1. The Psychology of Politics (ZCHS; $470.06 Mary Grabianowski and Amanda Vanderbur) The AP Psychology and the AP U.S. Government class will be combined to help students understand the importance of psychology in politics and the connection between the two areas. This will give them the intellectual depth to evaluate candidates' speeches, television advertising and other forms of communication related to the election, as well as voters' decisions. A panel discussion of local area experts is also planned. Students will be tested over material, they will write a critique of the panel, and they will apply what they have learned to the political campaign.
2. Bringing Differentiated Nonfiction Texts to Eager Students (Union; $1,057.67 Jenny Hamelmann) National Geographic has created eight books (ranging from a 3rd grade to 6th grade reading level) that focus on the same concepts, vocabulary and current social studies standards. The books' vocabulary, text load, and sentence complexity increases across books to provide the appropriate level of challenge for readers.
3. We Love Books: Guiding our Readers with Authentic Texts (PVE; $4071.05 Kathy Crone and Shannon Hall) This project will expand the literacy library in the primary grades. This guided reading program is geared toward the different text types of literature, including picture books, graphic novels, plays, biographies, journals, and photo essays.
4. Please Read to Me (Union; $1,298.35 Ruth Ann Townsend, Angela Michener and Heather Jansen) Please Read to Me is an interactive listening work station program where students listen to a story together. They will listen to a read-along book on headphones. After the story is over, the small group of students will use comprehension strategies to discuss the book.
5. Get Ready to Get Schooled! ZWMS One Book. One School: 2011 (ZWMS; $6,890.00 Carrie Sanders) One thousand copies of the novel, Schooled by Gordon Korman, will be read by the students and staff of ZWMS in the fall of 2011. Cross-curricular activities and discussions regarding the events and lessons that occur in the novel will take place among the students and staff.
6. A Child's Work is Play (Boone Meadow; $1,165.38 Donna Hudson) Magnet boards, felt boards and chalkboards with interactive materials will be attached to the walls in public hallways that children use multiple times daily. The boards will have letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and other materials for the children to manipulate. This supports the acquisition of early literacy and number skills, as well as creates opportunities that allow them to generate new ideas.
7. Growing the ZCHS Book Club (ZCHS; $1000.00 Jane Bewley, Julie Noel, Cassie Petrocelli) Additional books will be purchased for members of the book club which meets after school on a biweekly basis. The students meet with their peers to share viewpoints, ideas and feelings during the book discussions. They have also taken part in author visits, field trips, and movie nights. They enjoy interacting with the authors of the books they have read but the costs can be prohibitive. This grant also allows for author skype visits.
8. Robotics-Moving Middle School Students into the 21st Century (ZWMS; $8,127.99 Anthony Abrams) Fischertechnik, a system of building components that will simulate different manufacturing tools and/or systems, will be acquired with this grant. Once designed, assembled components are connected to a computer and programmed by students to solve a particular problem. The different materials in these kits allow students to develop a deeper understanding of, not only how mechanisms and devices work, but also how they may be improved or modified.
9. Touch to Talk (All ZCS schools; $3,587.47 Audrey Csikos and Randee Kleeman) A voice output devise, loaded on the iPad, will provide communication to students with a variety of communications disorders throughout the school district.
10. Virtual Business-Restaurant: Online Simulation for Reinforcing Knowledge in Today's Student Business Learner (Restaurant Simulation) (ZCHS; $1,495.00 Kyle Park) This software package allows the business class students an opportunity to have hands on experience in making business decisions. Students will open a restaurant and control menu design, staffing, equipment purchases, restaurant layout, purchasing, marketing inventory control, and much more. The Virtual Business-Restaurant has analytical reports including an income statement, balance sheet and other more restaurant-specific reports. Student work is automatically evaluated and will be monitored by the instructor online.
11. The Literacy Space (Eagle; $446.00 Kara Benson) A professional literacy library will be created alongside the school’s literacy instructional resources and student materials. These books will help teachers learn up-to-date, research-based teaching strategies. These teaching strategies will increase student achievement in reading, writing, and language.
12. Race to the Top-Dragon Boat Festival Celebration (ZCHS/ZMS/ZWMS; $400.00 Wendy Yuan) The Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in China and will be celebrated this year on June 6th. This project will allow the purchase of a dragon head and tail kit that will be assembled by the Chinese students and teachers and used for years to come.
13. Once Upon a Midnight Dreary: A Collaborative "Poe-tic" Endeavor (ZCHS; $3,050.00 Ann Bender and Christie Clark) The English teachers will take all of the 2011-2012 juniors to the historic Irvington Lodge to see the production of Cabaret Poe by Q-Artistry. The writer and director has taken Edgar Allen Poe works and turned them into a musical production. This innovative experience will reinforce poetic and literary devices studied in class and will attend to all learning styles as it is a visual, verbal, musical, social and kinesthetic opportunity for all students.
14. Lovin' Literacy (Eagle; $1,821.00Maureen Glassberg and Jayne Shubat) Colorful self-checking literacy games and activities will allow students to progress at the pace at which they learn. This project will allow students to work individually and with small group activities reinforcing and motivating them to increase their learning, building confidence in, and enjoyment of their reading.
TOTAL GRANTS FOR SPRING 2011=$34,879.97
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