Diverse Books and Ethnic Play Foods for our Youngest Learners
Young children learn best through play, and they also learn many things from books that are read to them. If this grant is funded, the Young 5’s students will get a hands-on opportunity with a variety of pretend foods from around the world that will increase their exposure and awareness of different cultures. To further this exploration of cultures, the grant will also help Y5 students hear stories from books that will either reflect their own lives, the lives of those they know, or teach them more about people who are different from them. Together, these experiences will enrich the current Young 5’s curriculum, specifically our social emotional units and select themed units of study.
We “OWL” meet together!
All students deserve the opportunity to interact, communicate, listen, and learn with and from their peers and their teacher. The OWL camera & speaker allows both hybrid and virtual students the ability to speak freely with everyone in the class without distraction such as a teacher repeating student responses into a speaker. The OWL has the capacity to show the teacher and my screen, the class as a whole, and follows the speaker to allow for a fully immersed learning experience.
Building DEI in the classroom; Using Chapter Books as Mirrors and Windows
In alignment with the Districts DEI initiative, we are proposing this project to help build our diverse chapter book collection across the 2nd grade level at Woodland Meadows Elementary School. We believe that putting quality books in the hands of our young readers will not only provide a window into lives of characters who may be different than theirs, but also to provide mirrors for those students who are looking for characters to identify with. We feel that providing additional chapter books in sets will create small and large group conversations that are inclusive for all of our learners.
A Way to Wellness
A Way to Wellness is designed to fund a proactive, differentiated approach to supporting student wellness during the pandemic and beyond. Funds awarded to this grant would be used to purchase 400 student licenses for MyLife, an online application that meets students where they are in their wellness journey using a series of reflections prompts and then differentiated exercises to walk students through mindfulness techniques and meditation practices.
Saline Strength
In the fall of 2020 we as a PE staff were able to purchase eight sets of Power Block Dumbbells. It is our goal to finish this project with the purchase of four more sets which would allow each student “rack” in our classroom to have a set of these Dumbbells. Application and student learning will increase dramatically.
For our staff in Physical Education the completion of these sets becomes imperative with our beginning learners in the weight room, as well as our most advanced learners. Ultimately, the completion of this project would be a huge asset to our classroom.
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.
Karts for Kids
Our project is providing 2 electric KidZone carts with proper postural support for students who have physical impairments, along with our other students who are in the special education program. This project will create an opportunity to engage the students in kinesthetic learning activities such as cause and effect, prepositions ( forward, backward, fast, slow), along with generating excitement which will encourage our students.
3D Printed Solutions
I’d like to purchase 10-15 budget 3D printers, that cost between $200 and $300 each, for my CTE classes to use for my curriculum as well as for the good of the school. When problems arise, 3D printing can really make a difference, and I’d like students and staff to be able to request help from my programs. With the pandemic, many problems arose where 3D printing could be used. I purchased a budget 3D printer last spring for around $200, and was able to print off 100 face mask buckles for our students and staff. I believe the quality of low cost 3D printers has really gone up. I also feel that we could potentially solve some problems that arise at SHS and the SWWC with this technology, but only if we have a large quantity of 3D printers instead of only one.
SMS Girls Who Code Club Request
We are kicking off the Girls Who Code Club virtually in January. This grant is for 30 books tied to the program and T-shirts to provide something tangible, uplifting/inspiring, build a group sense of community and provide community project goals to the girls who participate.
