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Goal

The goal of this grant is to give students access to informational text (books and articles) related to science, math, and history that will also tie in hands on activities that go with what they are reading. Students participate in a designated time termed “Walk to Read”. During this time, students who are identified as needed reading interventions work in small groups on county identified research based programs. The rest of the students (about 3/4ths of the students) are left to read on their own. The items in this grant are intended to offer more literacy selections (books and informational text) along with kits that will give those students more structured and standards based assignment to do at that time. Students will rotate through the different texts and kits over the course of the year. Students will be able to plan, build and test designs related to different science and math concepts after reading the background information on that topic. It will offer real world connections to the concepts they are reading. It will tie in informational literacy with science and math.

 

What will be done with my students

Over the course of the year, students from 5th grade that are NOT already in intervention groups, will be given enrichment activities to increase literacy skills, math skills, and knowledge of science concepts. The students NOT receiving interventions will be divided up into groups and placed with the three 5th grade teachers that are not implementing interventions at that time. The students will be placed in groups and will rotate through the different reading selections and hands-on activities. There is a designated 30 minutes of each school day that will be utilized for the items in this grant. The rotations will include reading books, article, or other informational text and complete hands-on activities related to the following: careers that connect to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), famous inventors and problem-solving, real-world challenges such as freshwater filters, and robot hands, and mysteries. For example, when working through the Instant STEM activities kit, students will read a nonfiction article to introduce the topic, complete a hands on experiment that connects to that topic, and record their data and discoveries. Each article (and or book) ordered will take approximately one week for each group of students to complete, so typically they will begin a new text and activity each Monday. There are enough materials in the texts and kits to last the rest of the school year. 

Benefits to my students

Seventy percent of the 5th grade students are currently NOT receiving interventions during our "Walk to Read" portion of the day. This leaves them with unstructured time that would be better utilized through the idea presented in this grant. Students will show improvement in math, science, and literacy. Approximately 60 students in 5th grade will benefit from this grant this year and the text selections and materials can be used year after year since they are not consumable. Typically, each year, Seventy percent of that year's students will not be in an intervention group and would be able to utilize these materials. Potentially, this would equal hundreds of students in just a few years. The success of this project will be measured by the increase of GLE (grade level equivalent) of student's reading scores by at least 6 months growth equivalent (November-April).  

Budget Narrative

Items requested are:
(1)Real-World STEM careers book set ($87.50) : 8 pack STEM book set is packed with insight into real careers—from sports engineer to sound technician—plus insider photos, fun facts, vocabulary and more. There are even real-world math problems and extension activities!
(2), Real-World STEM Challenge Kit ($149): 3 kits that include cards (informational text) and materials to construct an earthquake-safe structure, design a robotic hand that can pick up a ball…and engineer a filter that purifies water. Also includes careers cards that apply what kids are learning to the real world!
(3) STEM non-fiction book set ($71.50): Children get an in-depth look at amusement parks, vehicles, architecture and more—with 8 high-interest books that also include lab activities and real-world math problems.Topics include speed, analyzing data, energy, force and motion, electromagnetism, 3-D shapes, magnets, simple machines and mechanical engineering.
(4) Famous inventors problem-solving kit ($169): After reading about a famous inventor, kids use the included pieces and step-by-step design cards to plan, build and test one of the inventor’s important creations—a telephone system, a telegraph or a motion-picture viewer.
(5) Instant STEM activities Grades 4-6 ($49.99): This comprehensive pack features 15 topics. Each topic comes in a self-contained folder with an anchor text for building background knowledge, multiple copies of two hands-on investigations, companion reproducible recording sheets, management tips, plus links to an online video and bonus activities. Topics include: Physical Science, Properties of Matter, air, Forces, Light, Energy Life Science, Food Webs, Sense of Smell, Ice Age Adaptations, Hearing, Fossils Earth Science, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Wind Power, Weather and Climate Change, and Hurricane Damage.
(6) Informational Texts grades 3-5 ($149): 50 trade books related to informational text concepts in science, history, and math
(7)Super Science Mysteries Kit ($38.99): 20 science mysteries that include the mystery, background information, discussion questions, and a hands-on activity to help students solve the case.
(8) Shipping costs from vendors: ($90) 

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