Innovation Grants Summer 2006
Innovation Grants: Summer 2006 Recipients
Brenda B. Simmons, Odenville
10th to 12th Grade English and Spanish Teacher
St. Clair County High School
Partner: Melissa Richardson
To address issues of tolerance and understanding of other cultures, students in Mrs. Simmons and Ms. Richardson’s classes create a children’s book about the experience of a Mexican student relocating to their rural community. Creative writing students research Mexican history and culture and interview local fourth grade students to understand their perspectives before writing their stories. Students in Spanish classes translate the stories for publication of a bilingual book.
Lori Durocher, West Hartford
Kindergarten Teacher
Eric G. Norfeldt Elementary School
Partners: Shery Bober, Celeste Higgins
Recognizing the multi-sensory learning needs of their students, Ms. Durocher and her partners develop an interdisciplinary unit using interactive white boards and hand-held tablets. Students, many with special needs, use the boards for hands-on instruction in every subject. Utilizing this technology, students create a monthly e-newsletter that chronicles examples of lessons and includes students’ writing, illustrations, and photography.
Harriet Harun, Bridgeport
9th to 12th Grade Mathematics Teacher
Central High School
Partner: Kevin Andrew Buda
To expand students’ research and communication skills, Ms. Harun and Mr. Buda develop a collaborative project with their mathematics and graphic communication classes. Students research a mathematician or mathematics topic, create Power Point presentations, and share their findings with the class. Building on this research, students use technology to design a t-shirt transfer involving their mathematics topic. Students present their designs to the school and community at a final celebration and competition.
Michelle Mash, Hockessin
Kindergarten Teacher
North Star Elementary School
Partner: Susan Reichle
Through “Making the Connection,” Ms. Mash and Ms. Reichle encourage purposeful involvement of parents in children’s literacy development. Every week, kindergarten students take home a bag containing interactive materials that integrate mathematics, science, and social studies themes with literacy instruction. Parents and students complete the literacy activities together and keep a journal of the learning experience.
Debra Kalitan, Hollywood
Exceptional Student Education Teacher
The Quest Center
Partners: Larry Bisceglia, Sacha Conner, Charlette Emilien
Ms. Kalitan and her partners create an outdoor learning environment to provide multi-sensory science instruction for their autistic students. Students participate in planting, weeding, and caring for the herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers in the garden. To improve the acquisition of science concepts and develop students’ independence, students use centers within the garden to explore weather, animals, and movement.
Jill McCloskey, Tampa
2nd Grade Language Arts Teacher
Pride Elementary School
Partner: Kimber Montgomery
To develop students’ critical thinking skills, Ms. McCloskey and Ms. Montgomery develop a unit that blends investigations of animals with reading and writing skills across the curriculum. Students take field trips to observe animals in various settings and interview experts at each site. They document their learning with photos, video, and drawings and use these images to write fiction and nonfiction texts about the life cycles and habitats of animals. Teachers compile pieces from students’ portfolios into a class book, and students present a finished piece from the book at a culminating celebration for the school and community.
Julie Diane Kiefer, Deputy
Kindergarten Teacher
Deputy Elementary School
Partners: Sarah Boyer, Lori Camille Palmer, Kathy Stoner
Through the “PANTHER Extravaganza,” Ms. Kiefer and her partners provide a balanced literacy curriculum for their students. After teacher modeling, students use book props and puppets to retell stories that they have read alone and with their intermediate school reading buddy. Students use familiar texts to develop scripts and perform them for an audience. At the culmination of the program, students attend a play at a children’s theater.
Judy Lindauer, Ferdinand
6th Grade Teacher
Nancy Hanks Elementary School
Partner: Holly Stafford
To integrate technology into the curriculum and help students view themselves as members of a worldwide society, Ms. Lindauer and Ms. Stafford establish a connection with the Beatrix Potter School in London, England. Students at both schools work in integrated groups to complete research projects about culture. Groups present their projects to both schools using video conferencing technology.
