This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
My students are vibrant, active learners from North Philadelphia in grades 3-5, who qualify for special education services. They love hands on materials, choice and to move!
While all of my students are so much more than their disabilities, they need some special supports in reading, math and behavior to help them achieve at their highest levels.
It is my job to give them these supports outside of their regular education classrooms for one or more academic periods per day. We learn a lot and laugh even more as we focus on building skills in reading and math.
My Project
The materials selected for this project are focused on building students' skills in reading while they are in in the special education setting. Often my students are several grade levels below in reading and lack appropriate books and activities to use during independent work times. When books have too many unfamiliar or challenging words, students are more likely to give up or become off task.
It is so important for students to have books and activities to support their independent learning, that are challenging but not frustrating.
The leveled texts and a variety of phonics and sight-word activities will allow students to practice the skills that they learn during small group instruction without being too rigorous. Students will use these materials when they are working in independent learning centers. Since I work with a high volume of students with various needs, the best way to make sure all students receive what they need is to rotate through centers (while I work with one small group of students at a time). I believe these materials will keep students excited and engaged even as they work "away" from me in the classroom.
Additionally, the seating (stools) will allow my more fidgety and active students to select the seating that will work best for them no matter what center they are in. These stools are easy to move, stack and conserve space in a small and busy room. Research shows that many students with ADHD do best with flexible seating options--especially stools which require students to use their core muscles to actively sit up.
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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. Messina and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.