"Sitting still is overrated. It makes sense for the opera or for meditating, but in most classrooms and child care centers, it's given far more honor than it deserves. Children need to move." ~Tom Hunter, National Association for the Education of Young Children.
As an educator, I have given this much thought in the work we do at our school.
All of us, the teachers and myself, pride ourselves on “intentional planning”, where teachers are taking the time to set up their curriculum to provide rich organized experiences for children to learn through creative, open-ended and engaging activities with multiple purposes in mind. When children feel safe and well cared for, they open their hearts and minds to the learning process, take risks, and naturally want to explore.
My Project
I would like to offer my students with different tools that will allow them to have fun while learning!
One tool is a big comfy couch to go along with other flexible seating choices, so my students will be able to explore what works best for them in a safe and caring environment.
Flexible seating will allow my first graders to have choice in the classroom, while allowing them to have fun when they are learning! Flexible seating is a great way for students to be engaged in the classroom for a long period of time. Each student is different and this project will allow them to be engaged in a place that they feel comfortable in the classroom. They will be able to make choices about their seating and learn what works best for them. By having these choices and learning about themselves as a student, my students will be better prepared and will be able to take ownership of their learning.
I have also added various types of whisper phones to my project to help develop fluency. Headsets so the students can hear themselves read, partner phones so they may hear each other read. Lastly, a phone for guided reading so that each student has a phone and I may listen to a certain child just by turning the dial!
After all, Readers have BIG jobs to do! As a Teacher’s College school, Lucy McCormick Calkins, the visionary founding director of Teachers College Reading and Writing Project approach to literacy, fluency is a crucial skill at this foundational grade. The advantage to hearing themselves read would develop readers who are reading with more fluency and and as a result move onto harder texts.Reading with confidence helps increase reading levels and comprehension!
More than three‑quarters of 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. Karavias and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.