My students need a Place for Everyone carpet for our story corner and flexible seats for the reading corner so we can all be comfortable while enjoying our literacy activities.
"Educating students from around the world and across the street, working together to celebrate and nurture each child's unique potential." My school is a dynamically diverse, inner-city neighborhood school with 322 students from many countries around the world as well as students born right here in the city. We also serve an additional 90 students in our half-day preschool program housed in a separate building. Our mission is to nurture each individual student based on their needs at any given time.
It is a close knit community and many of the parents and families know each other outside of school.
We are located at the corner of a major intersection a short distance away from a 200-unit public housing development and a transitional housing development. Outside school hours, students will often come to the school grounds to play on the playground, use the field for games, or use the basketball court for pick-up games. Families are proud of our school and enjoy being part of the school community. Living in the same community, I love how excited my students are when they see me outside of school--"It's Mrs. B., she's my library teacher!"
My Project
I strive to make our library a space welcoming to everyone. It is a place to explore and a place to learn.
The Place for Everybody carpet in the story corner will help our youngest patrons develop an understanding of boundaries and personal space while participating in group read alouds and instructional activities.
Even with fidgety bodies, establishing a visible boundary will help them to focus their attention on the story or instruction instead of wondering if they are in the right spot.
Comfortable seats in the separate reading corner will encourage independent readers to get comfortable and sink into a good book. Every reader enjoys reading in different spaces and positions. Giving students choices to get comfortable allows them to really engage in their reading even for brief periods of time.
Finally, the listening center rack will allow students needing reading support to be independent in using the listening center materials. Readers who are not yet fluent can get frustrated when confronted with words, sentences, even paragraphs that they are unable to decode on their own. Access to the listening center without assistance will encourage their reading independence while giving them the reading support they might need.
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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. Berg and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
