Grantees
Walker Valley High School, Cleveland, TN
From the earth to the sky: using real-world experiences to teach math and science
Math and Science cross-curriculum
Using a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant received from the NEA Foundation, Luajean Bryan, working with her Walker Valley High School colleagues Eric Swafford and Jenny Borden, created a cross curricular lesson titled "From the Earth to the Sky." The lesson was conceived as a means to increase student interest in math and science courses.
The funds received from the NEA Foundation allowed "From the Earth to the Sky" to come to life, as students conducted research in real world settings that allowed them to apply knowledge from lessons learned in the classroom. Through the program, students flew in un-tethered hot air balloons and took an underground expedition to the Cumberland Caverns.
Seeley Union Elementary School, Seeley, CA
A renewable energy source in Imperial Valley: understanding geothermal energy
6th grade Mathematics and Science classes
Environmentalists often offer the advice to "act locally, think globally." In teaching their sixth grade students the importance of renewable energy, Seeley Union Elementary School teachers Maria Shiffer and Ruben Arreola have the good fortune of having a geothermal energy plant practically in their back yard to help them live these words.
In 2006, with the help of a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant awarded by the NEA Foundation, Mrs. Shiffer and Mr. Arreola created a comprehensive lesson plan for their sixth grade physical and earth sciences class that focused on renewable energy in California's Imperial Valley.
Teeland Middle School, Wasilla, AK
River Rangers: Combining academics, conservation and community service
7th grade Science classes
Located in Alaska's fastest growing region and along the banks of the Little Susitna River, Wasilla is home to the Teeland Middle School River Rangers Project, an innovative seventh grade learning experience that incorporates academics, conservation, and community service. Students are not only learning about the practical application of important scientific concepts through field research, they are also playing an important role in monitoring the impact that rapid community growth is having on their ecosystem.
Created by seventh grade teachers Rhett Buchanan, Mike Shea and Joe Nolting, and made possible through the support of a NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grant, the River Rangers Program teaches science, math, literacy, and technology skills through the study of stream ecology.
High Tech High School, San Diego, CA
Resource utilization and conservation: the San Diego Bay
11th and 12th grade Biotechnology classes
When High Tech High School biotechnology teacher Jay Vavra wanted to teach his students about the importance of the coexistence of resource utilization and conservation, he ran into a bit of a hurdle: how to make an important series of environmental concepts resonate with a group of urban youth relatively unfamiliar with them. His solution: have his class interview more than 30 scientists and environmental professionals on a topic most students held near and dear to their hearts – the San Diego Bay.
In addition to the interviews, and with the help of a $5,000 Student Achievement Grant from the NEA Foundation, Mr. Vavra's students conducted original biology research, including study related to the plankton of the South Bay Salt Work and productivity of mussels and aquaculture in the Bay. After completing their research and transcribing and editing their interviews, students began assembling what would eventually become "San Diego Bay: A Story of Exploration and Restoration," a book distinctive in its approach to ecology through oral history.