My students need vocabulary journals in order to build their academic registers. These will serve as a reference source for them throughout the school year.
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.
My Students
After having the opportunity to pilot the new Common Core State Assessment, I became more aware than ever of the increased lexile level and language rigor our students face. I feel that vocabulary instruction should be the main cornerstone of our instruction.
My classroom is approximately made up of 85% second language learners.
100% of them are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Year after year, our school's testing data shows the least amount of growth in the area of vocabulary: with the lowest subgroup being English language learners.
My goal is to change these statistics through research based instructional strategies. I would like my students to acquire an academic register and a wide range of content specific vocabulary, in order to prepare them for college and career readiness.
My Project
I feel that it is important to immerse my students in rich academic language throughout the school day by using interactions between myself and their peers. Students won't just develop an academic register by listening to me. Dedicating time and attention to selecting words that matter the most is the first step in planning my vocabulary instruction.
Once I have selected the targeted terms for the lesson, students will learn their meanings in context. My students will use these vocabulary journals to help them learn and practice new/unfamiliar academic terms. They will be able to record synonyms, draw pictorial representations, and learn student friendly definitions within the context of the content. The journals will also serve as a student resource for their writing.
These journals will give my students the opportunity to build their academic registers, as well as develop a resource they can refer back to when speaking or writing.
This will provide all students with a tool to help them master a more rigorous language in reading and writing.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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. Brownfield and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
