This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Imagine how you would feel if you picked up a book and none of the words made sense. Over 75% of the students I teach cannot read and are on tier 3 level. All of them are economically disadvantaged students who have limited access to books.
The students I teach are very challenging and have a wide learning gap.
They attend an urban Title I school(100%). The school is also a tier 3 school, which means no gains were made in reading or math last year. I teach ESL, special needs, and regular education students all in one classroom. Our reading block consists of whole group, guided reading, and small group.(in addition to pull outs)
Most of the students struggle with letter sounds (especially differentiating between short and long vowels), decoding, and fluency. The majority of these students are on K and 1st grade level, ranking them as tier 3 level readers (severe reading difficulty). Also, most of my students never have opportunities to be read to outside of the regular school day. Many are being parented by elderly grandparent(s) on a limited budget with little or no reading resources at home.
My Project
With the resources provided by donors, my students will be able to listen to tape-recorded books and read along with the tape to assist with reading and fluency skills. I will be able to set up several listening stations with DVDs, cassette tape books, and download books on the mp3.
Based upon research, tape recorded books and media assisted learning can help reluctant readers gain fluency and comprehension of text. My students will be able to experience listening to fluently read text to assist them with reading fluently, with appropriate phrasing to enhance comprehension of text.
My students desperately need audio/visual aides to assist with reading and close reading gaps.
It is critical for students to read on or above grade level by third grade. These students are already 2-3 levels behind and several are not able to read a complete sentence without stopping. By providing my students with the audio and reading materials needed, they will be able to make great gains in reading and believe they can read!
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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. Morgan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.