My students need 5 voice recorders to hear themselves read a book the way an author intends. This improves fluency, a joy of reading, and helps students gain information.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Gehler's classroom raised $291
This project is fully funded
My Students
Did you know students make a shift from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" in 2nd and 3rd grade? A group of 2nd graders have not mastered reading at a speed that will allow them to learn from the words they read. Hearing themselves on a voice recorder motivates students to alter their pace.
My students are motivated and eager to become better readers.
They hear time and again how important it is to be a good reader before 3rd grade so they can be successful and eventually go to college.
My students go to an inner city school in Minnesota where school funding is thin. The parents of my community help as much as they can, but many times it is pencils, markers, paper, or snack that I ask for... not voice recorders to help students succeed in an innovative way.
I involve my students in their interventions as active members. When I mentioned recording themselves, their eyes grew big and they couldn't wait to read with their "character voices."
As many interventions that I do with my students, we have little opportunity to infuse technology. In this day and age students are enamored by technology. I can tell they will be engaged and motivated by trying to better themselves. They strive to be great, and I want to give them a chance to hear just how great they can be.
My Project
I have tried many interventions for this group of students who struggle with fluency. We re-read passages, fix words, partner read, copy read, and choral read. I have seen little improvement so far. One way to help students improve the rate and expression of their reading is to have them actually hear themselves read. Students will hear me read a passage of a book at their level. They will then record themselves reading the very same passage.
We will discuss how it is the same or different from when the fluent reader (the teacher) reads. Students read out loud many times a day to a teacher or friend. However, due to the of lack of technology and space available in our classrooms, students never have the opportunity to hear themselves. I want them to realize as they hear me read aloud to them every day, they should sound the same...and be able to reproduce that fluent pace in their head. I want them to recognize the shift from reading word-by-word, to reading with ease and grace.
This project could potentially give my students the ability to be not only readers, but completely literate.
They will read and understand the words, analyze the content, and apply the content to their prior knowledge. If I can enable my students to read fluently and accurately, they will spend more time analyzing the information read rather than waste time trying to figure out the word they are reading or the structure of the sentence. Students should absorb information and apply it to life.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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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 Mrs. Gehler and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.