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The cost of this Explode the Code for English Language Learners series from Educators Publishing Service is $784, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
Nine-year-olds in low-income areas are three grade levels behind their peers in higher income areas. Fast-forward and these students are seven times less likely to graduate from college. It can't be this way.
I am a third grade language arts teacher at PS/MS 194 in the Bronx. We are an upstart school aggressively trying to close the achievement gap. My coworkers and I are working relentlessly to advance the kids academically, focusing in on the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics.
On the literacy front, we are fighting to make our third graders serious contenders with the top students in the nation. Our goal is to advance each student 2 full grade levels in reading. Our kids are obsessed with achieving this goal, but what they lack is a strong foundation in phonics. In other words, our students have difficulty decoding (sounding out/figuring out how to read) words. Trouble with decoding leads to a break down in comprehension, since students are not fluent and spend most of their time trying to figure out how to say a word. Third grade is the last year where students will learn how to read. Students will be reading to learn in fourth grade. This is where we need your help. If students don't have a command of phonics by the time they reach fourth grade, a snowball effect will take place where they will fall behind more and more each year.
“Explode The Code” is a popular phonics program that is proven to be effective in getting kids up to speed. It provides students with experience recognizing and combining phonetic sounds in order to read words, phrases, sentences, and stories. The program consists of a series of workbooks, with a range of levels. What we'll do is take the reproducible workbooks, make copies, and go through a lesson each day with our students during literacy hour. Students will also complete the kid-friendly lessons for homework. The lessons in “Explode The Code” are spiraling. Research shows that this is a powerful method in getting students to internalize content. The workbooks will also be shared between grades k-2 to widen the impact.
Our 95 third graders will greatly benefit from the “Explode The Code” series. It's important that they have a strong foundation in reading. After all, it's something that they're going to need for the rest of their lives. Please help us level the playing field for our kids. With all sincerity, thank you for considering our proposal.
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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 Mr. C. and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.