Have you ever been so captivated by a story that you couldn't stop reading? That is the experience I want to inspire for my kindergarten students. Audio books will give my students access to reading those exciting stories independently in the classroom, while promoting fluency and expression.
My students are an eclectic mix.
In my classroom, my students run the gamut, from children who don't have a bed to sleep in at night, to children who come from very affluent backgrounds. While some are fortunate enough to have someone at home to read to them, the majority are not. Many of my students come with no prior knowledge in language arts. They are learning their letters and sounds from the very beginning and are often hearing common childhood stories for the first time. The one thing thing that I have learned about all of my students, regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, race or sex, is that they all love a good story. Even more so, they glow when they can feel a sense of pride and accomplishment of reading one of those good stories on their own.
My Project
The audio books I've requested are an essential part of a primary classroom, especially kindergarten, when modeling good reading is such an important aspect of their learning. The audio books are designed for students to have access to quality reading, with fluency and expression, while being able to identify words in the story and read along. The audio books will be used as a "listening center" where students can sit down, curl up with an exciting story, and listen to a quality reader. My students will have the ability to listen to these stories over and over again, which will promote familiarity and allow the students to begin to read along and learn how to read words from the story. The collections I've selected are designed to provide the students with access to a wide variety of topics and genres, which will allow them to experience many things through literature. In addition, it will provide my students with the wonderful feeling of having a story read to them.
Children can never have too much access to literature.
My hope is that my students will leave my classroom with a love of reading that will last a lifetime. No matter where their lives may take them, my students will always put their reading skills to use. All I ask is that you think back to your favorite childhood story and remember how you felt when you heard it. I want my students to experience that same feeling and I need your help to do so.
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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. Harkins and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
