My students need inspiration to write with detail. The vocabulary photo library with the specimen centers will help students connect to science as they write.
Writing is a community building exercise in my classroom. This year we are putting on some swimwear and jumping into writing circles. My goal is to build confident writers. One thing I know about first graders is that they love learning about the world around them.
The students in my class come from all walks of life.
I teach in an Urban Public School with students overcoming various life challenges whether it be economic hardship, a learning disability, or language barriers. Our school district recently decided to feed all students free meals due to the high volume of children qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program. Something fascinating about our school is that 52 different languages are spoken by our school's families. This means that I have several students each year speaking Spanish, Chin (Burmese), Hmong, and African languages. As a class, we are small but our successes will be huge.
My Project
The materials I chose for this project will inspire student's to write. The photo library is essential for strengthening our vocabulary. Good writing is the ability to use words and have them sound as fluent as one speaks. We will use these picture cards to develop background knowledge, to group write and to practice talking with confidence about a writing topic. The specimens will be used with the science journals to integrate reading, writing and science. First graders love animals and every year we do a theme about animal groups that is linked to our reading curriculum. This is the fudge on the sundae. I will be using the dry erase boards to brainstorm ideas when writing.
This project is the start of a new endeavor.
Integration of subjects is the key to wrap around learning. Think, experience, and write! These materials will be fun for the students to use as they discover language. This will change my students' lives for the better because if will give many meanings to words. It will inspire them to remain curious and build students' writing skills. It will lead them to a higher level of confidence in themselves, because writing is often a difficult subject.
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. Carrigan and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
