My students need engaging, high interest reading materials in Spanish that they can understand and that inspire them to do the hard work of learning another language.
Our class revolves around stories and experiences in Spanish, though the majority of our students haven't had the opportunity to travel and see the language in action. As a result, I strive to bring the language and people alive in class through reading and film that teach culture and language
Our students come from hard working families who often struggle to offer them diverse educational opportunities.
They live just outside a medium sized city, and many families live in or are only a paycheck or two away from poverty. The students often balance their studies with a part time job to help cover family expenses. Successful completion of my classes fulfills a requirement for university admission, and our students are often first generation college students.
Our students need confidence, encouragement, and highly interesting materials to help them achieve their dreams. Few of them read by choice in their native languages, so enticing them to read in another language is an even more daunting endeavor. However, once they experience the success that our small, caring, dedicated school can provide, they want more of it.
My Project
The magazines and books I have requested provide students with intriguing, age- and language level- appropriate reading materials. It is critically important that students believe that they can be successful, yet be challenged at the same time. These materials help to achieve this goal. Right now we have to share books--this grant would allow each student to hold his own copy.
The DVD series would be an excellent addition to our unit on Latin American Identity, and help expose students to strong, positive role models from Latin American culture.
The earbuds will help students who need to hear listening passages multiple times be able to work at their own pace.
Students will have ownership of their learning because it will address areas that interest them.
Students who need extra repetitions of listening selections will be able to do so because of the earbuds, improving their success rate. The DVD series will show our Hispanic students examples of positive people who look like them, and will inform our Anglo students about the depth and richness of Latin American culture. All together, it will open new worlds of exploration for our 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. Drew and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.