I work in an inner-city school that houses approximately six hundred and fifty pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students. Eighty percent are high needs students. Forty-five percent are English Language Learners. We serve over two hundred autistic and special education students. Our preschool program provides a developmental curriculum in an inclusive environment when possible.
Our four preschool classrooms serve seventy happy, playful and eager-to-learn three and four year old students, with sixty-three percent being special needs.
Our program is based on the belief that “quality early childhood education programs will ensure the healthy growth of a future generation and provide the foundation for lifelong learning. Through a classroom that promotes the development of positive personal relationships and utilizes a variety of hands-on experiences, children gain confidence in their ability to explore, question, discover, solve problems, integrate knowledge, think critically and take risks.”
My Project
Listening to audio books builds listening skills, vocabulary, fluency, critical thinking and comprehension skills, attention span and helps kids build their capacity to focus. Audio books help make stories accessible to kids of all different reading levels and stages of reading. New and emergent readers, fluent readers, and struggling readers can enjoy stories and benefit from strengthening all of the skills in the list above. I can't believe we don't have one.
My students need the Listening & Storage Center, Hamilton Buhl 6-Sation, Basic CD, AM/FM Listening Center and a wide selection of books with CDs so that we can have a designated Listening Center.
Listening centers are perfect for differentiating instruction because a student's readiness, interest and learning style can easily be incorporated. My inclusive preschool has students who come to school with very diverse backgrounds, skills and readiness. Having this listening center will make a huge difference in their ability to access books and their understanding of book handling skills, print awareness and pre-reading skills.
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. Caswell and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.