My students need a rug to work on. Even teenagers need to stretch out sometimes! We are beginning a writers workshop in 2014 and the students have requested floor time!
$433 goal
Hooray! This project is fully funded
Hooray! This project is fully funded
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.
What were you like when you were a high school junior? Do you remember the changes you went through as you slowly left childhood behind? Our classroom is full of characters, big kids who used to be little kids. I am their writing teacher. I am helping them find the words to tell their stories.
These students are full of teenage contradictions - on any day they can be zesty and moody, loud and shy, bright and dark, brave and terrified.
Each day they are vulnerable as they tentatively explore new words and new ideas. The most magical moments occur when they are feeling safe and they truly start to express themselves. In our classroom they are encouraged to take risks with their writing and to explore the possibilities of the English language - an incredibly challenging task.
Most of them come from disadvantaged, low-income households where standard English is not their first language. This shows in their writing. Our school relentlessly promotes the idea that each of our students can and will successfully climb the mountain to and through college. The students are committed to this goal and they work hard everyday. But the reality is that our students' writing skills are a huge weakness that might stand in the way of them achieving their college dreams.
My Project
To address the weakness in their writing skills the students attend a writing class each day for an hour. During this time they work with me on various writing skills that they will need in their futures, from argumentative position papers to college admissions essays. At the start of next semester they will begin a writers' workshop involving lots of independent writing time mixed with peer editing and one-to-one conferences. The students are excited about this plan. They are taking ownership of their learning.
This request for a class rug has come directly from the students who complain that they miss their childhood days of rug time. They miss sitting on the floor and working on the floor. All day they work stiffly at desks. Our classroom should be different - a comfy writing haven.
At the moment it is a dingy space filled with fold up chairs and fold up tables. So far this year some of the bigger boys have had 7 chairs collapse underneath them! They are keen to sit on the rug.
Donating to this project will transform our classroom by enabling students to use their space in a new way.
The safer and more comfortable they feel in their writing haven, the more risks they will be willing to take with their work.
The truth is that these kids do not have much time left at school to make these improvements and get college ready. If they are to overcome the disadvantages of their birth then they need every chance we can give them to acquire the writing skills they need.
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. Mac and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
