My students come to me with varying backgrounds and levels of family support. I have found it beneficial to provide my kiddos with “lap time” that many have missed out on. Reading to self, partner reading, and listening to audio stories are important components of my literacy block.
My first grade students enter my classroom eager to devour every conceivable book in my classroom as they soak up the strategies to lift the words from the page and turn them into meaningful text.
Although I am guided by the standards that our district and state mandate, I am equally determined to differentiate my instruction and effectively manage the wide range of student needs. Parent and grandparent volunteers along with older reading “buddies” help to bridge this gap in my classroom.
My Project
It is my goal to create a literacy block of time in my classroom where my students are actively engaged in their own independent learning while I am meeting with small focused groups of students. I visualize a classroom with a quiet hum as some my kiddos are engaged with “Just Right Books” from their book boxes, others are taking notes while reading non-fiction articles, a partnership is reading side by side in a beanbag, numerous children are engaged in their current writer’s workshop folder, others are taking turns as they choral-read a poem. I hear the sounds of tongues between lips as others are building some word families and sight words near our word wall, and another group of children is on the couch with headphones, books in laps, as they listen to books on CD – turning the pages and following along with the recorded voice. This classroom is student driven with a high degree of student engagement. There is consistent meaningful and authentic reading and writing.
My students understand that listening to reading builds better readers by increasing fluency and helps us understand new words and stories.
I would like to support the Listening to Reading component of my literacy block with a full classroom set of books on CD for my students.
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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. J. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.