My students need headphones to help them to practice reading literary and informational texts online with various intervention software. The headphones will also be used to take reading diagnostic tests in my classroom.
The students who attend my school come from a variety of backgrounds and several countries. The students desire success, but have not been successful with school due to the severely low reading levels. Many of our kiddos will be the first to graduate high school in their family. Our reading diagnostic testing last year showed that we have the lowest reading levels within our district of schools. We also had the lowest rate of freshmen passing all of their classes. As a result of these results, I was asked to champion a program for the ninth graders that will facilitate growth with reading and success in all classes. My students do not have the funds to purchase their own school supplies that will help them be successful.
Last year alone, we had 80 students who were homeless.
According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, students need their basic needs met in order to succeed. If students are worried about where they will sleep or get their next meal, they definitely won't be able to purchase the supplies they need in order to stay organized, meet deadlines, and achieve at high levels.
My Project
Having headphones in my class will allow students to interact daily with chosen literary and informational texts. The headphones will allow differentiation within the reading intervention classroom. The headphones will be used for in-class reading diagnostics. They will have access to audiobooks if they have headphones to use in class. They will be able to use the materials in Learning Ally, which has very exciting titles. I have been able to assign outstanding titles such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
These headphones will improve the reading levels of children who are behind by several grade levels.
They will give them access to reading beyond their current reach. Headphones will allow students to hear the appropriate pronunciation of words they do not know. The students will also have access to NewsELA which is a great resource for students to read informational texts. As Albert Feng (2000) notes, language and hearing are interconnected to the visual. So much so that the brain “sees” what it hears. Every time a person hears something, the brain visually simulates what it hears, which even results in eye-tracking movement. This makes listening an extremely visual medium with great potential for use in teaching and learning.
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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