Brian Beckham, Zeeland
6th Grade Teacher
Cityside Middle School
Partner: Keith Walker
Mr. Beckham and Mr. Walker implement a guitar project to expose students to fine arts, new technology, and career choices in the music and technology industries. Students learn basic guitar skills and research music genres and music history. Applying this knowledge, they use software to record and edit music as well as compose an original piece of music. Students in the program collaborate with students in the band, orchestra, and choir to improve their music before it is recorded on the class CD. Students also meet a sound technician, professional guitar technician, and professional recording artist to experience some career applications of music and technology.
Maureen K. Bradley, Wyoming
5th Grade Teacher
West Kelloggsville Elementary School
Partners: Keith Caterino, Arlene Dekker
To ensure that every student in the school district has the opportunity to read outside of the school day, Ms. Bradley, Mr. Caterino, and Ms. Dekker expand the libraries at three elementary schools. Students visit the new multi-language section of the library to find bilingual books that ESL parents can read at home. Addressing district standards, the libraries also enhance their collection of character education books and reference materials.
Christine W. Ball, Tularosa
9th to 12th Grade Business/Technology/Vocational Teacher
Tularosa High School
Partners: R. Kevin Baker, Sharon Taylor
Through a student-run apparel business, Ms. Ball and her partners help students develop skills in technology, marketing, commercial arts, and communication. Students study media practices and trends, recruit customers from the community, and create marketable products. To develop artistic skills, students engage in logo design, calligraphy, and photo layout and learn the silk screening process. Students expand their language skills by writing and editing text for advertising campaigns and creating presentations for prospective customers.
Elizabeth Sheerer, Millersville
9th to 12th Grade Family and Consumer Science Teacher
Penn Manor High School
Partner: Jennifer Bechtold
To develop students’ textile arts skills and philanthropy experience, Ms. Sheerer and Ms. Bechtold implement an embroidery project. Students learn how to digitalize original artwork and how to machine embroider to embellish gowns for premature and stillborn babies. Students donate their unique gowns to an area hospital.
Tracy Ford, Dallas
4th Grade Teacher
Dallas Elementary School
Partners: Carolyn Cooper, Deborah Manahan
Through “Musically Increasing Content Knowledge (MusICK),” Ms. Ford and her partners use technology and music to increase social studies and science content knowledge. Students research topics for each unit of study and work with a visiting artist to write lyrics to reinforce the curriculum concepts. Collaborating with classmates, students record original songs related to social studies and science content and create a resource library of content-based music for future classes.
Cindy Goldberg, Glenside
2nd Grade Teacher
Glenside Elementary School
Partners: Susan Cooney, Angelina Volpe Schalk
To decrease social segregation, create an accepting school climate, and help close the achievement gap in their school, Ms. Goldberg and her partners implement a school-wide diversity program. Students examine their similarities and differences, express ideas for cooperative living, and participate in projects focusing on diversity themes. Staff mentors work with students on monthly community service projects to address a community need. The program culminates in a school-wide celebration of diversity.
Brian C. Querry, Lower Burrell
4th to 8th Grade Music Teacher
Charles A. Huston Middle School
Partner: Richard Porter
To increase students’ understanding of technology and commitment to the community, Mr. Querry and Mr. Porter implement a school documentary project. Students research and gather artifacts, describe and document the present, and plan and anticipate the future of the school. After visiting a local television station and movie studio, students produce and edit a video documentary about the history of their school.
Lindsey K. Rutherford, Warrington
6th Grade Teacher
Mill Creek Elementary School
Partner: Lisa Tomlinson
Ms. Rutherford and Ms. Tomlinson implement an inquiry-based learning program to increase the technology and research skills of their second and sixth grade students. Sixth grade students use handheld technology to access multiple sources of information. To increase technology understanding, sixth grade students help second grade students conduct animal research using the handheld computers.
