My students need a document camera for instruction and demonstrations, non-fiction science and social studies texts to expand vocabulary and a comfy place with Beanbag Seats to read and talk.
"If you wait until you can do everything for everyone, instead of doing something for someone, you end up not doing anything for anyone." Malcolm Bain
I must act now to help my ELL students bridge the gap in their education. I can't wait for them to just catch up on their own. I can help them now!
I teach second language learners at a middle school.
Most are low income, and recently have come from their home country. They are at a disadvantage in language, and education from their home country. I pull them daily to work in small groups, and focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing each day, to promote English acquisition at a faster rate. I also ask a lot of questions, that require them to justify an answer.
My school is in a rural area, and has a high poverty population. All my students are on free or reduced price lunch, and most eat breakfast at school too.
My school is a family. We work hard to create a community of trust among the students and the parents. There is not a teacher at my school that doesn't feel called to work here.
I am an advocate for my students in their regular education classes. I work with teachers to provide modifications and/or accommodations to help the students be successful while they are also learning the concepts of that class.
My Project
In middle school, the reading focus is non-fiction texts. I need non-fiction texts at my students' English reading levels to help expand their vocabulary and introduce them to world views and ideas we can discuss.
I use these magazines for many purposes; close reads, vocabulary exploration, citing texts, reading for supporting details; theme, etc. When a magazine or paper is passed out, many times the students will look through it all. There are also times, when I do a "cold read", where students have had no background or explanation. I just want to see what they know or can read . I can use the document camera to focus on one part of the classroom magazine, so the students would not be distracted by the other stories, or the amount of text. The document camera is an invaluable tool when trying to focus students' attention on one part of a text, demonstrations, and also presenting material that is not digital format; photos, artwork, student created materials. It also saves copies.
Donations will help continue the feeling of a safe, welcoming place to talk, read, and explore places and ideas the students may not be familiar with.
The magazines have excellent graphics to support the text, experiences and places, and vocabulary they have not learned; places they may never get to physically go. I will be able to focus their attention on specific text, so they are not distracted or overwhelmed by the amount of text on a page. Students will be better prepared for their classes and the future.
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