Our school has around one hundred English language learners in grades kindergarten through fifth, representing many diverse backgrounds. We have native Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Russsian, Albanian, Gujarati, Arabic, Polish, Belarusian, and Nepalese speakers. These students' English Proficiency levels range from newcomers including many recent immigrants, to those with a good grasp of Basic Interpersonal communication skills who are working towards cognitive academic language proficiency. My students are engaged each day in listening, speaking, reading and writing activities to achieve English language proficiency while also working towards grade level standards.
My Project
My 100 English Language Learner students in grades K-5 are pulled out of their regular classroom either 180 or 360 minutes each week to strengthen their English skills in ENL (English as a New Language) class. Rather than having students feel singled out and missing what’s going on in their classroom, I would like to create a fun and engaging learning environment that students look forward to visiting. Flexible seating is a good way to give students a little bit of a choice. Just like adults, students don't always want to be told what to do. The same old same old can become repetitive. Having the ability to have a few different seating options will make coming to ENL more interesting for everyone. I chose a variety of flexible seating options such as wobble cushions, wobble chairs, and floor seats because students love to wiggle and these seats allow them to do that while staying on task. I have noticed that students are much more engaged and less likely to disrupt their classmates if they are given the option of where they'd like to sit. Also flexible seating can be used as a reward for good behavior.
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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 Mrs. Puma's Student Council and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
