Alphabet Tubs for Building Vocabulary and Foundational Literacy Skills

Moderation state
funded
Grant Applicant
Katie Old
School Site
Truckee Elementary
Grant Category
Literacy
Grant Date
2025-03-31T12:00:00
Description

This grant request seeks funding to enhance early reading instruction by improving students' vocabulary and foundational literacy skills through the use of Alphabet Sound Teaching Tubs. Effective early literacy teaching involves connecting letter sounds to words, and it is often challenging for young learners, especially English language learners, to visualize word sounds without tangible objects. To address this, we propose the use of phonemic realia teaching tubs. These tubs, filled with high-quality, educator-approved miniature objects, help students identify and sort items based on their beginning sounds, strengthening both their vocabulary and phonemic awareness. 

This grant would fund the purchase of one complete set of Alphabet Sound Teaching Tubs and a storage rack for each of our TK-4 teachers, who don’t already have one, as well as our RTI and ELD teachers. By providing these resources, we aim to support individualized and small-group literacy instruction, enabling our teachers to better engage students and foster their literacy development.

Benefits of Program

By funding this grant, teachers at Truckee Elementary will significantly enhance Tier 1 and Tier 2 reading instruction, benefiting all students, particularly socioeconomically disadvantaged students and English Language Learners (ELLs). The hands-on realia will help students, including ELLs and those from lower-income backgrounds who may not have had access to these objects at home, make concrete connections between sounds and letters, which is crucial for building phonemic awareness. This foundational skill is essential for students reading development and supports their ability to decode, encode, and comprehend text. The use of realia will also be invaluable in developing vocabulary, as it allows students to visualize and interact with language in a meaningful and engaging way.

Success of Program

We will measure the success of this grant through teacher feedback, student reading scores, particularly phonemic awareness, and trends in instructional methods. Teachers will report how often they use the materials, while we track student reading performance. By analyzing both formative and summative assessments, we will evaluate the effectiveness of the materials and instructional strategies, ensuring that the program supports student growth in reading.

Implementation

We will purchase the materials promptly, ensuring they are ready before the start of the school year. Prior to the first day of school, each teacher will set up the storage tray systems, allowing students to begin using them right away. This will enable teachers to introduce the materials and incorporate them into instruction from the very beginning. Teachers will use these resources consistently throughout the year to support student learning.

Can you share this grant with your grade level or subject team?

Yes, this grant is intended to be used by the TK-4 teachers as well as ELD and RTI teachers at the school.

Sustainability
This grant is very sustainable. Because of the organization of materials in one place, little to no replacement of materials is expected. Teachers will be able to use these materials over and over again. No further funding is needed.
Amount Funded
$3787.19
Individual Budget Items(s)
$2189 - Alphabet Teaching Tubs ($199 x11)
$878 - Alphabet Teaching Tub Wire Rack ($79x11)
Shipping
$460.33
Taxes
$259.86
Supporting Links
https://www.lakeshorelearning.com/products/language/alphabet/alphabet-sounds-te…