My students need not only technology that exposes them to the vast amount of digital material available, but also a collection of children's books to fire them up about literature and engage them in age appropriate writing instruction as modeled by what they see and hear.
Learning the craft of writing is not easy.
Children come to it with a variety of feelings about the process. We, as educators, must find ways that engage them in a love of the written word.
My students are an energetic, multicultural mix of children with a wide range of academic skills. They come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds with varied opportunities. They live in an urban/suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles surrounded by a mix of housing options from well-equipped homes to small apartments, and their lifestyles are often vastly different from one another.
Writing skills in my classroom range from those with early emergent abilities to those with skills well beyond grade level expectations.
My Project
Access for all is the right of every student, including access to online content, access to excellent literature, and access to excellent teaching. My first request is for an Apple TV unit to allow access to a wealth of online content not readily available in our classroom at this time due to rapidly aging technology. We are currently unable to access online videos in content areas that should, at this stage of the game, be a given in any classroom.
I was recently trained in Write from the Beginning, an exceptional development approach to teaching writing that gives students access to rigorous expectations in the writing process leading to excellent writing proficiency. It requires exposure to a wide range of children's literature that teaches the essential criteria of effective writing, including focus, clarity and descriptive language, strong voice, plot organization, strong characters, and distinct settings. The literature requested is a sampling of books that illustrate these qualities.
My students need an Apple TV, a jumbo magnetic spinner, and books to improve reading and writing skills.
I am so excited to have started this writing program in my classroom, and hope to have all of the tools to make it as successful as possible.
My students get excited every time I take out a book to read to them. Each book requested will take them one step closer to understanding the qualities of excellent writing. I am absolutely positive that my students will be stronger writers by the end of this year.
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. Gelber and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
