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Framingham Public Schools
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2006-2007 Mini-Grant Awards 1st Round Spring 2006 Studying Living Things Applicant: Maria Miranda 1st grade, Barbieri The 1st grade science curriculum focuses heavily on the study of living and non-living things. Framingham teachers will work with Garden in the Woods to create a unit with lesson plans in English and Spanish to support this area of study. Children learn best by doing, and they will participate in hands on activities to gain an understanding of how environments and living things interact. Students will apply what they have learned during a visit to the Garden in the Woods. Award: $500 McCarthy Lego Blockbusters Club Applicant: Joan Vodoklys, principal, McCarthy (for gr.1-3) The club will be an after school program for students in grades one, two, and three. The purpose of the club is to lead teams of students through an in-house Lego competition followed by participation in an official First Junior Lego League (FJLL) competition against other schools. Students will acquire and practice a variety of skills including research, writing, math/technical skills, modeling, teamwork, presentation and domain knowledge of the challenge subject area. The club will stimulate students' interest in math, science and engineering while reinforcing curriculum skills through creative problem solving and teamwork. Award: $850 Learning By Doing Applicant: Applicant John Harutunian, Fuller, Dept. Head ESL Bilingual Enhance mentoring program by providing professional development materials and training mainstream teachers to be more knowledgeable about the needs of English Language Learners. Award: $520 Black History Tour Applicant: Kristine Houston, FHS teacher African American Studies and African American Literature students will visit the Museum of African American History and take the Black Heritage tour and then research their own areas of interest to update and expand the Black Heritage trail. Students will create a pamphlet and a tour presentation and then present their project to their peers on an actual bus tour of historical sites in the Boston area. In addition to the pamphlet, which will include photographs and descriptions of the sites, they will also create a video of the tour spots to share with other history classes. Award: $472 Art History Applicant: Chris Finan and Susan Colella, FHS History teachers To create an Art History course that will help students make connections across the curriculum. The study of art from around the world helps to tell the "human story" of history and bridge the gap between civilizations. The study of art history helps not only to foster tolerance and understanding but also create a more informed citizenry. Award: $1000 Integrating Differentiated Instruction into all areas of Science using Simple Machines Applicant: Cheryl Pennie, 4th grade, Dunning This program will expand on the science curriculum to reach all levels of learners. Currently the Lego kits used to teach Simple Machines only meet the needs of the higher-level learners. Basic Simple Machine kits together with appropriate lesson plans will allow each child regardless of their ability to create and design Simple Machines. Award: $940 Fraction Fun: A Hands on Approach to Learning Applicant: Nicholas Botelho, 5th grade, Dunning This grant will enhance the Everyday Math curriculum by providing differentiated instruction in the difficult area of fractions, decimals and percents. Through the use of games, literature, technology and manipulatives, all learners will increase their knowledge and strengthen their ability to relate these concepts to the real world. "Fraction Fun bags" will allow students and their families the opportunity to learn and work together with games and reinforcement materials. Award: $1000 That's a Fact! Applicant: Helen Higgins, 2nd grade, Wilson Through the creation and use of Math Fact bags and games, continue to motivate the students to strive for the mastery of basic math facts. This mastery will form the foundation for success on MCAS tests and in completing math curriculum assignments and tests in a timely and accurate manner. Award: $250 Raising the Curtain/Arriba El Telon! Applicant: Rebecca Lally, 3rd grade 2-way program, Barbieri This program will expose third grade participants in the two-way bilingual program to elements of theater, performance, and dramatic writing. A local acting troupe will deliver a five day workshop to teach acting and performance skills. Students will ultimately write and perform plays that enhance the L.A. curriculum and their second language acquisition. Award: $1000 FHS Poetry Slam Applicant: Alison Lemoine, FHS English teacher This program incorporates Slam Poetry into the standard English Literature curriculum to increase appreciation of poetry for those competing and in the audience. Funding includes providing a theater venue for the final round of competition. Award: $400 Note: the Smith Fund is funding this grant Building Bridges While Dancing Across Applicant: Paula Silver and Helen Higgins, 5th grade, Wilson This program provides an