2009-2010 Teacher Mini-Grants Award Booklet - The Education Fund

TEACHER MINI-GRANTS SPONSORED BYBRICKELL AVENUE LITERARY SOCIETYA BOOK IN EVERYSTUDENT'S POCKETIn celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200thbirthday, fourth- and fifth-grade studentswill be presented with a book andencouraged to always keep a book closeat hand, "in their pocket," just as Abe did.This and other revelations will be madeby students as they read a biography andan historical novel, and analyze quotes,jokes and writings of our most influentialpresident. The project emphasizes thatAbe was a self-taught man whose voraciousreading opened up the world forhim in the midst of humble surroundings.Students also keep a journal as they readto record examples of attributes associatedwith Abe's life and legacy such as honesty,justice and integrity and how they canapply these principles to their own lives.Cheryl SpinerAir Base ElementaryCHATTY CHARTSLearning vocabulary is a collaborativegroup project for early readers withChatty Chart word web exercises, whichare created spontaneously in classroomdiscussions and displayed throughout theyear. Students take pride in theircreations and make smaller versions oncard stock to use at home. Applied tomath and science lessons in addition tolanguage arts, the visual word chartshelp learners retain new words and usethem in speaking and writing.Linda BlanchfieldRoyal Palm ElementaryEDUCATE PARENTS ASREADING SUPPORTERSAfter discovering that many parents ofbeginning readers are willing to getinvolved in their children's lessons, butlack the applied knowledge of how toreinforce literacy skills, teachers conceivedthis series of eight parent workshopsscheduled over two months.Parents of kindergarten and first-gradestudents attend one of the meetings tolearn tips on reading aloud, and how toincorporate resources such as games,hands-on activities and Web sites intotheir reading to enhance their child'slanguage development.Suzelle Etienne & Nancy SaleLillie C. Evans ElementaryFAIRYTALE NEWS OF THEENCHANTED COURTThis interdisciplinary project begins withstudents reading age-appropriate fairy talesand folk tales, and applying the charactersand storyline to the real-life conventions ofnewspaper reporting and a courtroom trial.Mock trials of Pinocchio and Peter Rabbitwill be covered by the school newspaperstaff between field trips to The MiamiHerald headquarters, Municipal CourtBuilding and the Playground Theater. Thenew perspectives on classical folk taleswill inspire students to write and producean original play.Tanya DiazEdison Park Elementary &Thena Crowder ElementaryPOETRY IN YOUR HANDSThe Green Words Magnetic Poetry Kit notonly helps these seventh-grade studentsmemorize, analyze and deconstruct poetry,but introduces environmentally friendlyvocabulary words like "sustainable" and"organic." Students will prepare forstandardized tests, learning to recognizealliteration, similes, meter and rhyme, whileusing these literary devices to composetheir own original poems for NationalPoetry Month and Earth Day.Jessica Carcerano-WheelerThe Charter School at WaterstoneREAD A BOOK -MAKE A BOOKThis literary initiative turnsreaders into authors, aslanguage-arts students arerequired to read one young-adultnovel, then write an abridgedversion of the book for youngeror struggling readers orEnglish-language learners.The books will be collected inthe library and promoted to ESLclasses in nearby middle andelementary schools. Many ofthe books will circulate to publiclibraries through a travelingexhibition and several will bedigitized and displayed on theschool Web site.Anabel Parra, ChristinaRodriguez, CarmenConcepcion, & Isabel PerezHialeah Gardens High SchoolTRACES OF OUR LIVESWhen students recognize traces of theirown experiences in literature, they connectwith the community and world aroundthem. Equally important, students developempathy and compassion by reading thediverse perspectives and motivations ofindividuals who are different. These 9thgradestudents will discover both as theyselect novels addressing contemporaryteenager issues, keep a journal on whatthey've read, study literary elements suchas narrative, setting, and vocabulary, andconstruct a board game about their novel.Barbara GarvineMiami Central Senior HighVOICES FROM THE HEARTThis project explores creative ways toshow that everyone has something togive. After reading the children's story TheBiggest and Brightest Light: A True Storyof the Heart, K-5 students will participatein a fundraising project that creates a freebook fair for needy students. From theirvolunteer service and research on childrenaffected by adult illiteracy, students willdevelop, design and perform in a musicalplay that will be video-recorded by highschoolvisual arts students and distributedto other elementary schools.Carol FronkAir Base ElementaryThe Education Fund - www.educationfund.org 7