Rice & Kibble: Help us earn it!

Believe we can achieve, and help us reach that goal. I teach eighth grade Language arts at an urban and suburban public middle school. Around 85% of our students are on free/reduced lunches. Due to the "outside world" our students live in, our goal is to provide them with the best education and tools possible to exceed in their future. However, we have limited resources due to financial constraints of the community.

Our obstacle, boosting our students' vocabularies. Studies have shown that low-income children are not exposed to a wide vocabulary (620 words heard per hour as opposed to the upper-middle class child hearing 2,150) (Manhattan-institute.org). This generation of students is used to the instant gratification of using the Internet and watching TV, looking up words in the dictionary is not appealing nor the most time efficient.

I know that my students have a desire to help others. I thought that I could use this desire to help motivate my students to expand their vocabulary and thus succeed themselves. Utilizing vocabulary activities, like those found on "freerice.com," my students will be exposed to age-appropriate, challenging vocabulary and have a set purpose for learning it, to help other people and animals. This particular website donates 10 grains of rice to impoverished families for each vocabulary activity that you complete. However, for this activity to work appropriately, my students need to have a way to participate in the activity. That is where the LCD projector comes into play. We can complete the vocabulary activities daily, donate much needed food to others, and learn more! The wider the vocabulary my students get, the more likely they are to succeed on their state-wide tests.

Your generosity will not stop with our classroom. With your help, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of other people around the world. We will instill of love of giving to others in my students. Of course, you will also assist my students in completing other activities in the classroom, from giving presentations to doing research, to taking interactive tests. Thank you for investing in the future of my students.