GRANT TITLE ___Can we do Science?___________
GRADE(S) __Fourth__________
1. Project Description: What do you want to do and why have you chosen this project? State clearly and be creative.
Dekalb County has adopted new science performance standards to adjust the method in which we deliver science instruction. There is a move toward inquiry-based lessons, but this is not commensurate with the materials to implement this successfully. We would like to implement an inquiry –based approach to the major units of science to improve the absorption of material and concepts. Inquiry based curriculum has been shown to develop independent and critical thinking skills, positive attitudes and curiosity toward science and increased achievement in biological content (Hall & McCudy, 1990), (Kyle et al, 1988), (Kyle et al, 1982), and (Shymansky, 1984). Leonard (1983) showed that university students who completed a semester long introductory biology laboratory designed on inquiry based approaches achieved 6% higher grades on biology content exams as opposed to the control group which completed a more traditional information-transmission modeled laboratory. A critical component to the success of this strategy is student interest and involvement. We would like to utilize more engaging resources in an effort to guide the students toward inquiry based learning.
2. Objectives: What are your goals? What type of growth do you expect the participants to demonstrate? The objective should be realistic in terms of methods, staff, space, time, and student involvement.
In this diverse culture, we have students with varying abilities and backgrounds. Some subject areas lend themselves to accommodate for past inattention or resources, by allowing the possibility of success through family involvement, such as reading. The subject of science is completely different. The best mode of information transfer is through hands on learning and methods to demonstrate and practice the skills used. The goals of this project would be to implement the engaging activities and resources during the allotted science time, as well as use them to reinforce these skills during other center activity times. This will also allow for the integration of other subject areas as related to science, not secluded where each subject is isolated in the knowledge contained. I would expect the participants to show growth in idea development, and the application of the scientific process to issues and questions the find in everyday experiences.
GRANT TITLE ____Cyberchase the Numbers Away____________
GRADE(S) ___Fourth_________
1. Project Description: What do you want to do and why have you chosen this project? State clearly and be creative.
In an attempt to improve the transfer of mathematical concepts and improve retention of critical information, I would like to utilize technology to engage students in hands-on math activities and provide them with interesting correlated manipulatives to demonstrate their mastery of complex concepts. The demographic make-up of this class is unique in that we have deaf students, struggling students, accomplished students, and gifted students. This class is comprised of 23 students who encompass a vast range of ability levels. We are a co-taught inclusion class for deaf or hard of hearing students being mainstreamed in our regular education classroom, as well as a cluster model classroom for gifted instruction for four segments each day. This project will capitalize on the technology interest factor as well as rely on the proven educational excellence provided through the Public Broadcasting System programming. PBS has developed the program Cyberchase which is aligned to the national math standards. There are about 250 episodes in circulation with educator license to copy and use for a year after each recording. This program is available to download episodes from itunes for a small expense. Due to changing technology, it is difficult to record these episodes when they air, and nearly impossible to record onto DVD for use in class projectors. We embrace technology as a critical tool in nearly all our instruction. We utilize an Activboard consistently to appeal to the varied learning styles represented in this group. Research has proven that the visual and hands-on manipulatives greatly improve the learning outcomes for students with disabilities, especially those with an auditory deficiency. By selecting manipulatives from a variety of ability levels; above, on, and under grade-level expectations, we can further differentiate instruction to meet all students’ needs without obvious leveling which could result in lower self-esteem.
2. Objectives: What are your goals? What type of growth do you expect the participants to demonstrate? The objective should be realistic in terms of methods, staff, space, time, and student involvement.
The goal of this project is to create a stronger, more concrete link between math concepts expected to be mastered and application of these in everyday life. I expect the participants to be able to identify, articulate, and apply these math concepts independently as a result of the multiple strategies used to demonstrate mastery. The goals vary according to students’ needs and abilities. The lower level students should be able to demonstrate improvement in the Math section of standardized tests addressing these components to a level that meets expectations as evidenced on the CRCT. The average students should see greater improvement in these areas as well, while applying these concepts to more complex situations thus improving the math scores as they pertain to word problems and applications that require more than one operation to complete. The gifted students will be expected to draw more conclusions and generalizations from the mathematical information, as well as making abstract and cross-curricular connections showing greater depth of knowledge.
