The goal of Leveraging Literature to Build Inclusive Classrooms and Empower Students is to infuse classroom communities with more diverse, equitable, and inclusive texts. The focus learning communities for this grant will be 8th-12th grade students, 9th-12th English Language learners, the 6th-26 Life Skills/Young Adult students, and the ECSE participants. The facilitators of these learning communities will have the opportunity to select texts that celebrate and honor diverse perspectives in which students can see themselves and others in a positive light, that act as springboards for deeper dialogue around social justice, and/or are conduits for access to topics, ideas, and understandings that may be otherwise unavailable.
Saline Live
Saline Live is a group of volunteers outside the school system that have the technical expertise and training to best assist with these types of decisions. Saline Live will work with the student’s family to identify the familial situation and the need. Saline Live will then assess the options available to that family to provide access as well as the resources available to help reduce the financial burden if needed. Saline Live volunteers will then work with the service providers (ISP), financial providers, and the family to install and turn on the access for that family. Once access is provided, Saline Live will continue its relationship with the family to provide technical assistance and support when challenges arise.
Diverse Texts for Learners of Spanish
In Spanish 1A students regularly participate in 5-10 minutes of Pleasure Reading in a second language. The relevant educational research has shown this to be a major driver of second language acquisition. The students have complete control over their reading choices, which currently include books about cultural legends, the Latino immigrant experience, ecosystems in Latin American and the everyday experiences of adolescents. More diverse books are needed, especially featuring Black and/or Muslim characters, in order to better represent and inform our student population.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Kit Opportunities
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion library will be housed in the Diverse Equity and Inclusion space at the High School. This space will be available to all students and staff, and the space will be filled with books/resources centered around diverse issues such as: LGBT+, Racism, Xenophobia, Religion, Sexism, Body Positivity, and many others. Within the library, there will be book kits available for rent by teachers, students, clubs, groups, etc. These kits will include 12-15 books, a manual with questions, and opportunities for further learning and action. The purpose for the library and kits in this space is to increase education around different people, cultures, and social issues, and we hope that many adults and young people in the building will take the opportunity to grow collaboratively with the help of these learning kits. To build a just and diverse community and society, we have to understand different experiences and perspectives of the diverse world we live in.
Broadway in Detroit: Students and Senior Citizens Book Club Extension for Dear Evan Hansen
While reading the book Dear Evan Hansen as a novel study class and a partnership with senior citizens at Brecon Village, we would like to take students and any willing Brecon Village friends to Fisher Theatre in Detroit, to experience a live Broadway show together. This would be a culminating moment for students who have read the novel and studied the song lyrics from this multiple Tony Award-winning musical.
Making the Carbon Cycle Visible
I am requesting the funds to obtain 7 carbon dioxide sensors for the purpose of hands-on, NGSS-based labs. These will allow students to “watch” the carbon cycle in action in both cellular respiration and photosynthesis—two of the most complicated things that we discuss in Biology A. This also links directly to the idea of global warming, and allows students to investigate human impact, while practicing using graphs and numerical data… and it is engaging!
Red Glasses Movement 2.0
The Red Glasses Movement moved Woodland Meadows and the Saline community big time last year, and I would like to continue the momentum by purchasing more glasses for our school community. My goal this year is for these glasses to be passed on by our students and shared with someone else who is demonstrating Living Boldly and Loving Big. This year, I want the focus to be on Passing It On! I want to encourage the students to continue wearing their glasses and be inspired to do acts of kindness for others, and then to observe what others are doing to spread kindness regardless of typical boundaries.
Reaching Readers Through Books
“Reaching Readers Through Books” will replace outdated, damaged, and low interest books with new, high interest, and diverse books. These books will be used by the entire third grade (120 students) in support of our Character Studies and book club unit for many years to come. It is important for our readers to not only be engaged in their books, but to also be able to relate to the characters and issues that arise within them. By updating our current book club selection, we will be giving our readers more opportunities to see themselves and the social issues around them within their pages.
Saline Kiwanis / Heritage Elementary Kids Against Hunger Coalition Grant
In 4 sentences or less, briefly explain your project
We want to teach our students that they can make a difference in the world. The program allows us to cycle 730 fourth and fifth grade Heritage students through an assembly line to produce food for starving children. The goal is for the students help reduce the number of hungry children in the USA, to feed starving children throughout the world and feel good about doing it.
Project LIT Community
I am looking to purchase the book selections from Project LIT Community. Each year this organization chooses young adult literature selections that are high quality and culturally relevant and offers them at a discount for classroom use. These books tackle subjects that students may not otherwise have an opportunity to discuss. Their selections allow for students to see themselves on the page. These books will be used in our co-taught class for choice reading in hopes of reaching more students that otherwise may not read for pleasure.
