Angela Totten was awarded Creative Project Grants, with creativity defined as a novel idea, a new way of looking at an old idea, or a lesson that will bring out creativity in the students. In addition to creativity, judging criteria include benefit to students, the ability for the project to continue after the grant monies have been spent, the potential to motivate the students in their studies, cost-effectiveness, alignment to the approved curriculum and explanation of how the project will be evaluated for effectiveness.

Mrs. Angela Totten, 4th grade teacher, submitted and won a grant entitled, “Going Global” for $500. This grant will enhance reading, writing, social studies, and technology classes for 25 fourth grade students. One teacher will be involved in the project. One hundred percent of the materials purchased will be useable for project duplication.

Students will use nonfiction texts to build knowledge of several countries around the world. Multicultural musical CDs will allow the children to make the connections of other cultures through the universal language of music. Using the materials in the “Cultures of the World Theme Pack”, the students will make their own culture kits. The culture kits will be shared with other classrooms and students will be prepared to make presentations about each country to the other classrooms. ePals, an online resource of classrooms around the world willing to correspond, will be used to find classrooms with which to correspond. Students will collaborate with classrooms in other countries on a project entitled, “The Way We Are.” The project engages students in learning about daily lives, cultures, climates and geographies. Funds will purchase multicultural music CDs, Heritage activity books, A Trip Around the World books, My Passport books, Geopuzzles, Cultures of the World Theme Box, Continents of the World Activity Chest and posters of Children of the World.

Special Focus Grants

Kim Connors was awarded as Special Focus Grants, which encourages groups of educators to collaborate with a focus on student achievement with measurable results. Additional criteria include community and home involvement, ability for the project to continue after the funds are depleted and interdisciplinary subject matter.

Mrs. Kim Connors, EC Teacher, submitted and won a grant entitled, “Bifocals and Binoculars” for $1258.36. This grant will enhance reading for 60 students in grades 2-5 and EC classes. Six teachers will collaborate on the project. One hundred percent of the materials to be purchased will be useable for project duplication.

Struggling readers lack the ability to decode text and acquire word meaning. This reading program will allow the teachers to use a direct instruction model to present lessons in the following reading areas: Understanding Main Idea and Details, Understanding Sequence, Recognizing Cause and Effect, Comparing and Contrasting, Making Predictions, Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences. Students will learn to apply each of the strategies by using strategy specific thinking and clue words, taking notes and summarizing orally and in writing and practicing with embedded test prepared items. These materials will be used both in the classroom and for practice at home. Parents will receive tips, enabling them to be more equipped for helping their child at home. The management software included will provide reports to keep parents updated on their child’s progress in each skill area. Funds will purchase book collections, leveled library collections, a mobile storage cart for the books, nonfiction reading comprehension center and a research and report writing center.