Geoffrey H. Winikur, Philadelphia
9th to 12th Grade Literature Teacher
Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice
Partner: Tina Weinraub
Through an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based course on African history, literature, and film, Mr. Winikur and Ms. Weinraub expand students’ critical thinking skills and understanding of social justice issues. Students examine African literature, language, and culture, write original folktales, and analyze oral culture in their own communities. To demonstrate an understanding of the influence of colonization and public opinion, students examine the political history of the Congo and develop a propaganda or human rights campaign about one country’s colonization of another. Examining current events, student research the causes of the Hutu/Tutsi conflict and create a guide to the Rwanda genocide for high school students. Students also write a history of apartheid in South Africa and the African National Congress’s rise to power. The course culminates in the creation of an African Gallery to share the year’s learning with other teachers and students.
Susan Zaenger, New Castle
3rd to 6th Grade Art Teacher
Neshannock Memorial Elementary School
Partner: Sandra Giordano
To alert students to the influence of land development and provide a unique learning experience, Ms. Zaenger and Ms. Giordano develop a bird garden. Students study naturalist, John James Audubon, and learn to identify native song birds. Students go bird sighting at a local park and use knowledge about what birds need to create birdfeeders. Applying all of their learning, students design and build a bird garden in the courtyard of the school.
Kelly L. Hawkins, Prosperity
7th Grade Mathematics Teacher
Mid-Carolina Middle School
Partner: Patsy S. Wise
To address the achievement gap in their school, Ms. Hawkins and Ms. Wise implement a program to make mathematics more meaningful to students. Career role models visit the school and discuss the function of mathematics in their jobs. Students participate in interactive field trips to experience mathematics in the real world: they solve problems for local business vendors, work with a sports statistician, analyze the mathematical aspects of constructing a new building, and engage in mathematics and science explorations at an amusement park. Students keep a journal of their experiences to summarize learning, reflect on careers, and complete all field trip activities.
Katherine Dawn Perry, Columbia
9th to 12th Grade Art Teacher
Ridge View High School
Partner: Wendi Louise Wimmer
Combining student creativity with service to the community, Ms. Perry and Ms. Wimmer oversee a production of A Streetcar Named Desire that integrates both sign language and speech. Students research the era, writing, and purpose of the play and analyze the characters. Working with hearing impaired students to improve signing techniques, students write, edit, and produce a forty-five minute performance that integrates sign language with speech. Photography students record the process and create a documentary to share the experience. The project culminates in a community service project for the hearing impaired.
Johnny Ramsey, Tazewell
5th to 8th Grade Health Teacher
Soldiers Memorial Middle School
Partners: Mary Mallicoat, Lecha Rouse, Todd Shackleford
Through “CHANGE”, Mr. Ramsey and his partners hope to challenge the diet and exercise practices of their rural students and to increase student health and self-esteem. Students receive nutrition instruction, graph their lifestyle habits, track walking distance with pedometers, and chart their weight loss. Working with a nutritionist, students discuss the nutrition content of foods and learn how food preparation affects nutritional value. At the culmination of the program, students provide a summary presentation of their data and successes.
Jeanne Phillips Wiles, Lewisburg
8th Grade Mathematics Teacher
Lewisburg Middle School
Partner: Tamela Haislip
Through “Destination Calculation,” Ms. Wiles and Ms. Haislip use graphing calculators to improve students’ mathematical and communication skills. Students complete various projects including researching sports salary statistics, conducting motion and voltage investigations, and scrutinizing information to purchase a car. Students analyze data from each project, create graphs, and present their findings. To increase communication skills, students write explanations of their data analysis and compose weekly evaluations of their learning.
Patricia Golden, Wichita Falls
5th to 6th Grade Language Arts Teacher
Bonham Elementary School
Partner: Brenda Gee
To provide students with a more meaningful literary experience and increase exposure to other cultures, Ms. Golden and Ms. Gee implement a food-based reading project. Students read novels about different cultures and research recipes that represent each culture to contribute to a class book. Compiling their research, students make presentations about the connections between the recipe and the novel and write stories, essays, and poetry about the food. Students complete a group research project based on their novel and present it to their parents along with the class video diary.
