Help me give my students quality materials that can be used to develop their fundamental reading skills in order to become not just successful readers, but the successful leaders that our world demands.
For the last several years, I have had the privilege to teach the Extended Day Kindergarten class in our school for Kindergarten children who are below reading level. Many students simply lack exposure to the wonderful world of reading, while a handful are dealing with non-typical neurological difficulties. The one thing ALL my students have in common is the strong desire to learn and grow.
Our classroom is built on the belief that each student's success is not measured by a test score, but rather, the effort put into the task at hand.
When measured by that standard, my students rest secure in the knowledge that by doing their best, each one of them is a success.
Phonological and phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary and fluency are just a few of the things we focus on. However, the most important work done within my classroom is instilling the belief within each one of my students that they have what it takes to be a successful learner.
My Project
Reading is an essential skill for a child to be successful. While reading comes easily for many students, other students struggle with the skill. When a child first learns to read, the focus is on decoding words which eventually builds to comprehension and mastery. Decoding, however, is the foundation that all other reading skills are built upon. When a student struggles with decoding, they must spend additional time concentrating on the decoding process, losing meaning in the text they are attempting to read. Inability to correctly decode is the root of most reading problems.
Early intervention is the key to assist struggling readers in their development of these fundamental skills.
While curriculum provides the tools to build these fundamental skills, struggling readers require more than what the general education curriculum has to offer. Most children with reading disabilities are able to become proficient readers when there is early intervention.
The materials from Lakeshore that are being requested in this project focus on phonemic and phonological awareness, which are key components in developing decoding skills. With the addition of new and fun activities, students are able to learn while playing and research has shown that playing is an important part of child development. These materials will be used specifically for struggling readers in the Extended Day Program, and will be used in small groups of 3 to 4 students, with the supervision of the educator to ensure that the students are receiving the maximum benefits these materials have to offer. Because of the quality of Lakeshore materials, these products will not just benefit the current 21 students who struggle with reading skills, but students in future years as well.
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
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. Womack and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
