Students in poverty enter school with a vocabulary of approximately 5,000-7,000 words. This may seem like a lot, but these students are already behind peers who have been exposed to a print rich environment and lots of vocabulary.
Students in Indiana are not required to attend kindergarten.
For some students, first grade may be their first exposure to school. The students in my classroom come from a wide variety of social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Many students are in a single working parent home. Our school is a school of choice which makes us the largest in our district. Parents are willing to put their children on the bus for nearly an hour to attend this school. I have 25 children that are very eager to learn.
My Project
Children need organization and structure to learn. The area carpet provides a common place for whole group instruction. During whole group instruction the students are introduced to new strategies in reading, writing, and math. The carpet area keeps the students directly in front of the teacher; it helps to eliminate distractions. Books are needed for students to work independently in after the lessons are taught in whole group. Students read independently at various levels. Having a variety of books at different levels allows for each child to read with success.
Data shows that students exposed to a variety of literature at an early age increase their vocabulary.
Students gain confidence in reading when they can read independently, read with fluency, and share what they read. Nothing is more exciting than seeing children want to read, and feel good about reading. Having a large classroom library with books available to read at each student's independent reading level will provide the students the opportunity to 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. Reygaert and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.