opportunity to build social skills and confidence in 5th grade students through a series of after school ballroom dancing lessons. Ballroom dancing will enhance motor skills, fitness, and personal and social competency, all skills that will help them to transition successfully to middle school. Professional ballroom dance instructors will provide lessons at a significant discount. Award: $1000 Silver Linings Applicants: Joe Ciavarini and Ronnie Silver, special education, Fuller This program integrates and reinforces math and reading skills through a multi-sensory learning experience. Culinary arts, construction and building activities will be used to enhance the curriculum for this self-contained classroom of students with significant intellectual impairment. Award: $1000 2nd Round Fall 2006 Artist in Residence Applicant: Gloria Geller, Brophy (grades 3 & 4) This project will bring Janet Montecalvo, the illustrator of the book Sofie and the City into the classroom to share the original art and the artistic process with the students. Students will write an original poem that they will then illustrate with Janet's guidance. They will gain an understanding of the process and planning necessary to create a picture book. Learning how illustrations and pictures enhance the reader's experience of the story will combine art and literacy in a meaningful way. Award: $835 Math B.R.I.D.G.E. Applicant: Laurel Martin, Hemenway (K) The purpose of this project is to close the achievement gap in math at the kindergarten level. By using selected math activities at school and at home, targeted at-risk students will benefit from increased understanding of mathematical concepts and will be better prepared for their future mathematical endeavors. Award: $302 I Write/You Write Applicant: Laurel Martin, Hemenway (K) The goal of this project is to increase the quality and quantity of student writing by enhancing the 6+1 Traits of Writing Program. Kindergarteners are natural storytellers but are often fearful of making a mistake when writing down their stories. By using materials such as stamps, flip books, posters and journals, students will be encouraged to put their thoughts down on paper and build on their writing skills. Award: $357 Realizing History Applicant: Carol Berlin, Dunning (grade 5) This program will support teaching of the history curriculum by the use of "realia", that is, items which represent the concept being taught. To help students grasp the life styles and historical perspectives of another era, actual historical items will be introduced during the lessons. For example, to help students understand the importance of the Colonial era tax on tea and the boycott of British goods, a connection to the era can be made through incorporating bricks of tea, ledger books, reproductions of coins and bills of the time and other items into the history lessons. Award: $262 Move to the Music Applicant: Ellen Makynen, B.L.O.C.K.S. From the time they are born, human beings are predisposed to learn and enjoy music. Children especially are open to it, and research increasingly has shown that exposure to music and especially participation in making it is invaluable in helping children's brains develop the neural bridges that make them stronger. This project will be a collaboration of four departments at the high school: Early Childhood Education, Music, BLOCKS, and the FHS day care center. High school students studying music and child development will create and deliver musical experiences for children in preschool and the day care center, increasing their own understanding of how young children learn. Award: $995 Jeff Nathan Author Visit Applicant: Joan Vodoklys, McCarthy ( grades K-5) McCarthy, as the School of Literary Arts, will enhance the everyday Language Arts environment by hosting author Jeff Nathan for performances and classroom visits. Students will have the opportunity to speak with and participate with a published poet and author as he shares his talents and craft with them in a variety of situations. The theme of Mr. Nathan's visit is "Language Arts Education Through Humor." He will complement the curriculum by covering parts of speech, rhyme, pluralizing, reading comprehension and poetry. Award: $750 Poetry in Pictures Applicant: Heidi Dicks, Cameron (grades 6-8) Students will use photography and technology to enhance their learning and will work toward Cameron's goal that students demonstrate a deeper understanding of poetry. They will determine the mood of a poem and take pictures that capture the mood of their poem. They will then take photos of something they find inspiring and use it to create an original poem. Award: $832 Creative Movement to Enhance Curriculum Applicant: Margie Carberry, B.L.O.C.K.S. This program will bring creative movement to several special education classrooms at the preschool level. It provides direct teaching to children by a dance/movement therapist and consultation with classroom teachers to develop creative movement activities and materials that can be used in future classes. Creative movement can stimulate and extend areas of learning and aid students in accessing the curriculum. Award: $880 Destination