Jose Angel Saldivar, Fort Worth
9th to 12th Grade Computer Teacher
Green B. Trimble Technical High School
Partner: Janet Busbey Nilsson
Mr. Saldivar, Ms. Nilsson, and their students produce web-based, interactive materials for use in integrated physics and chemistry classes. Students choose lab experiments that help master content and skills and videotape themselves performing the lab while emphasizing vital components. Students edit the digital videos, add interactive components and special effects, and create CDs to distribute to science teachers. Teachers use the creative lab videos to increase interest, understanding, and motivation in their classrooms.
Nancy B. Shaw, Ogden
1st Grade Teacher
Lincoln Elementary School
Partners: Robin Ahrenstorff, Kimberly A. Pickett
To help students become literate members of the community and enjoy reading and writing, Ms. Shaw, Ms. Ahrenstorff, and Ms. Pickett implement a class book project. After visiting an interactive, literacy-based museum, students explore the writing process to produce several compositions and illustrations. Teachers choose one story and one illustration from each student to include in a professionally published book.
Sherry Hanson Chevalley, Alexandria
Science Resource Teacher
Hybla Valley Elementary School
Partner: Betsy P. Rabun
To create an engaging and motivating science curriculum and help close the achievement gap, Ms. Chevalley and Ms. Rabun purchase quality science trade books written for various reading levels. Students explore a concept through a trade book, conduct an experiment to reinforce concepts from the book, and share their learning with peers.
Michele Rzewski Copeland, Sterling
Librarian
Potowmack Elementary School
Partners: Kristie Galati, Dean M. Roberts
Ms. Copeland and her partners implement “HEART (Hear Excellent Audio-books Read Today)” to help improve the reading skills of their English language learners and economically disadvantaged students. Students take home audio books and cassette players to increase their exposure to high-quality texts on their reading level. Students complete tests at school to check for reading comprehension of the audio books that were read at home.
Charles K. Jervis, Riner
9th to 12th Grade Science Teacher
Auburn High School
Partner: Jody Jervis
To increase students’ understanding of biology, biochemistry, and microbiology, Mr. Jervis and Ms. Jervis implement a study of cyanobacteria, unicellular aquatic and photosynthetic bacteria, and biofilms, resilient layers formed by bacterial colonies. Students identify and collect biofilms and design a system for controlled testing and monitoring of the biofilms that can be continued by future classes. Working with the biochemistry department of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, students monitor and document colonization and successional changes in the biofilm. Students develop and conduct a scientific seminar to demonstrate their learning in an authentic format.
Melanie Parker, Hampton
Librarian
C. Alton Lindsay Middle School
Partners: M. Ann Patterson, Aaron Smith
Ms. Parker and her partners implement a digital documentary movie project to help eighth grade students build higher order thinking skills and research and technology skills. The project also provides students with multiple learning styles the opportunity to demonstrate their individual strengths. Students study the purpose and format of a documentary and select a compelling historical topic. After researching their topic, students reconstruct the story through interviews, dramatizations, illustrations, music, and narration, and film and produce a documentary for public viewing.
Nancy Gail Pollack, Hinesburg
Pre-Kindergarten to 8th Grade Mathematics Coordinator
Hinesburg Community School
Partners: Jo Evelti, Audrey Walsh
Recognizing that many of their students entering pre-kindergarten and kindergarten are unprepared to learn mathematics, Ms. Pollack and her partners host “Family Math Playtime” to help parents understand how the language of mathematics applies to young learners and how to present mathematics concepts to their children. Students and parents engage in mathematics activities designed to promote critical thinking and build foundational skills. Using “make and take” stations, parents create materials to help continue their children’s learning at home.
Marilyn McKnight, Milwaukee
English as a Second Language Teacher
H.W. Longfellow Elementary School
Partners: Tiffanie M. Durrant, Diane Johnson, Jose A. Santiago, Karen Steele
Through the “Building Bridges Project,” Ms. McKnight and her partners use chess to encourage their at-risk students to develop the self-respect and critical thinking and problem solving skills needed to bridge the gap to academic, social, and personal success. Family members and school staff join students to learn the basic rules, strategies, and habits of mind necessary to play chess. Students design a living chess set and participate in school chess tournaments. To expand learning opportunities, teachers develop methods to integrate chess into the curriculum.