Do you remember middle school and the challenges you faced trying to hide your weaknesses? My students face hiding their difficulty reading in every classroom they enter. They are smart young adults who want to be better readers and achieve in school.
My students are in 6-8 grade and have difficulties reading.
As they have entered middle school, the instruction has moved more towards content and comprehension. Instruction for developing fluency is not as common as it was in elementary school. These students want to read well and not be heard stumbling on words that they know they should be able to read. They have built coping mechanisms to survive having to read aloud in other classrooms.
My room is a safe place for them to risk showing their reading weaknesses but even then it is hard to not feel like 'everyone' is listening to them struggle.
Many students also are easily distracted. Whisper phones would allow them to concentrate on practicing and hear themselves read without other noises interfering. I want to offer everything I can before they head to high school.
My Project
My students have spend years trying to avoid reading. However, reading is everywhere and you can not improve without practice. Many of my students will be in my class period throughout their time in middle school. I want to be able to give them the boost they need to feel confident in their core classrooms. They are aware of their struggles and do not like to show them.
In the past, I have been successful with building a safe risk-taking classroom where the students can be instructed on reading skills. However, the biggest challenge is having students practice reading aloud or with another student.
The whisper phones will give them the opportunity to feel confident while practicing reading and not worry about what other people are thinking. A student can read softly but hear themselves clearly with the phone. The duet whisper phones will allow for partners to read and hear each other without outside noise distractions.
Help make these students successful confident readers!
My students have experienced many failures in school.
However, they still strive and dream of being successful. One 8th grader once told me "I want to be the kid who has his name called over and over again at an awards ceremony". That student is capable but needs the right instruction, tools, and confidence to get him there. Help my students have their names called and feel proud to be more successful in school!
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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. Hughes and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.