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
My students are incredible! My students are in kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade. They are curious, inquisitive, hard-working, and dedicated. All of my students have Individualized Educational Plans because they have been diagnosed with a disability. All of my students receive free breakfast and lunch at school. All of my students come from high poverty areas, and they all love coming to school. My students are brilliant individuals who learn differently than their peers. These students will be successful, and it's my job to create learning opportunities that ensure this.
My Project
My students love to learn! Many of my students are reading one full to three full years behind grade level due to their disability(ies), interrupted schooling, or family hardships. They are all eager to become better readers and work hard every single day to improve their reading skills. They love having access to engaging books and benefit greatly from being read out loud to. I often have 5-10 students who are all reading on drastically different reading levels.
These portable CD players would allow me to give students exactly what they need to work independently as I am working with other students and vice versa.
By giving students access to books on audio CDs it will help us work together to close the achievement gap between them and their peers. They want to get their hands on the same books that their friends are reading in class but many do not have the reading skills needed in order to decode and comprehend these elaborate texts. Having a device to play books on CD would be game changers for my students. Not only will they have a plethora of texts to choose from, they will remain engaged in high quality learning throughout their reading blocks with me.
In addition, many of my students have ADHD diagnoses. I'd like to use these portable CD players as tools to utilize when students are working on self-regulating their behavior. Not limited to but such as using calming music to soothe, listening to school-appropriate music as a resource to concentrate, etc.
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. Kearney (Struckel) and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
