Winnetka Public Schools Foundation
Teacher Initiative Grants Awarded Spring 2007
Crow Island
Reading for Fun with Sound & Sight Words:
Staff will write a series of books based on the Grade 1 Phonics and Red Words Sequence. The books will provide practice with specific sounds and sight words that build upon the Reading curriculum. Children will be able to color illustrations themselves.
Bugs Don’t Bug Me:
Through the district’s Grade 4 outdoor education, students learn about various microscopic organisms by pond mucking. This is done by dipping nets into lake water and then observing the organisms, some under hand-held microscopes. By purchasing a kit of these types of organisms, which are encased in plastic, students can extend their learning into the classroom.
Modified Math Exemplars & Exemplar Problem Solving Booklet:
Staff will modify Math Exemplars Word Problems to differentiate learning for students with diverse needs. The problems are aligned with the Everyday Math series for 3rd and 4th Grade students. These modified Exemplars will be shared with colleagues across the district.
Greeley
Rebuilding the Reading Curriculum: Integration of Studies, Authors, and Genres:
Staff will collaborate to enrich the Grade 1 Reading curriculum at Greeley School. The goal is to integrate literature with current units of study and to instill a love of reading through author and genre studies. This will be achieved by consulting with Reading experts to understand how books are chosen and leveled, and creating lesson plans and book lists by author, genre, and unit study that are developmentally appropriate and leveled to meet the diverse needs of students.
Hubbard Woods
Healthy Living For a Lifetime:
Students will use pedometers to evaluate whether certain activities are anaerobic or aerobic during their KW classes, and then begin participating in activities that promote good cardiovascular health. Classroom teachers will continue discussions and activities with students by incorporating this knowledge into existing Math and Science units.
SMARTBoard for SMARTer Kids:
Using interactive technology, specials staff hope to positively affect student learning by raising the level of engagement, motivation, and enthusiasm in their students. The SMARTBoard provides a large area for exploring and manipulating material, promotes active inquiry-based learning and engages students with differing learning styles.
Learning History Through Song:
Over the past few years, Fourth Grade students at Hubbard Woods learned folksongs based on historical fact. They enjoyed this experience and retained the information longer and with increased understanding. Building on this, a collection of folksongs was compiled and stored on numerous CDs. As more colleagues became interested in sharing in these activities, the need for more efficient storage and retrieval of musical files became apparent. The purchase iPods and supplemental equipment will allow for greater efficiency in teaching history in a creative way.
3rd Grade Math Games Resource Kit:
Teachers will create a collection of Math games for third grade students. Games will be pulled from the Everyday Math Series, the work of Lola May, as well as new games that are aligned with the District’s math curriculum guide. This collection will be shared with teachers at all elementary buildings.
Skokie
Supplemental Fitness Equipment for Skokie KW:
Purchases of equipment to quickly and accurately measure pulse rate, additional pedometers, a portable pace clock and sturdy and dependable stopwatches will supplement equipment presently being used in Skokie’s KW curriculum. The entire SK student body will use these items as specific units of instruction are taught.
Developing and Connecting at the Nursery School:
Purchase of technological equipment for team use will enhance student projects and decrease computer lab restrictions. Fifth grade students presently observe Nursery School children 2 times a week to learn developmental landmarks of young children, and engage in conversations and play to build social-emotional skills. Digital cameras are also used to help capture experiences. From these activities, students compose power point presentations, journal entries, and letters to share their experiences.
Bring The Spring In!:
In conjunction with the Grade 5 Energy unit, students will explore energy in the real world via growing vegetables. In early spring, they will begin with preparing and planting beds, and observe germination as growth begins under grow lights. Students will plan cooperative garden containers. Vegetables will be harvested to create a cooperative group salad at the end of the school year. Energy chains and the transfer of energy will be discussed throughout this activity.
Graphic Novel Infestation:
Using the popularity of the Graphic Novel genre, Skokie students who have an interest in writing and illustration will be selected to meet with a graphic novelist, Aaron Reynolds, who will conduct small group sessions with the students. They will read quality graphic novels and work on their own graphic novel. Mr. Reynolds will return to work with the students. A culmination of their work will be shared with the Skokie student body at a Graphic Novel display.
Learn to Podcast, Podcast to Learn:
Students in 5th grade Service, Create-A-Museum, and TEK (Technology Empowered Kids) Club will learn to Podcast. Service students will be able to promote awareness about social issues, CAM students will be able to present their research projects more creatively using Verbal Linguistic Intelligence, and TEK Club Members will be able to do SK Podcasts of school events to share with parents.
Art + Writing = Creative Book Making:
Continuation of collaboration with an Artist In Resident on a project that incorporates writing and art with 6th grade students, Different forms of poetry are introduced and students journal and discuss seasonal qualities and color palates, and then write a poem using their own memories. Students will share their work at the end of the term with the SK community.
Washburne
Bringing Social Studies to Life Through Technology.
By interviewing adult community members and using advanced media to create podcast documentaries and digital storybooks, 7th and 8th Grade students will enhance their understanding of history and government. These projects will serve as models for other students and teachers throughout the district.
Document Camera For Social Studies Department:
Document cameras will be used to enable the entire class to view several types of printed media. Each student presents a current event article taken from different printed media and labels the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and how in order to learn how to formulate a thesis sentence. These are then presented to the class. Other examples of items where the document camera will be useful include using picture books, magazine articles, charts and maps, and examples of student writing.
Math, Measurement Charting and Graphing in Science:
Teacher reference books, student trade books, supplies and manipulative will be purchased to enhance microbiology, genetics, density, water and rocket units for 7th and 8th graders.
DVD/CD Recorders & Duplicators for the Band Program:
By having numerous copies of recordings that accompany sheet music, students can hear modeling examples recorded by college level or professional musicians and thereby learn countless playing skills such as tone, articulation phrasing, dynamics and balance. These can also be taken home to further enhance student practice. IN addition, band students will be able to record and listen to their own playing which is invaluable. An added benefit would be the ability to record and share student performances.
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