Moon Applicant: Carol Rafferty, Wilson (grade 3) This project involves the integration of writing, art, and scientific inquiry as part of an in-depth nature study of the moon and its phases. Students will ask questions, make observations, and learn to support their speculation through research. They will keep detailed moon journals of observations and sketches to document their learning, and will collaborate with their peers to share their findings. Students will also visit the Planetarium at Framingham State College and have the opportunity to learn from experts in the field. Award: $826 Building a Haven for Birds, Bees, and Other Insects Applicant: Nancy Yocum de Romero, Barbieri (grade 4) This project will help students to better understand the fourth grade science curriculum, including Structure of Life (parts of plants ands their functions, life cycles of plants, pollinating and seed dispersal) and Simple Machines (forces, tools and technology). Students will further develop an existing garden to include birdhouses built by them. Activities will include researching birdhouse and feeding requirements and designing effective houses using the engineering design process. Students will then build the birdhouses, hang them in the garden and plant and care for the garden areas. Award: $500 Dance Program at Cameron Applicant: Karen Dauer, Cameron (grades 6-8) This grant provides for professional development to help introduce dance into the Physical Education curriculum. The PE teachers will be instructed by a professional dance teacher and then introduce line dancing, folk dances, and square dances into the regular physical education classes. Award: $150 A Dreamy Design ‚ Mathematics and the Engineering Process of Design Applicant: Jae Goodwin, Dunning (grade 4) Fourth graders at Dunning will design and create individual dream houses working alongside local area architects through Learning by Design in Massachusetts. LBD: MA is the children's design education program of the Boston Society of Architects. In addition to learning geometry and formulas for area and perimeter and calculating scale, they will acquire knowledge in science and engineering standards as they follow the design process. Students will develop scale models of their own three dimensional dream houses. Award: $1000 Critical Listening Skills' Literature Collection Applicant: Janet Dumas (grade 5) The program will utilize a specially selected collection of literature to teach children critical listening skills. Students will be taught how to comprehend a spoken message, evaluate it, and analyze the message rather than accept it at face value. As critical listeners, they will be taught how to distinguish between a speaker's implications and factual information. Students will be taught to recognize emotive language, bias, fact and opinion, propaganda techniques, and relevant and irrelevant information. They will learn to distinguish between fact and opinion and to evaluate sources. Award: $400 Thayer Grant for Technology and Research Measuring Cellular Energetics with O2 and CO2 Sensors Applicant: Robert Langdon, FHS Biology Instructor Purchase of three O2 sensors and three CO2 sensors that will allow enhanced study of cellular respiration for AP Biology. Also allow for teacher training so that labs or demonstrations for CP1 And CP2 Biology can incorporate further study of cellular respiration as well. Award: $1360 Sibelius Project Applicant: Cindy Moore, Barbieri (K-5) This program will provide Sibelius music notation software for use by all music classes at Barbieri School. Sibelius software allows the users ‚ both teachers and students ‚ to create music in a multitude of ways. It can be used to enhance a simple melody by adding harmony or percussion parts, to compose entirely new compositions, and even to take a motive and add an entire orchestration around it. The work created in Sibelius will be printed so that students can use classroom instruments to play it or the work can be burned onto a compact disk so that a newly composed recording can accompany the class. This will enhance the children's musical experience by providing a specific accompaniment tailored to the needs of each individual class. Students will also become familiar with the software and work together to create their own compositions. Award: $979 Edmark Reading Project Applicant: Amy Swallows, Potter Road (Spec.Ed. Gr.1,2,4) Edmark Reading Program software is designed for students with learning or developmental disabilities and those who have not succeeded with other reading methods. This proven program will be used to teach students with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Autism who struggle to improve their reading capabilities. Multiple learning modalities are incorporated into this highly effective process with a variety of lesson formats that keep students motivated and involved. Award: $685 TOTAL GRANTS FOR 2006-2007 25 Mini-Grants + 3 Thayer Technology Grants Awarded $20,045 Awarded for Mini-Grants/Thayer $1,450 for Year Three of High School Guidance Program TOTAL AWARDED: $21,495 Grant Awards by subject area:
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