W.R is a new Chicago Public School that opened its doors on September 7, 2010. A large population of the students are English Language Learners (ELL) who come from immigrant families and over 90% of the student population receives free lunch and breakfast, an indicator of income-level in the area.
While the building is new, the school is still resource-challenged.
Because it is a new school, there is currently not a parent organization or local school council established. While teachers have received the majority of the required instructional materials, there are no supplemental materials such as classroom libraries, picture books or novel collections that would assist in quality literacy instruction. If received, this grant would fund the purchase of a gorgeous illustrated science library from Encyclopedia Brittanica.
My Project
Using a class library of high-interest, non-fiction science books, I propose to teach basic reading and writing skills through science content and literacy to increase achievement levels in both reading and science. Reading and listening to informational text can develop students' knowledge of the world, as shown in studies by Anderson and Guthrie (1999) as well as Duke and Kays (1998). According to the research, the acquisition of this background knowledge can help readers comprehend subsequent texts. The more background knowledge readers have, the stronger their comprehension skills are likely to be.
In order to become good readers, students need to be surrounded by high-quality, high-interest reading materials.
Children are drawn to non-fiction stories with engaging color photos and real content. By fourth grade students should complete the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” The majority of the students at the school come from families that do not speak English in the home. My hope is that these students are hooked by books at school and continue that venture at home.
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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. Tschaen and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
