I currently teach in a seventh grade self contained special education classroom in an under-resourced public school in New York City. My students face many challenges; yet they are eager to succeed. Their ELA scores are very low. Many of them have difficulty reading combined with a lack of interest.
Since this is my first year as a teacher, I had a hard time figuring out how to improve their reading skills. I was told that my first step is to get them comfortable with reading. Managing behaviors during independent work has added to the challenge. I had to get them to read as a group, but some of them were nervous to read aloud and others were not interested in the readings. Finally, I stumbled upon a solution. They loved to read plays!
Over the past month I have been downloading as many Reader's Theater scripts as I could. It was amazing, they were reading and focusing! The students who were nervous came out of their shell because they could "act it out". My unmotivated students began to request this activity. All of a sudden, reading became a reward! This is what I imagined teaching would feel like. The only problem is, I'm running out of free resources and paper!
With your help my students can have a chance at success. They can learn to further enjoy reading. They can improve their skills, learn how to learn, and can be taught many morals at the same time. I thank the authors who have written readers theater scripts, and I thank you for your kind donation to my students future!
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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. Tesoriero and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
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