I work in an incredibly diverse school with 40+ languages and ethnicities represented. Students' English ability ranges from newcomers (students brand-new to our country) to fluent. A majority of my students speak two or more languages, have non-English speaking parents, and come from low-income households. They come from Asia, Central and South America, Africa, eastern Europe, and tiny island countries you may have never heard of!
Despite these challenges in their lives, they are happy to come to school: their safe and protected space.
They know they will be accepted and cared for. They are eager to learn English so they can interact with the world around them in new ways.
My Project
Please help provide a copy of our read-aloud book for every student. Students can then read along as I read the book to them. We use this book to learn about empathy, kindness, and what it feels like to be different. If we have individual copies, we can quote the book in our writing as well as read along with the teacher! We can also use it to do our final project about the book - a study of making inferences about characters.
When doing a read-aloud, it is best if all students have a copy of the text so that they can follow along, taking notes as they listen.
Research shows that as students follow along, their pacing is propelled by the fluency of the reader. Surprisingly, as the teacher reads out loud at quite a brisk pace, English language learners and other struggling readers somehow seem to keep up, carried along by the flow of the oral reading.
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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 Ms. Moskal and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.