Bronx First Graders seek Recorder and Cassettes to bring books to Life!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

As a Reading First classroom, my first grade students and I were given a stereo with 8 sets of headphones. What a wonderful asset! The only problem is that our current tapes are very limited (2-3 minutes long). I am requesting a portable tape recorder and a set of audio tapes so that we may begin building a more engaging audio library. Recorded books are wonderful resources for struggling readers and English language learners as they teach fluency, and are extremely accessible for students that might otherwise be frustrated by reading. I have several students who speak French and Arabic and so this resource is essential! I would love to start recording longer books for my students. I have many students reading on a very basic level. These students love the look of the more advanced books in our library (i.e. Clifford books). However, if students begin reading above their level, they can quickly become discouraged and disillusioned with reading. If I could record the Clifford books I would be able to introduce the story to my students, they would hear the rhythm of spoken language and would feel more at ease with reading. Another huge advantage would be recording comprehension instructions on to the tape - i.e. "Now that we have heard the story together, please go back through the book to find the setting of the story. Where is Clifford? Is it daytime or nighttime? Write it down in your journal." This would extend the story and expose the student to valuable comprehension skills. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this recorder would give students the opportunity to record their own stories and experiences. In our writing time we write in all kinds of genres, from riddles to nonfiction books to poetry. Many students feel more at ease speaking then writing, and a recorder could help bridge the gap between oral and written language. Students could also record their finished written work to share with their classmates and we would create a perpetual audio library! I can't wait to start recording our library. Please help us out! (The recorder I have selected is rechargeable. This is essential for classroom items)