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This teacher needs your help!

Ms. Cocallas from Pahala, HI is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Ms. Cocallas is requesting

SEL Needs Read-Alouds

Help me give my students a read aloud experience in our social and emotional learning curriculum.

  • $678 goal

This project expired on July 13, 2025.

This project expired on July 13, 2025.

My Project

This project aims to shift the focus of kindergarten social-emotional learning Choose Aloha Curriculum stories from passive video consumption to active, engaging read-aloud sessions led by the teacher. While videos can offer visual stimulation, they often lack the interactive and personalized element crucial for young learners. By emphasizing teacher-led read-alouds, I seek to create a dynamic environment where children can directly connect with the story, engage in meaningful discussions, and build strong relationships with both the teacher and their peers. This transition will allow for immediate feedback, deeper comprehension, and a more tailored approach to addressing the specific social-emotional needs of each child, fostering a richer and more impactful learning experience compared to simply watching pre-recorded content.

Read-alouds are invaluable for fostering social-emotional learning in kindergarteners.

By immersing children in diverse narratives, stories cultivate empathy and social awareness, enabling them to understand varied perspectives and emotions. These sessions build emotional literacy by introducing and defining feeling words, empowering children to recognize and articulate their own and others' emotions. Furthermore, read-alouds model effective self-regulation strategies, demonstrating how characters navigate challenges and manage difficult feelings, thus equipping young learners with problem-solving skills. The shared experience of a story strengthens relationship skills, encouraging respectful listening and collaborative discussions, while narratives about friendship and cooperation promote positive social interactions.

Beyond social-emotional benefits, read-alouds are fundamental to fostering literacy development in kindergarten. Hearing stories read aloud expands vocabulary, introduces diverse sentence structures, and cultivates an understanding of narrative elements like plot, character, and setting. Furthermore, read-alouds ignite a love of reading by demonstrating the joy and wonder that books can offer, encouraging children to become active and engaged readers themselves. By connecting spoken language to written words, read-alouds lay a strong foundation for future reading success, making them an essential component of early literacy instruction.

Ms. Cocallas Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary School Grades PreK-2

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Pahala, HI View local requests

More than half 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

13 students impacted

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Ms. Cocallas is requesting.

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TEACHERS, FEELING INSPIRED?

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Where Your Donation Goes

Materials Cost Quantity Total
8 Book Set: Little SPOT Takes Action! Kindness, Responsibility, Patience, Respect, Honesty, Organization, Diversity, Safety; social emotional learning • DonorsChoose Featured Favorites $62.00 1 $62.00
The Bear Books Series Karma Wilson • Amazon Business $59.99 1 $59.99
When Sophie Gets Angry...really, Really Angry • Amazon Business $17.60 1 $17.60
Anh's Anger • Amazon Business $16.41 1 $16.41
The Angry Dragon (Emotions & Feelings) • Amazon Business $14.99 1 $14.99
Alphabreaths Too: More ABCs of Mindful Breathing • Amazon Business $14.54 1 $14.54
Gratitude Soup • Amazon Business $13.95 1 $13.95
Carmela Full of Wishes • Amazon Business $13.75 1 $13.75
Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing • Amazon Business $13.59 1 $13.59
The Thing Lou Couldn't Do • Amazon Business $13.59 1 $13.59
Train Your Angry Dragon: A Cute Children Story To Teach Kids About Emotions and Anger Management (My Dragon Books) • Amazon Business $12.95 1 $12.95
I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem • Amazon Business $12.36 1 $12.36
Help Your Angry Dragon: Self-Regulation Book for Kids, Children Books About Anger & Frustration Management, Picture Books Ages 3 5, Emotion & Feelings Books for Children (Oliver's Tips for Kids) • Amazon Business $11.99 1 $11.99
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage To Be Who You Are • Amazon Business $11.96 1 $11.96
I Walk with Vanessa: A Picture Book Story About a Simple Act of Kindness • Amazon Business $11.94 1 $11.94
If You Plant a Seed: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids • Amazon Business $11.81 1 $11.81
Horrible Bear! • Amazon Business $11.79 1 $11.79
Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You • Amazon Business $11.57 1 $11.57
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon • Amazon Business $11.44 1 $11.44
Jabari Jumps • Amazon Business $11.39 1 $11.39
I Like Myself! • Amazon Business $11.22 1 $11.22
Beautiful Oops! • Amazon Business $10.99 1 $10.99
Fill a Bucket Hardcover Book • Lakeshore Learning Materials $10.95 1 $10.95
Glad Monster, Sad Monster • Amazon Business $10.74 1 $10.74
Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day • Amazon Business $10.69 1 $10.69
The Skin You Live In • Amazon Business $10.53 1 $10.53
How to Heal a Broken Wing • Amazon Business $9.99 1 $9.99
An Awesome Book Of Thanks! • Amazon Business $9.74 1 $9.74
Most People • Amazon Business $9.25 1 $9.25
You, Me and Empathy: Teaching children about empathy, feelings, kindness, compassion, tolerance and recognising bullying behaviours • Amazon Business $8.95 1 $8.95
Mouse Was Mad • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
We're Different, We're the Same (Sesame Street) • Amazon Business $7.87 1 $7.87
Thanks A Lot (Raffi Songs to Read) • Amazon Business $7.43 1 $7.43
Chrysanthemum: A First Day of School Book for Kids • Amazon Business $7.08 1 $7.08
On Monday When It Rained • Amazon Business $6.89 1 $6.89

Materials cost

$499.92

Vendor shipping charges

$16.05

Sales tax

$22.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$7.50

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$575.47

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$101.55

Total project goal

$677.02

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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Project Activity

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