the county. The overwhelming majority of our students come from low-income, minority families. Often times, English is the second language. Primary grade students often become the main translators for their families, teaching their parents English. Scrabble Vocabulary Dabble will be an after-school club that caters to students in grades three through five. In addition to providing a safe haven, the club will also strive to increase student vocabulary via mini-lessons in word study and spelling strategies and also via read alouds from popular picture books.

Did you know that minority students are often two grade levels or more behind their peers from more affluent areas? Students whose second language is English face even greater challenges, particularly when it comes to literacy. By taking methods and strategies from popular researchers such as Patricia Cunningham and Donald Bear and molding those strategies with the concept behind School Scrabble Program, I want to implement the idea of using Scrabble as a playful means to bridge that literacy gap. The only obstacle in my way is funding the materials needed to get the ball rolling in regards to creating the after-school club. That's where YOU come in.

Picture this. A student wrestles with his emotions, brows furrowed together in deep thought, while another student leaps from her chair with glee as she trumps her opponent's previous word. Winston Churchill once said, "Give me the tools and I’ll finish the work." With the following resources, the earlier mentioned image can very well become a reality. I am in need of three Scrabble game kits, which will allow up to twelve students to play at any given time. I am also in need of six books, chosen at great length for their illustrations and use of wordplay. Each of the books includes wonderful “word plays,” which serves to build enthusiasm for learning words and also serves to promote word wonder. The books are as listed: Go Hang A Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!, A Chocolate Moose for Dinner, Smart Feller Fart Smeller, The King Who Rained, The Phantom Tollbooth, Double Trouble in Walla Walla, and finally, Night Knight. The combination of Scrabble and Word Study activities assist students in expanding their vocabulary, sharpening their spelling skills, polishing their math skills as they add and multiply the numbers on the letters, and improve their dictionary skills.

It is commonly known that children from disadvantaged environments are, typically, two or more grade levels behind their peers from more affluent areas. Literacy in reading and writing is essential for success in the rest of the academic areas. With your assistance, you are taking an active role in closing the achievement gap. Remember, today's students will become tomorrow's contributing members of society. How they contribute to the future of our nation, to the future of our world, is up to us. One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education-Teach For America. I firmly believe this is true. Why else would I have become a teacher to future generations?