Demographics
I work in a high poverty, Title One school where 100% of the population qualifies for free breakfast and lunch. We also have a high population of ELL students who speak minimal English, if any at all. The students that do speak English do not always comprehend English. Some of my parents do not know how to read and most of them that can read have minimal education or understanding of the higher level thinking that is required of first graders today.
Over half of my students do not receive any help on homework or reading at home. Sometimes this is due to parents not understanding how to help them; sometimes it is because their parents work long hours or multiple jobs , and some students spend their night time with day care workers or babysitters.
Most of my students come to first grade without any pre-reading skills. Most students do not even have the foundational skills they need to be able to spell kindergarten words or believe they can write. Some students come in not knowing their letter sounds, or without knowing the alphabet. In addition, even when they do want or like to write, they do not know how to access their imagination, they only write about what they know to be real.
My class size has gotten larger every year I have taught, but is usually somewhere between eighteen to twenty nine students per classroom. In addition, we have a large mobility where I teach, so the students I start with are not always the same students at the end of the year.
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