When you walk into our classroom, there is evidence of learning and hard work everywhere. The first thing you would see are my kiddos engaged and working hard. They're super excited about learning new things and stretching their brains. They've really gotten into taking on new challenges. My kiddos are an amazing bunch. They come to school ready to learn and are raring to go. Even though many of them come from homes without many resources, they don't complain; they work hard and they do their best.
Many of them are categorized as English Language Learners, but they don't give up when things get tough.
They ask a lot of questions and have lots of answers. They're problem solvers. We've really been working on not giving up, even when the going gets tough. They've created a great community, where they are kind to each other and they look out for one another in the classroom and out on the playground. They love to laugh and be silly. They totally love a good dance party or a good story. They love reading aloud, alone, or with a friend. They are great learners.
My Project
My kiddos are getting a good dose of differentiated guided reading instruction throughout the week. That means that I get to help students build their reading and comprehension skills at their specific learning level… it’s pretty awesome... and very effective.
In an ideal world, all my kiddos would be at the same level… but we all know how different kids can be… that’s what makes them so much fun!
That means they need small group instruction to reach all the different needs of each student. In an ideal world, there would be another teacher who could teach the rest of the class while the teacher is with a small group… but we all know there’s no way that’s going to happen! That means the rest of the kiddos need something to do. In an ideal world, those students would have interesting, educational and meaningful activities to work on that will engage and focus their little minds and bodies… and we all know… that's what this project will help do!
I’m trying to add cooperative games to my centers to challenge my little ones to work together (because that’s a skill they’ll need for the rest of their lives!). I’d also like to add some other engaging activities, like a spinning wheel for our writing center. I also need laminating pouches to make more of my worksheet-based centers reusable and durable by laminating them.
All of these things will help engage my students when they’re working independently. They will help my kiddos review and refine skills. These materials will be great learning tools that make learning fun. Best of all, it will give me peace of mind that my students aren’t just wasting precious instructional time while I meet with small groups to push their reading ever higher!
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. Hatakeyama and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
