I Looked It Up, Ms. D, But I Still Don't Know What It Means!

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Have you ever opened a thesaurus in search of the perfect synonym only to be overwhelmed with a page-long list of words and commas? Now imagine being 10 years old, trying to figure out which synonym is correct in your second language. My students need materials that will help them do just that.

I teach 5th grade in a high need, low income school which was restructured three years ago and is doing exceptionally well.

We recently became the first elementary school in our part of the state to exit Program Improvement. We also just found out in April that we were a 2010 State Distinguished School. In large part this is due to the use of proven teaching techniques that are effective for all learners but especially English language learners which make up 80% of our population of students. Our school is structured based on the belief that these students (and all students!) deserve a quality education and can achieve! And that they are truly doing! We just need support getting the materials we need to make learning engaging and effective for all students.

My Project

I am requesting 13 thesauruses and 15 dictionaries. They are written specifically for elementary school children learning English as a second language, so they will be heavily used resources in my classroom. My students absolutely love our vocabulary activities and strive to find and use new words daily. They practically fight to share the six thesauruses we have. Our current references are outdated and at the collegiate level. These falling-apart, developmentally inappropriate resources do not allow students to advance their vocabulary or perform 5th grade tasks. Often, students are even more lost after reading a confusing entry. These new materials will be kept at student desks for constant use during vocabulary instruction, independent reading, writing activities, and more. My students will be able to select correct synonyms during lessons, comprehend the definitions for unknown words encountered while reading independently, and replace words with high-level synonyms as they write.

Let us retire our tattered and confusing thesauruses.

Created for language learners, these thesauruses and dictionaries will help all my students become more proficient in their language abilities and will be used by my future students for many years to come. Developing vocabulary is crucial to success in all areas. Your donation will ensure that students have meaningful opportunities to master English with quality resources they will love. Thank you for supporting learning and my students.