"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours." --John Locke. My greatest goal for my students is that they learn to think critically about what they read.
My students are all bilingual.
They speak Spanish and some English at home. In our classroom we are learning to read in Spanish first to establish a strong foundation in literacy. We also spend part of our day learning in English. 98% of the students in our school qualify for free or reduced priced lunch. I want to make sure my students have access to rich learning experiences so that they can have the same educational opportunities as their middle-class peers.
My Project
I am requesting easy non-fictions texts in Spanish for our classroom library. The books I chose for this project have rich informational text and engaging photos that will lend themselves naturally to deep thinking. Unfortunately, reading instruction in the primary grades often focuses exclusively on decoding. While I do teach my students word-solving skills and phonemic awareness, I believe that it is imperative that we teach students to think about what they read right from the start.
If later in life we expect students to be able to write coherent college essays and engage in thoughtful dialogs as citizens of their community, then we must teach students to think critically beginning in first grade. The first step in this process is to have rich texts that spark curiosity and deep thinking. The books in this library will be used on a daily basis by the teacher for modeling thinking strategies and by the students for practicing reading and thinking.
By funding this project you will be contributing to closing the achievement gap.
There is a strong correlation between the number and quality of books available to an individual and his/her degree of literacy. My students may or may not have books available to read at home. By providing a high quality library of rich texts in their classroom, my students will have the resources necessary to compete academically with their middle-class peers.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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 Ms. Christina and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
