Teacher: Trista Romocki
School: Lake County Elementary School
District: Lake County
District Website: Lake County
School Address: Lake County Elementary School, 130 West 12th St. Leadville, CO 80461
Grade Level: Kindergarten and Grades 1-2
Region: Central Mountains
Project Title: Reading in Two Languages
Category: Supporting Special Populations (English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, Gifted Education)
Amount Requested: $600

Project Description:
Leadville is a small town located in the mountains that has a unique population consisting of many Spanish-speaking families. As the English Language Development teacher for the children in grades kindergarten to second grade, I teach children identified as multilingual learners in developing their academic and social language skills in English. Research shows that multilingual children who continue with their home language can transfer literacy skills to their second language. Yet, oftentimes children do not continue with their home language. Therefore, with the funds from this grant, I would like to purchase bilingual literacy materials such as books and flashcards to support the children's literacy skills in both languages. This would also reinforce the importance of building the children's Spanish literacy skills along with their English literacy skills.

Project Goals:
Currently, there are 58 students in the English Language Development (ELD) classes at Lake County Elementary School. With the bilingual literacy resources, the children would have time during our language block to engage with the materials and they would have the option to check out the items to share with their families at home. This would enable the children to build an interest in reading and multilingual skills. In many parent meetings, I have heard parents say they cannot speak English and are unable to support their children in English, however, research has shown that maintaining their own language at home actually benefits the child's literacy in both languages. Also, children who maintain their home language tend to do better academically than children who do not continue using their home language. Therefore, having the resources available also in the house will give the families a chance to read in Spanish with their children.

Budget Breakdown:
I would use $400 on purchasing bilingual books and the other $200 for purchasing bilingual flashcards. This way there would be enough materials for both the classroom and home use.

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