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It can be difficult to find just the right way of teaching children whose learning isn’t staying apace of ordinary classroom lessons or whose progress lags peers receiving the same instruction. Some simply need more intensive work and practice. Others may need an entirely different approach, something that helps them see the material they must master in different ways. Two teachers at South Allegheny School District’s Early Education Center plan to create “differentiated learning” options for these students using applications available on Apple Computer Inc.’s popular iPod Touch platform.
Their project, titled iLearn Best When iTouch, was one of 15 funded under The Consortium for Public Education’s latest round of Great Idea Grants. The winning projects were selected from among 24 applications.
Heather Sopp and Noel Skorvan, the teachers who plan to use iTouch applications with South Allegheny’s elementary school students, received an $800 award for a pilot demonstration of their concept, said Patti Hoke, coordinator of the Great Idea Grants program. “Our judges thought the introduction of this technology in this particular age group and the concept of identifying applications that could expand options for differentiated instruction were novel,” she added. “We’ll be monitoring the project closely to see what kinds of applications are chosen, how they contribute to remediation and enrichment and whether they help keep students on task.”
Along with Sopp and Skorvan, 41 other educators from 10 school districts and two Career and Technology Centers (CTCs) are participating in the projects funded during the spring round of grants. Together their proposals drew nearly $16,500 in funding, bringing total Great Idea Grants awarded since 1987 to more than $1.39 million.
Projects completed under the latest cycle of grants will directly benefit 3,276 students and some of the projects are designed to touch hundreds more. For example, under a project to build and install solar panels in an outdoor classroom at Westmoreland CTC, Gerald Lane, Mark Long, Mark Schoming and Dave Gordon, will teach concepts related to electricity and green energy in their own classrooms, but reach the many other students from the school’s sending districts who use the area for construction camps, career exploration and other activities.
Following is a complete rundown of award-winning projects from the spring round of Great Idea Grants.
Bethlehem Center School District
Bethlehem Center Elementary School
Marcia Hager, Renee Cross, Brenda Ford, Marlene Bobish, Deborah Roberts, Dr. Talerico
Grant Title: Shake, Rattle and Learn
Amount Awarded: $204.98
Will Benefit: 105 Kindergarten Children
In this program, students will use music and songs to enhance their learning of math, reading, social studies and science. Employing rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, singing will help the children to learn letters and sounds, colors and shapes, word families and sight words, days and months, seasons and holidays, numbers and sequences, etc. The program integrates music and enjoyment into early learning.
Central Westmoreland CTC
Gerald Lane, Mark Long, Mark Schoming, Dave Gordon
Grant Title: Let’s Go Green With Solar Panels
Amount Awarded: $2,276.31
Will Benefit: 60 High School Students directly, 300 indirectly
This grant program will expose students studying electricity to the real-world application of solar electric systems and help prepare them for the green energy jobs of the future. Students will research and construct solar panels from basic building materials and install the panels to power lights in an outdoor classroom. After the initial project is completed, elementary students from the CTC’s sending districts may use the outdoor classroom for their science classes and middle school students will view the project and learn about green technologies when they visit during Careers Under Construction Day and Construction Camp.
Charleroi Area School District
Charleroi Elementary School
Tadem Perok, Patricia Elkin
Grant Title: Habitat Sweet Habitat – An Ant’s Happy Home
Amount Awarded: $199.86
Will Benefit: 55 Fourth Graders
In this program, students will interact with, observe, document and understand the habitat and life cycle of ants. Building from the ASSET science lessons on animal habitats and environmental needs, students will create and sustain an ant habitat recording observations and making predictions regarding the ants and their home. Students will perform relevant experiments and research information to discover answers to questions they have about ants. Science, reading and writing will be integrated in the program.
Charleroi Area School District
Charleroi Middle School
Howard Johnson, Mary Tickner, Joell Miller, Sharon Markovich, Stephanie Rice
Grant Title: Reducing Today for a Greener Tomorrow
Amount Awarded: $1,786.32
Will Benefit: 930 Middle and High School Students
This project will create a comprehensive recycling program in the middle/high school cafeteria to significantly reduce the total trash output at the school while teaching students valuable environmental lessons. Collection centers for recyclable materials such as plastics, paper containers, compostable food waste and surplus liquid will be created for student use. Lessons related to reducing waste, reusing and recycling will be cross curricular, involving data collection, garbage audits, graphing, persuasive writing, informational brochures, cost analysis and other exercises. A partnership with California University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Applied Engineering and Technology will add valuable resources and expertise to the program.
Chartiers Valley School District
Chartiers Valley High School
Joseph Lucas, Robert Rodrigues, Scott Crimone, Kate Taylor
Grant Title: Student Leadership and The Gettysburg Experience
Amount Awarded: $1,564.64
Will Benefit: 55 High School Students
In this project, teams of upperclassmen will be charged with preparing 9th graders for a trip to the Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg. Students will read the novel, Killing Angels by Michael Shaara, and use the Gettysburg Field Guide to understand the three days at Gettysburg. The students will plan and lead an organized, comprehensive exploration of the battlefield with the underclassmen. In addition, students will create an electronic portfolio including pictures, videos, and discussion blogs to document the field experience.
