Developmental kindergarten is such an exciting group of mixed interests, abilities, and goals. Some of my students are learning to read, write, and count, while some of their classmates are learning to imitate sounds or hold a paintbrush. Our group loves to play outside, learn new games, and boogie to a sweet tune.
In this class, we build a community around what we have in common and our shared experiences.
We are part of a larger school that celebrates inclusion. I teach in a wing of five kindergartens, three general education and two developmental. As my students make gains in my classroom, they begin to try small chunks of the day with their typically developing peers. My classroom is about building skills to get included. The work we do in this classroom is building relationships, staying with the group, following directions, and accessing general education content in different ways. We celebrate little wins together each day.
My Project
With this shelf, our class will have a whole library of books at their fingertips. Kindergartners will touch the spines of books and independently search for a new story to dive into. Throughout the year, our classroom can learn the way the books are sorted and labeled, by author, by title, by a familiar character, by their favorite topic. A well organized library gives young readers confidence and ownership over their budding reading skills.
Storing books with room to thumb through and peek at covers encourages newer readers to just pick one up.
Grouping books into themes encourages a reluctant reader that there are books about the things they love most, like dinosaurs, space, robots, bugs, brave girls. Our classroom is building a wealth of stories and storing them squished together on a teacher shelf is a waste. I want to create a library experience for my students filled with curiosity and independence.
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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 Ms. Ellison and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
