This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I teach 4th grade in a self-contained, transitional English classroom in a large urban school of 1006 students from pre-k through 8th grade. My school has a large bilingual program that focuses on moving students into the monolingual English classrooms as soon as possible. Students in the bilingual program receive native language instruction when they enter in kindergarten but are expected to transition out of the bilingual program into monolingual English classrooms by the end of third grade. My class consists of 30 students from low income home. My transitional fourth grade classroom consists of those students who did not achieve the benchmark necessary on the state mandated assessment to make that transition, as well as 4 new comers. In the classroom, I speak English 80% of the time and 20 % in Spanish and I teach all the content areas such as language arts, math, science, and social studies.
The cultural background of my students is Latino, and most are first generation Mexican-American. All of my students’ first language is Spanish. This is the first year that these students are not in a bilingual classroom and are being asked to do more in English than they have in the past. Most of them have attended this school since preschool and are comfortable in speaking in English and Spanish. I notice them speaking English to one another when they speak about books that we have read in small and whole group. However, I have also noticed that they use Spanish in casual conversations when the talk about outside activities or things that have happened to them or things that they do at home. My class is pleasant and very respectful. They have a sense of humor and are eager to learn. They also love music. I use this love of music to help develop their language proficiency.
My students need an LCD projector. We sing to music karaoke style. We have chosen a set of songs to sing to. I write the lyrics, print them, and then we sing. I have also created karaoke DVD’s in which my students take home and sing with their parents. My students are limited to the paper copies of lyrics I give them and DVD’s that I have created. With an LCD projector my students will have countless websites available to search lyrics together and enrich their music selections therefore developing their English fluency. Through this project there will be “no” limitations to my students’ learning.
Compelling brain research concludes music has the power to reduce stress, enhance cognitive functioning, and improve productivity and creativity. The human brain is an amazing instrument that can be tuned to perform optimally with the right kind of music. My students need your help in making this proposal a reality. Integrating experiences with music in the early childhood classroom supports English language learners’ literacy development in reading, writing, and in learning English as a second Language. Music can transform classrooms into positive learning environments where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Providing children with structured and open-ended musical activities, creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect, and sharing the joy of creativity with each other all are foundational to bases for the growth and development of the early childhood learner.
Nearly all 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 Teacher RAMIREZ and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
