Our school is an amazing place with students from all over the world: India, South Korea, China, Japan, Kenya, Senegal, Ghana, Egypt, Russia, El Salvador, and Mexico. This diversity makes our school a vibrant place to learn. As the ESL teacher, my students are English language learners with a wide variety of native languages from Telugu to Swahili to Spanish. They have varied experiences and enriching perspectives, along with an intense desire to learn and grow.
Although our school is a high-performing school, there is a noticeable achievement gap.
Many of my ESL students are performing well below their monolingual peers, mainly due to their lack of exposure to the English language. Reading is a complex process for any student and can be especially strenuous for English language learners who struggle frequently with vocabulary.
My Project
My English learners LOVE improving their literacy skills by reading non-fiction texts, especially when those texts are about animals. I have several books about owls for various grade levels with colorful and attractive illustrations and helpful text features.
However, what would make a unit come to life better than a hands-on, science experiment, like an owl pellet discovery kit?
With this kit, students will be able to safely uncover the secrets of REAL owls by dissecting their pellets. Students will be able to use thinking skills and text evidence to determine the owl's diet by examining indigestible parts of their meal. This unit will combine language and literacy instruction with scientific inquiry and experimentation.
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 Ms. T. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.