Hi-- my name is Mr. Hamm and I am the literacy-focused School-Based Teacher Leader at the William M. Meredith School in the School District of Philadelphia.

We have been actively responding to recent findings through what is known as the Science of Reading, especially in our youngest grades. For years, students have used classroom word walls to assist them in reading and writing but new research on the teaching of foundational skills has shown that sound walls are more effective in supporting students with the building blocks needed to become fluent readers and writers. Students need to be able to manipulate the individual phonemes in words to truly be proficient at reading and writing. Our teachers in Grades K-2 plan to implement these sound walls to enhance their teaching around phonics and phonemic awareness.

We are seeking $1550 to buy the sound wall materials and teaching resources for our 3 kindergarten classrooms, 3 first-grade classrooms, and three second-grade classrooms.

Thank you for considering donating to this proposal to assist us in raising the level of our teaching of phonics.