My students need 5 personal CD players with headphones, books with accompanying cd's, and 30 books bags and a book rack to provide an organized way to choose books to listen to independently.
My Students
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."
Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
I want to instill a strong foundation and love for reading in my students. These materials will allow them to develop this love!
I teach in a school with very low income families.
Many families are struggling to provide the basics for their children. However, they are always willing to go above and beyond to help out with things before, during, and after school. The parents in my classroom attend meetings to improve our home and school connection, and to learn what they can do at home to support their child as a reader.
My students begin the year as emergent readers. They know the basics including the alphabet, phonics, how stories work, etc. My job is to help them become fluent, independent readers. They go from reading simple sentences like, "I see a red balloon." to entire chapter books. It is amazing! One of their favorite things is to listen to others read. In doing this, they are learning important things about reading. They learn how to read with expression, how to read with speed and rhythm, and they develop a love of books.
My Project
These materials would allow each child in my classroom to choose books based on their individual interests every day! My kids spend part of our reading time using centers that work on various reading skills. I would love to have every child be able to listen to books each day. This is currently one of their favorite activities, but due to a limited amount of resources in my classroom, only a handful of children get a turn each day. If I had 5 personal cd players, each child would have a 15 minute block of time with the cd player and book of their choice.
The books and compact discs would be great to have, as they include books on some of our favorite characters. The stand and book bags would help me keep the materials organized, and provide an easy way for students to select and return the books they choose each day.
I really feel that reading is one of the most powerful things in life.
If you can read, you can do anything you set your mind to. There are families in our school that have parents that cannot read well. I want to provide a strong foundation and love of reading, so my kids will continue on with their education, and become successful at whatever they dream and desire to do.
