More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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My students come from diverse ethnic backgrounds but share a commonality of low SES students – the absence of an adequate vocabulary caused by the limited access to high interest books and lack of an intrinsic passion to read. The majority of my students seldom visit the local public library or read independently. Many have never finished a complete chapter book apart from assigned school reading material. Sadly, by second grade, studies show children with my students’ demographics have a 2000 word vocabulary gap that negatively impacts their reading comprehension.
This significant gap persists through their educational careers unless vocabulary acquisition is accelerated. Amazingly, my colleagues and I can make a difference and help reverse this trend through modeling and encouraging extensive independent reading to expand word knowledge. The bottom line – my most reluctant readers must be motivated to develop the drive and love to read anything and everything!
About my class
My students come from diverse ethnic backgrounds but share a commonality of low SES students – the absence of an adequate vocabulary caused by the limited access to high interest books and lack of an intrinsic passion to read. The majority of my students seldom visit the local public library or read independently. Many have never finished a complete chapter book apart from assigned school reading material. Sadly, by second grade, studies show children with my students’ demographics have a 2000 word vocabulary gap that negatively impacts their reading comprehension.
This significant gap persists through their educational careers unless vocabulary acquisition is accelerated. Amazingly, my colleagues and I can make a difference and help reverse this trend through modeling and encouraging extensive independent reading to expand word knowledge. The bottom line – my most reluctant readers must be motivated to develop the drive and love to read anything and everything!