My students need the literacy manipulatives including word mats, word builders, and matching boards to become fluent readers and to recognize letters and sounds.
Imagine a world full of letters and sounds, but you are unable to recognize any of them. That is some of the frustration that my Kindergarten students feel as they enter my classroom. Unlike the upper grades, Kindergarten truly spans a three year age gap. These centers will bridge the gap.
I consider myself very lucky, I get to teach Kindergarten.
I have 22 wonderful students who are eager to learn. I have a variety of learners in my classroom. I teach at a public school in New Jersey, grades Kindergarten through fourth grade. My school is a wonderful place to work and learn, everyone is family and we all work together to give the students the best education possible. Because the district does not have a formal testing program for Kindergarten, students are blindly dropped into the classroom with a variety of levels. Currently, there is a mixture of special education and regular education students in my classroom, as well as students with physical disabilities. We are a Title 1 school with about 40% of our students on the free and reduced lunch program. A majority of the district are blue colored workers, where both parents have full time jobs. My abilities range from students who know their sounds to students who do not have recognition of letters and sounds.
My Project
I believe these centers will be a wonderful addition to my classroom. I will use these centers daily and watch my students become stronger readers and independent. Finding a combination that meets the needs of all my students is rare. By utilizing the centers that will be provided by the grant, my students will be able to have a better handle on letters and sounds and use them in fun and exciting ways. These colorful and vibrant representations will intrigue students and spark creativity. Students will be able to utilize these centers in small groups and instruction will be able to be individualized. Each day I read with my students and pull reading groups. While I am pulling a group it would be wonderful for the rest of my students to complete centers. The centers I chose will help reinforce skills I taught my students in a group lesson. I am working on independence in my room and these centers will help promote this.
I want to make a difference!
What greater tool to give a child than the gift of reading. We hope by utilizing these reading centers we will inspire young minds to begin the building blocks of becoming life long readers. We are hoping that the children can see the fun and excitement in reading while being on a Kindergarten level by using these centers. By donating to this project you will give a child the gift of reading
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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. Walstrom and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.