Our district is in an urban area and most of our children come from loving, but economically disadvantaged homes. They love school and work hard every day to live up to the standards set for them by the Common Core.
Most of them lack exposure to children's literature and language, and so are behind in their vocabulary acquisition.
They love good literature and are enthralled and enthusiastic when I read aloud to them while they sit close to me on the carpet in the corner of my room. Unfortunately, the number of students in my room have outgrown the small carpet I have.
My Project
Students focus and learn more easily when they are in close proximity to the teacher. In our classroom, that means we get together at the carpet for most of our reading and math lessons. Everyone together enjoying and reacting to a great read aloud helps to create the kind of "family" feeling that makes first grade so special.
Right now we have an old carpet that will fit about half the class of twenty-five students.
No one likes to sit on the cold hard floor and that creates problems with student focus and friendships. Students are wiggling around trying to find a comfortable position on the floor, or they are moving closer and closer to that friend who is lucky enough to have a turn at a spot on the carpet.
I'm requesting a Nature's Colors Seating carpet with 30 squares. Meeting for reading and learning would go much smoother and less instructional time would be lost to distractions if we had a carpet that could fit us all comfortably.
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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. Lane and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.