I am a speech-language pathologist in an elementary school with a high poverty rate, high mobility, and a dual language immersion program. My students receive speech-language therapy because they struggle to learn and use new words due to a variety of factors, including genetic influences/medical diagnoses, quality and quantity of language exposure in the home, and lower socioeconomic status. Many of them have expressive and receptive language impairments, meaning that they struggle to learn, understand, and use language.
My students want to express their thoughts, but it's harder for them to learn and use new vocabulary.
Still, they amaze me every day with their curiosity, kindness, and humor. They CAN learn new language skills and vocabulary, they just need more opportunities and explicit instruction in vocabulary development.
My Project
These books (both fiction and non-fiction), word games, and linking cubes for learning word parts and sentence structure will give my students a variety of ways to access and learn new vocabulary in Spanish and English.
Typically developing students learn 3000-5000 words a year, but students with weak vocabulary learn only 300-900 words a year.
Even when there is effective vocabulary instruction in the classroom, students with weaker skills still progress at a slower rate.
The "Let's Read and Find Out" series and the Spanish non-fiction books in this project will help my students learn and be interested in robust, academic vocabulary that they would otherwise not be able to pick up on without explicit instruction. The games will draw the interest of my older students and get them to engage with vocabulary in fun ways. The linking cubes with word parts will show my students how different affixes and root words can be combined to create longer words, and will help them develop skills to guess at the meaning of new, longer words they will encounter as they get older. I requested 2 sets of these cubes so that I could convert one set into Spanish, since I was unable to find the same tool in Spanish.
Kids with low vocabulary tend to be lower readers, so they don't get exposure to as many words as kids who are better readers. Improving vocabulary skills is critical for my students in order to break this cycle. Better vocabulary skills will make a significant impact on my students' ability to perform in school and in life.
Bringing Words to Life, Second Edition: Robust Vocabulary Instruction
• Amazon Business
$22.54
1
$22.54
Learning Advantage,Spying Parts of Speech Board Game - Noun/Verbs/Adjectives/Pronouns, Grade 2 and up
• Amazon Business
$20.20
1
$20.20
Educational Insights Blurt!
• Amazon Business
$19.99
1
$19.99
I Have...Who Has...? Academic Vocabulary Grades 3-4
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
I Have...Who Has...? Academic Vocabulary Grades 1-2
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Teacher Created Resources (7841) I Have...Who Has...? Academic Vocabulary Grades 2-3
• Amazon Business
$16.99
1
$16.99
Bear Can't Sleep (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$14.04
1
$14.04
Bear Says Thanks (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$13.98
1
$13.98
Bear Wants More (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$13.44
1
$13.44
Edupress Classwords Game, Grade 2 (EP63750)
• Amazon Business
$12.99
1
$12.99
Spot It! Spanish
• Amazon Business
$12.99
1
$12.99
Edupress Classwords Game, Grade 3 (EP63751)
• Amazon Business
$12.99
1
$12.99
Edupress Classwords Game, Grade 4 (EP63752)
• Amazon Business
$12.99
1
$12.99
Bear Feels Scared (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$12.10
1
$12.10
Bear Snores On
• Amazon Business
$11.98
1
$11.98
25 Easy Bilingual Nonfiction Mini-Books: Easy-to-Read Reproducible Mini-Books in English and Spanish That Build Vocabulary and Fluencyand Support the ... Science Topics You Teach (Teaching Resources)
• Amazon Business
$10.41
1
$10.41
My First Bilingual Little Readers: Level A: 25 Reproducible Mini-Books in English and Spanish That Give Kids a Great Start in Reading (Teaching Resources)
• Amazon Business
$10.41
1
$10.41
Bear's New Friend (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$7.99
1
$7.99
Bear's Loose Tooth (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$7.98
1
$7.98
Bear Feels Sick (The Bear Books)
• Amazon Business
$7.00
1
$7.00
Materials cost
$639.53
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$9.59
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$679.12
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$119.84
Total project goal
$798.96
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$798.96
13 Donors
-$786.91
Donations toward project cost
-$674.87
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$112.04
match offer
-$5.00
Match offer toward project cost
-$4.25
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
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 Ms. Wahl and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.