Students from a low income background usually enter 1st grade with a 3,000 word vocabulary. On average, their peers from middle income backgrounds have a 5,000 word vocabulary and students from a wealthy background know around 10,000 words.
The greatest difference between a low-income student and an affluent student is language exposure.
My students not only come from a low income background but 18/24 also come from a home where little to no English is spoken. This means that for many of my students they did not speak a word of English until the first day of Kindergarten or in some cases, the first day of 1st grade. A listening center for our classroom would give my students the opportunity to hear a story while they read along. The more English my students can be exposed to each day, the better. Since I can not be reading to eight students individually all the time, a listening center would help me increase student exposure to written and spoken English in an individualized manner.
My Project
I'm requesting books to use in a listening center as I attempt to launch a literacy program called "ÃÂÃÂThe Daily 5"ÃÂÃÂ Listening to good readers is such an essential part of learning to read, but unfortunately, it is frequently one of the largest deficits for my students. A listening center will allow eight students to listen to an appropriate story while following along in their own book everyday.
This project can be an essential part of boosting student engagement.
It will also encourage reading growth and exposure to the written word. When a student can't listen to their parent read aloud in our target language, a listening center is the next best thing.
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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 Ms. Rayl and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.