Imagine having a learning disability, difficulties paying attention, and trying to learn to read. These are just some of the challenges that my kindergarten to first grade students with special needs face.
I teach a class of young students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Many of them are diagnosed with ADD, which makes it more difficult for them to focus while reading. When working in guided reading groups, I ask the children to "whisper read" so that they do not distract each other. It is very hard for my young students to remember to keep their voices down so as not to distract others, while trying to remain focused on their own reading.
The whisper phone is a teaching tool that helps students hear the words and sounds they say directly back to their own ears. It helps students to speak softly while reading because they hear their own voice through the phone. The ability to hear and discriminate what they hear is greatly improved, allowing students to work independently and providing auditory feedback necessary for improvement. This will result in increased fluency and an enjoyable reading experience which leads to better comprehension.
Many of my students have speech impairments as well. Children must hear individual sounds that make up words in order to pronounce them correctly. I believe that the whisper phone will not only improve their reading skills, but will also help them improve articulation.
Your help will give my students a better chance of learning to read and to lessen the gap between them and their peers in general education classes. The ability to read and comprehend what they read will have a positive effect on them across all subjects in the curriculum. Improved reading skills will increase the possibility of my students moving into general education classes in the future.
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. Cucci-DeStefano and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
