"A, B, C, D, E, F, G, ..." Learning the A, B, C's is such an essential part of each of our educational experiences. To gain the knowledge of every letter, upper and lower case, and all the sounds each makes, is a lot for a young learner to master. Yet they must!
My Kindergarten students come from various backgrounds as they enter my inner-city classroom.
Some have had preschool, some have not. Some have parents that are involved, some do not. So some know their letters, but many do not. Each enters school with their own narrative that needs evaluated and supported to make each one a success story.
My school, like so many others, is not able to provide fun, interesting manipulative materials to master the alphabet & letter sounds. Teachers have to buy them with their own money or make materials that usually just don't stand up to the vigor of a five year old. I want to help provide my students with as many opportunities to be successful as possible. This is what motivates to me to participate in the DonorsChoose program.
My students need repetitive practice to master the alphabet and letter sounds. However, that can be an uphill battle if you are asking them to use the same materials over and over. I don't want to turn them off of learning by boring them, that just doesn't work. I do want them to get the hands-on experiences that they need to be successful and the desire to continue to practice and grow. Having many learning options for students to use independently, or in a small group with the teacher, provides students with the repetition that they need without turning them off of learning.
My Project
I am requesting one Alphabet Soup Sorters, Alphabet Learning Locks, Giant Alphabet Beads, Smart Snack Alpha Pops and Lacing Sweets.
We will use these resources almost daily as we engage in learning centers, which mostly revolve around letters. Learning the entire alphabet, upper case and lower case, and all the sounds will help my students emerge as readers and writers, which is what they need to be successful.
Students try hard to write words they want to write and sound out words they want to read.
I see them want so badly to be able to read and write like a grown up. Without the strong foundation of knowing all the letters and sounds it is hard to read and write. By making sure all my students, even the ones who didn't have preschool or involved parents, consistently know the letters and sounds, I will be paving the way for them to become readers and writers.
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 Ms. Wetzel and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.