Grants Awarded for the 2010-11 School Year
Web 2.0 – What is it and how can it help our students?
Cindy Matthes, Instructional Technology Teacher
This proposed professional development grant would fund a two-day institute for Lincoln and Hanscom teachers to learn about some of the new Web 2.0 technologies and about ways to integrate them into their curricula to support student learning in the classroom.
GEOFITNESS – An Integration of Technology and Exercise
Stacey Clarkin, Hanscom PE teacher
This curriculum initiative and professional development proposal would purchase GEOMOTION fitness and nutrition equipment for use by students in grades K-5 at HPS, HMS and Smith School. The equipment would be rotated among the three schools.
Non-Fiction Texts in Third Grade Literacy Programs
Elizabeth Stanziola, Lincoln 3rd Grade
This proposal requests funding for the four 3rd grade teachers to each spend two days organizing non-fiction works for easy access by 3rd graders and developing a menu of strategies for students to use to explore and engage non-fiction genres.
Assessing Math Concepts – Using the On-Line Component to Track Data
Claire Groden, Hanscom Math Specialist (retired)
This curriculum initiative and professional development proposal requests funding to pilot an on-line math assessment tool in three Grade 2 classrooms. The project would enhance the assessment techniques currently used, by introducing an on-line format which is easier to administer and which produces long-term data for the student, classroom and school.
Bullying Prevention Program, Grades K-4
Brian Garside, Lincoln School Social Worker
This proposal has three related sections, each one addressing a specific area of the LSF mission. It includes a new curriculum initiative: development of a 4-week program to teach K-4 students the foundations of bullying prevention. It also includes a professional development component: a presentation for all school personnel on current thinking about bullying. Lastly, it supports school/community collaboration by educating parents in the school community.
Handy Activities: A Classroom Toolbox to Increase Fine Motor Strength and Endurance to Enhance Student Achievement
Kate Siegel-Melcher, Hanscom Occupational Therapist
This curriculum enrichment initiative would provide each classroom teacher in Kindergarten and First Grade a box filled with fine motor strengthening tools, handwriting exercises and hand-eye coordination tasks that can be easily incorporated into the classroom schedule.
Enhancing Literacy Through Reader’s Theater
Cathlin O’Reilly, Lincoln 3rd Grade Teacher
This curriculum project would design a bank of “Reader’s Theater” scripts that can be used by all third graders as another way to practice fluency and comprehension skills. Reader’s Theater has been shown to enhance fluency by emphasizing re-reading the text many times, practicing pacing, and reading with expression.
Orff Instruments for 5th- 8th Grade Music Classes
Karen Sheppard, Lincoln Music Teacher
This new curriculum initiative proposal requests funding for a variety of Orff instruments to enhance the music program in grades 5-8. The music program currently involves singing and listening but not instrument playing. In the Orff approach, musical concepts are “learned by doing” through natural play with rhythm, tempo, melody, harmony, and other elements of music including music literacy.
Ballet Folklorico Mexicano: “Ollimpaxqui”
Karena Hansen, Lincoln Language Specialist
This proposal requests funding to host a presentation by the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano: “Ollimpaxqui” for the Lincoln and Hanscom 4th grades. The presentation would enhance the 4th grade curriculum that focuses on Mexico.
A Guide to the Explicit Teaching of Speaking/Reading Fluency Using FIGs (Fluency Initiating Gestures)
Lisa Falcone, Hanscom Speech/Language Pathologist and Elizabeth Paige, Hanscom Reading Specialist
This grant would continue the work the authors did as part of the Lincoln Public Schools’ initiative to narrow the achievement gap among certain groups of students. In their original work, the authors focused on improving students’ speaking and reading fluency. They would like to continue their work with FIGs by developing written lesson plans for K-4 teachers, sharing their work with interested teachers from the Lincoln campus, and hosting two parent coffees to explain their work.
Pioneering with the iPad
Matt Reed, Lincoln 1st Grade Teacher
This grant would fund the purchase of an Apple iPad and peripherals to pilot new methods of data collection to support learning, and to enhance existing curriculum. The project would support the district goal of developing a professional learning community, where information is shared and used within the community to support student learning.
Tiered Math Assessment and Differentiation Project for Grade 1 Students New to the School and New to Everyday Math
Mary-Ann Sullivan, Hanscom 1st Grade Teacher
This new curriculum initiative would create a tiered set of math assessments to help assimilate new families into the mathematical community at Hanscom Primary School. A smooth transition into Everyday Math for a continual in-and-out flow of students is a unique and important challenge on base, and one that would be facilitated by the development of these new assessment tools.
Diversity Focus Group: Materials for Continued Study
Alice Sajdera, Librarian Lincoln School
This proposal seeks funding for the purchase of books and audio-visual materials, along with some consultant hours to further the work of the Diversity Focus Group. The Group has identified resources and potential support networks to expand its knowledge base, include more community members in the discussion, and possibly conduct future training.
Science in the Garden
Terry Green, Lincoln Science Teacher
This curriculum enrichment grant would fund a new initiative for Grade 4 science. All fourth graders would participate in growing a raised bed garden outside of the science enrichment classroom. Students would plant the garden in the fall, put it to rest for the winter, and plan, plant and tend it again in the spring. Produce produced would be integrated into the school community. There are also a number of curriculum links possible for the lower grades (K, 1 and 3).
“Calder Re-Wired”
Donna Lubin, Hanscom Primary Art Specialist
This proposal seeks funding to host “Calder Re-Wired”, a one-man show portraying the life and art of American artist, Alexander Calder. This new curriculum initiative would be the culmination of a unit on Calder, differentiated for grades K-5. Calder’s work would be explored across grade levels through many areas of the curriculum including sculpture, balance, simple machines, biographies, theater arts, and library research.
Enhancing Word Study in the Elementary Grades with Hands-On Manipulatives
Gwen Blumberg, Lincoln School Literacy Specialist
This two-part proposal is designed to enhance current curriculum and provide professional development for teachers. The first part would provide all K-4 teachers with a set of two-sided letter tiles, resource books and training to equip them to deliver hands-on word study lessons. Part 2 involves acquiring a wide variety of word study manipulatives to be housed in the Primary Literacy Center.
Incorporating the website “Journey North”
Sarah Wood, Lincoln 4th Grade Teacher
This curriculum proposal seeks funding to develop lessons that use an additional strand of the “Journey North” website to study the life cycle of plants. The project will synthesize science, technology and math.