In our Kindergarten classroom, students are learning independence and early literacy skills. Most of my students already know their letters and letter sounds after attending 4K, and I'm eager to provide them with ample opportunities to further their reading skills and develop a love for learning.
Our school is located in West Milwaukee, WI.
About 78% of the students at our school are economically disadvantaged, and many of my students tell me that they don't have any books at home. Our school is underfunded- no classroom budget and NO books for classroom libraries- and students come to us with many challenges. Our teachers and staff have amazing drive and dedication for the population that they serve, inspiring me as a first year teacher to advocate for my students and give them a positive school experience. Already in the first week of school I am blown away by how curious, bright, and eager-to-learn my Kinders are. They have a great start in their early education and I want to keep the ball rolling by providing differentiated instruction to each student so that they feel supported and challenged every day. By the end of the year, I want each child to be able to see all that they've learned, feel proud of their accomplishments, and continue to take pride in their education.
My Project
Using this book cart, leveled readers, and book bins, my students will be able to select books to read independently, learn to read those books gaining confidence in their skills, and store books in their own space. As we begin to learn basic sight words and reading strategies, students will be able to read independently and apply strategies learned in guided reading groups. As a new teacher, I am starting to build my classroom library with engaging texts for read alouds, shared reading, and picture walks, but my students need books at their levels to become proficient readers. In my classroom, students will be able to select these books during Daily 5 'Read to Self' or 'Read to Someone,' and I will pull text occasionally for guided reading groups. I will also post a chart with each students name and reading level so they can see what level they are working on and watch as their skills progress and they master new levels. This puts the learning in their hands and promotes independence.
I believe that in order to foster a love of reading in these young learners, they need to interact with texts in a variety of ways, books being the most fundamental part of successful reading development.
Having books easily accessible to these students will make a difference because it will help them learn how to interact with texts and build their independence so that they can learn to enjoy books- a skill that will help them be learners throughout their lives!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Gaggioli and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
