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
I teach in a school in the southwest side of Chicago. The school I work at has a large population of Latino students whose first language is Spanish. In the years I have worked as a teacher, the students I have had come in every day with a lot of energy, with many questions and ready to learn.
Fourth grade is a very exciting year for students.
Throughout the fourth grade, students learn to become independent learners. Furthermore, throughout the fourth grade, students become exposed to many different text genres and develop many reading and writing skills.
One of the very exciting things about being in fourth grade is that students become independent readers. By the end of fourth grade, students leave having been exposed to many different genres of books. They also leave the fourth-grade loving books and having learned new reading and writing strategies.
My Project
I am attempting to create a safe, comfortable, collaborative and inquiry-based classroom this year. I have been teaching for 7 years and this year I want my classroom to have a new feel: one of teamwork, curiosity, and drive to work towards goals. I hope to accomplish this through differentiated seating and using flex space comfy floor seats and comfy stools. I want students to be moving, talking, asking questions of each other and making connections. In order to do this, students must be comfortable and focus their energy. There are countless articles analyzing research that shows that students are more focused and learn better when using alternative seats, such as stability balls.
There have been many studies that show a positive correlation between academic performance and using alternate forms of seating in the classroom.
I hope to find similar positive results in my students' achievement. Every child especially those who come from disadvantageous circumstances, as my students do, deserves a chance at greater learning. My students have potential; help me in helping them to reach theirs.
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 Ms. Sepulveda and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
