My students need a listening center for our Reading and Writing stations where they can listen to and visualize text to use as a learning tool as they grow in their skills.
As a 1st grade teacher it is my responsibility not only to teach my students how to read but to ignite a lifelong passion for reading. We read as a class daily and do a variety of engaging activities, but the independence of following along while listening to a text turns a listener into a proud reader!
From 7:45-2:45, my first grade classroom is busy, busy, busy!
Gone are the days of first grade blocks, ABC's and recess. We are growing emergent, independent readers, writers and thinkers! Each day we move through both ELA and Math stations with fury, read independently and aloud, do science experiments and cram all we can into eight hours. Unfortunately, we are a charter school that only receives money based on attendance and not through local tax money. With that being said, we are in a portable building and lack many of the resources many teachers take for granted. My classroom came with very little and all classroom resources have been funded by myself outside of school technology. Reading is instrumental in education and children learn in a variety of ways, I would love to add a listening center to my classroom where I can take emergent readers and grow them into independent readers by giving them the independence to listen and follow along to text on their own.
My Project
Each day my students break into ELA centers where they work on a variety of activities that strengthen their reading and writing skills. These activities include sight word recognition, spelling, writing sentences, and learning how to blend and rhyme; all while having fun and remaining engaged. As a class we read aloud daily and the students also practice read to self, but I would love to add a listening center to my station time where students can listen and follow along to the text we've already read together. This would be something completely different as a tool to strengthen their reading skills. This added station will foster independence in the students while honing their listening and comprehension skills. This concept has the power to take a child from an emergent reader needing assistance to an independent reader. When a child can finally put all the pieces together and choose their own book, their self-esteem and love for reading blossoms and that is an awesome moment in my classroom!
When a child can finally choose their own book, understand it and then come and tell you their favorite part, my heart just swells.
My class loves to hear me read but it's a completely different love to read alone and create your own ideas and predictions. I want to give my class this independence and with a listening center of our own, I can! This donation will bring a whole new element of learning to my classroom and hopefully, be one more way we help another child fall in love with reading!
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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. Hildebrandt and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
