Using Language Outside of the Box

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

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.

My Students

Speaking and reading the English language well is vital in being a successful student throughout the schooling process. First grade is where most of these foundational blocks are laid, but this becomes a challenge when English is not the first language spoken at home.

I teach in a small public school.

We are a Title I school where our population is mostly Hispanic. Many of my students come from homes where English is not spoken. Most of my students' parents either do not work outside the home or work minimum wage jobs. The majority of students' parents do not have an education beyond high school; because of this, parents put tremendous emphasis on their child's education, but struggle to give extra help at home. My students are excited and eager to learn. They are very much like sponges who absorb everything. They love getting their hands on manipulatives which allow them to be interactive with the curriculum. My students are able to retain information better and more accurately when they are given real life tools and experiences throughout their learning process.

My Project

I am requesting the Getting Ready to Read Activity Boxes. These are interactive boxes which my students can use to practice using their sounds, rhyming words, oral language, and vocabulary. The boxes contain many hands-on manipulatives and games, which allow student learning to take place without students realizing it. Students will be able to work independently, with a buddy, in a learning group, or with the teacher to practice their phonological sounds, reading, and writing skills. The boxes allow for students to work at their own level and to take responsibility for their own learning. These boxes will help me reinforce fundamental skills introduced and practiced during our reading and language lessons. These boxes also provide a variety of materials that will allow me to introduce and help to expand their spoken vocabulary.

These activity boxes are so important for me to use in the classroom because they are instrumental in helping me lay the foundation for language and reading in my classroom.

These skills are so important to know and use. I know my students will love the colorful pictures, the hands-on objects, and the games that come in each box. The activities in these boxes will help my students learn and practice their reading and language skills without ever realizing that learning is taking place.