The number of words heard in an hour by children of poverty is about 615; by middle-class children, about 1,251; and by children of professionals, about 2,153 (Hart & Risley, 1995). Help me provide ways to fill in the gap for my students!
I am excited to meet my students and learn where they are from.
Every year we become a more diverse group of learners from all over the world. Many of them are first or second generations Americans from Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Ghana, Guinea, Mali and other diverse countries that makes our classroom so special as we learn from one another.
My school is a Title I school so the children do not bring many supplies or materials to the classroom. Unfortunately, they also do not bring as much experience with literacy. They do bring enthusiasm, a desire to learn, respect, kindness, and a sense of wonder. Watching them as they work in cooperative groups, supporting each other and learning new things is the most wonderful experience.
My Project
I am requesting a listening center so that my first graders have the opportunity to be read to multiple times while following along with a book. There is a 40 minute block of time that my children have the opportunity to complete a variety of literacy centers aligned to social studies and science standards each day. I would like them to be able to visit a listening center at this time. Many of the text are at a higher level than they can read independently but the children need access to them in order to learn the content. Other text are childhood favorites that my students missed out on having read to them multiple times.
Sometimes a child just needs a break and sit alone to regroup. The listening center would be a wonderful place to do this. I always feel better after reading a good book.
The listening center would allow me to give my students more opportunities to hear text and new vocabulary words.
Command of a large vocabulary frequently sets high-achieving students apart from less successful students (Graves, 2006). The vocabulary of a first grader is a predictor of their reading comprehension in middle school. I want my students to succeed in middle school and beyond. With your help we can lay the foundation for success.
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
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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. Ranieri and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
