Bear Escapes and A Fishy Story--Taking the First Steps in Reading with a Buddy
The cost of six copies of six early readers--including "Everyone Wears Wool," "Bear Escapes," and "A Fishy Story"--is $210, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
I work at P.S. 169, a Title One school in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. I teach first grade to a class of English-language learners. The children's English proficiency ranges very greatly; there are very quiet listeners who respond nonverbally, and then there are those who are very verbal despite the need for practice with the structure of English.
These students amaze me as they not only learn the language but also learn to read and write within the span of first grade. They read so many books. The books range from two words on a page to early chapter books. These small, carefully designed books take the smallest accomplishments and turn them into a scaffold for the next lesson. Each little book carries over the small words, vocabulary, and language structures presented in the one before. As the child travels from book to book he learns how to read and how to communicate in English.
As the school year winds down, I begin to meet with the children who will be in my class in the fall. I coordinate my current students with the incoming ones so they can read together. This is just a great activity for everyone. This year's students get a sense of accomplishment--that they are ready for second grade--and the incoming students get excited about first grade.
I would like a few beginning books to help with this buddying system of reading. I am requesting funding for six six-packs of emergent books that would allow the incoming students not only to listen and respond to books but actively to engage in reading with their reading buddies. Thank you for considering helping me with this activity.
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 Mrs. Rosado and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.