Celebrate Black Teachers and Students
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
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Mrs. Smith from Desoto, TX is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
See what Mrs. Smith is requestingHelp me give my students new dictionaries to replace the ones that are falling apart in our classroom!
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
Do you remember when words first took on meaning for you? Maybe it was in a children's picture book or a classic novel that you found a little bit of yourself and began to dream of a future beyond. For many dyslexic students, those scribbles on the page are a mystery yet to be unlocked.
My students are bright young dyslexics in the first through eighth grades.
They come from a low income area and many of them face intense struggles in their home lives. School is an outlet that not only allows them to further their education but to gain individual support that they may not receive at home. Frequently these kids fall through the cracks of education because they may not be "low enough" to meet the requirements to be placed in special education. They also may not qualify for gifted programs because they are not able to maintain a high enough GPA to be considered. Socially these kids struggle with being "different" than their peers. They want to do the same things as every other kid their age. This includes reading the same books they see their peers reading.
My middle school students need these dictionaries and thesaurus to help with developing their dictionary skills. Our current dictionaries are well worn and falling apart. Students are reluctant to use the dictionaries because of their age and condition. Also, we do not have enough for each student to have their own copy. This creates unnecessary delays in our learning process and the time to complete tasks requiring dictionary use.
As we dig deeper into words and their etymology it helps improve our reading, spelling and writing skills.
Our curriculum begins in elementary school with basic dictionary and alphabetizing skills. In middle school, I am working on taking those basic skills and transferring them to real world applications, improving our reading and spelling in the process. Increasing my students vocabulary will help them as they approach college entrance exams and essays. Reading and spelling are lifelong skills that they will need to be successful regardless of their future career goals. Dictionaries will also give my students the confidence that they have tools at their disposal to help them share their intelligence with the world and not be limited by their disability.
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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mrs. Smith is requesting.
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