This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
I have the smartest, kindest, and bravest students in my Elementary School. They are all the diverse ESOL students in Kindergarten and First Grade at my Maryland school. I have enjoyed learning with students from every continent. My Newcomers group, all learning English together, speak fluent French, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
My students want to learn and they respect what we are doing here to help them in their education.
Each day they come in excited to be part of my pull-out groups, excited to touch textures and objects, excited to listen to stories, and very excited to talk together as a special member of our group.
My students don't go to the public library so I have given them my own books and extra books I find around the school. We run an academic night and ESOL cafe where parents are given the opportunity to meet the local public librarian. Parents can sign up for library cards and they learn about the programs for ESOL students that are run at the library. The children love getting books for home and that is a main focus for them and for myself.
My Project
We read the Frog and Toad books in order to discuss words and meaning in the text. With a library that reflects what I am using in the classroom, my students can now take a book home and dazzle their parents with conversations and insights as to what we are doing with these stories in the classroom. "Listen to the wind howling in the trees," said Frog is a very strong jumping off point for a discussion of meaning, setting, and the tone of a story. We would illustrate and then discuss what those words mean and how they are setting us up for the remainder of the story. Imagine a child able to take that very book home, read it to mom and dad, and then explain why they like it so much and why it is such a fun book to read. What I enjoy seeing is the connection a student learning English makes when they are completely engaged in words and get to the meaning of text. It gives them power and ownership.
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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. Beveridge and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.