Background
I teach at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School. It is a large suburban school in Newark, Delaware. Our demographics are diverse, with approximately 42% of students reporting their race as African American, 41% as White, 12% as Asian American, and 6% as Hispanic (DE Department of Education, 2010). Other characteristics include 7% of students that are English Language Learners, 40% from low income families, and 8% identified as Special Education students. Ours is the largest district in the state of Delaware and it encompasses both urban and suburban populations.
I am responsible for challenging our top academic students as Thurgood Marshall's Enrichment Teacher. This means that I work with the students who perform in the highest 10% in the areas of Math and Reading. My groups are representative of the school's diverse population in terms of race and socioeconomic status. Although being in the program one year does not guarantee that a student will be eligible the next, many of my students qualify for my program year after year. Data used in the eligibility criteria include Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (Delaware's State Test) and Terra Nova (norm referenced) scores in each subject area, along with teacher recommendation. The program begins in the first few weeks of school and students may enter the program at any time after a review by myself, the classroom teacher and the principal.
This unit has been created for my fifth- grade Reading Enrichment students. They are seen each day for a period of 45 minutes during an intervention time. Therefore, my students continue to have access to the regular classroom curriculum, in addition to the Enrichment program.
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