Clairton City School District
Clairton Elementary Center
Laurel Keegan, Amy Dooley, Susan Piper
Grant Title: Science Olympiad
Amount Awarded: $948.23
Will Benefit: 190 K-2 Students
This great idea takes a multi-sensory approach to learning though a variety of cross-curricular activities that provide for the application of science, math and reading skills. Activities range from exploring a color wheel, to planting flowers and identifying plant-parts, to observing changes from solids to liquids, to testing of the senses and planting a tree. The cross-disciplinary approach is expected to reinforce the lessons being explored.
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Elizabeth Forward School District
Central Elementary School
Angela Girol, Amy Thomas
Grant Title: It’s All in the Family
Amount Awarded: $1,136.84
Will Benefit: 46 Second Graders
This program engages families in children’s reading development through the use of take-home literacy bags. Parents will be trained in use of literacy tools and techniques. With the introduction of each new unit of the reading program, a literacy bag will be introduced to students and circulated from family to family. Families will be given the opportunity to share books with their children, as well as, the tools to engage them in meaningful conversation about stories.
Forbes Road CTC
Wendy Moore, Georgiana Gamberoni
Grant Title: Controversial Issues
Amount Awarded: $1,150.00
Will Benefit: 50 High School Students
In this grant program, students will be engaged in the democratic ideals of debate and discourse as they explore various points of view on controversial issues such as the American prison system, the Patriot Act, stem cell research, gun control and others. Students will read and discuss multiple sides of an issue; analyze the arguments and posting written viewpoints on a blog where others can comment. Reading, researching, analyzing, critical thinking and writing skills will be reinforced in this project.
Forbes Road CTC
Wendy Moore, Georgiana Gamberoni, Cindy Wittman
Grant Title: Writing for Your Career
Amount Awarded: $3,000.00
Will Benefit: 800 High School Students
Under this grant, students will refine their writing skills and create portfolios appropriate for employment interviews and applications for post-secondary education. Written work will focus on experiences in technical classes. Students also will take photos of their technical projects, compose corresponding explanatory material and prepare resumes, application essays, business plans, career goals, and a variety of other portfolio pieces.
Forbes Road CTC
Cherie O’Neal, Jim Cristillo
Grant Title: The Show Must Go On
Amount Awarded: $225.00
Will Benefit: 20 High School Students
Child Care and Building Construction students will work together to create a puppet theater, puppets and shows for use at the daycare center. The Building Construction students will estimate costs, follow blueprints and use a variety of hand and power tools to construct the theater. Child Care students will create puppets, scenery and scripts for performing puppet shows for pre-school children.
Laurel Highlands School District
Hatfield Elementary School
Catherine Marmol, Edward Zelich
Grant Title: Send Stanley Packing!
Amount Awarded: $540.70
Will Benefit: 25 Fifth Graders
The Flat Stanley Project based on the story “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown, provides an opportunity for students to make connections with other students, family and community members as they document the people, places and activities of Flat Stanley as he travels via US Mail to varied destinations. Students write letters of introduction and directions as they send Flat Stanley on his travels to Dad’s and Mom’s workplaces, the mayor’s office, to visit Grandma and others. Students plot on a map all the stops Flat Stanley makes and keep a journal of his visits and escapades. This project promotes academic skills in writing and geography and a host of other informal lessons in social studies, career awareness, and communications.
McKeesport Area School District
McKeesport Area High School
Suzanne Milanovich, Allissa Hilliard
Grant Title: Play 60/Move for Health
Amount Awarded: $645.00
Will Benefit: 20 Special Education High School Students
This program seeks to have special education students at the high school develop a healthy and active lifestyle by expanding their time in physical activity and their access to appropriate exercise tools. Students will be involved in setting their personal health goals and charting their workout progress while they develop their motor skills and improve their fitness levels. Resources from this grant can also be incorporated into regular Physical Education classes.
South Allegheny School District
South Allegheny Early Childhood Center
Heather Sopp, Noel Skorvan
Grant Title: iLearn Best When iTouch
Amount Awarded: $800.00
Will Benefit: 21 Kindergarten and First Grade Students
This grant program will integrate technology into kindergarten and first-grade learning. Various iPod Touch applications will be used for enrichment of classroom lessons, remediation and keeping students on task. Use of the applications will cross all subject areas.
Trinity Area School District
Trinity West Elementary School
Diane Huffner, Jennifer Perry, Jessica Wachter
Grant Title: Avid Readers
Amount Awarded: $1,258.45
Will Benefit: 300 Third, Fourth & Fifth Graders
This great idea provides students with opportunities to read for pleasure and become life-long avid readers instead of just reading to test. The program will provide the opportunities for students to independently read each day and participate in creative activities, with book boxes, blogging, literacy circles, story mapping, movies and others that reinforce literacy skills.
West Jefferson Hills School District
Jefferson Elementary School
Adam Gebhardt, Dennis Peterson
Grant Title: Picture That!
Amount Awarded: $742.82
Will Benefit: 600 Elementary Students
This program seeks to develop a multifunctional Photo Gallery that will be used to display student photography, highlight school events, honor students and staff, and tell stories of the school, its students and visitors. Building on another grant under which students are learning the art of photography, this award will help showcase their talents.
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