I am teaching an amazing group of 5th graders at a Title 1 elementary school. My students come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. While my students work hard, many of them are considered below grade level. Some of the students are below grade level because they are still learning the English language, while others have not been given the support at home that would enable them to be more successful.
Over half the students in my class are considered English Language Learners. Another quarter of my students struggle greatly with their own literacy. While I would say the majority of my students enjoy reading they do not have enough opportunities to hear someone read well to them. One of the best ways for them to become a better reader is to follow along as someone is reading fluently and with expression.
To help my students become better readers I want to offer to them the experience of listening to someone read a novel to them fluently at home. To do this I will let my students check out a Playaway book. Playaway books are basically audio books on an individual device. The only thing a student has to do is press play. Each Playaway contains an entire book. A Playaway weighs only 2 ounces and can easily fit in a student's pocket. (Students find this to be "super cool.") Playaways come with an automatic bookmark function that remembers where the listener left off. The best part about a Playaway is that they are just like books: when you finish one you can share it with a friend to have them enjoy it as well.
I currently have 8 Playaways in my classroom. All of these are currently checked out by the students in my class and there is also a waiting list. I would like to give more of my students an opportunity to use a Playaway and so am asking for your help.
By giving my class 4 Playaways, I would be able to have more students in the Playaway rotation. The waiting list would be much shorter and my students would be hearing a fluent reader as they are following along in their book. I have seen the Playaways working like magic with my students and would love for them to have more opportunities with the Playaways. Thank you for any support with this project that you can offer my classroom!
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