My students need 15 new dictionaries. When we look up words, our old dictionary definitions are no help as the definition is too hard for us to understand.
Have you ever opened a dictionary to find the meaning of a word and you can 't understand the definition? My students experience this with our old dictionaries. We only have two kid-friendly dictionaries in our classroom.
My students are highly motivated but many of them are lacking resources at home.
My students speak at least three different languages at home and come from many ethnic backgrounds: Puerto Rico, Samoa, Alaska Native, and more. While their social English is great, their academic language needs some assistance. Many of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch and breakfast here at school. They come to school but not always with the supplies needed.
My Project
Dictionaries open the world of language to students. My students love to look up words but how effective is that when they can't understand the definitions? I try to assist them by giving them my personal definition but that defeats the purpose of looking up a word. Students need to be able to look up a word and understand the definition without asking for the teacher to explain the definition.
My students want to be independent learners, and they like to look up words in the dictionary.
However, they need the chance to understand the words they are reading in the dictionary.
More than half of 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
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. Helgeson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
