Have you seen the wonder in a child's eyes when they hear a story for the first time? The look they get when their imagination is taking them to new places? I want to engage their imaginations and see that wonder every time we open a book. One way to do that is to bring the story to life.
I teach kindergarten at a Title 1 elementary school.
We educate children who come from a primarily low income, single parent background. The majority of our students receive free or reduced lunch. However, our students make the best of what they have. In addition, they strive to do their personal best each and every day. Our mission is "to provide a quality education in a safe environment where all children can succeed".
My Project
Children choose books to read based on the illustrations. Does this story have characters I am interested in? Are the pictures colorful? Does this cover catch my eye? These are all questions to consider when picking stories to read. However, you cannot always catch every students' attention with every book.
These materials will allow me to catch the attention of every student from the minute we start the story. In kindergarten, students have to identify the characters of a story, as well as the beginning, middle, and end of the story. The felt board figures and puppets will ensure that all students are capable of this. With the felt board figures and puppets, I will be able to retell the story in a creative way. These materials will also allow me to pull my students into the story. After reading and/or during reading, the students can use the puppets and felt board figures to act out the story.
Children learn best by doing.
The ability to retell a story is difficult, especially if you only hear it. By providing the hands-on materials for the stories, my students will be able to creatively retell the story. They will make connections by relating the puppets and figures to the characters in the story. This will bring the books to life and engage every child into the story. When the storybook comes to life, a child's imagination and wonder is sparked.
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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 Mrs. Skibicki and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
