I teach English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) to 1st and 2nd graders at a public school in Virginia. I work with all levels of English language learners, from absolute beginners to children who have been in the US their whole lives.
I plan to focus strongly on phonics with my newcomer students because they don't yet have the oral language and pre-literacy skills in English to learn to read in an English-speaking classroom. Some of my newcomers come from countries that don't use the Roman alphabet. Others come from countries whose alphabets contain extra letters that we don't have and are missing some letters and sounds that we do. My newcomer English language learners have a lot to catch up on before they can read and write at the level of their mainstream classmates.
Because my newcomer students are just beginning to learn English, they need instruction that involves movement, patterns, illustrations, and a healthy mix of repetition of concepts and variety of activities. Jolly Phonics is an instructional program that combines all of these elements. Students learn letter sounds by making connections to stories about each sound, to hand and body movements, and to print. What's more, the Jolly Phonics starter kit includes materials for the classroom to enhance student learning, in the forms of wall decoration, sight word flashcards, and big books.
In funding this project, you will provide my students with a rich phonics curriculum that is appropriate for both their age and level of English. The materials your donation will give us comprehensively cover both what I need in order to teach and what the students need in order to learn. And your donation will result in a group of excited English language learners who can confidently approach reading and writing in a new language, allowing them to catch up and keep up with their classmates.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Smith Janzen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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