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4% Funded

Only $1,149.46 Needed

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Goal

It is important for primary students to become familiarized and be introduced to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Bringing 21st century learning into the classroom through the use of STEM activities will allow my students to be enthusiastically involved in innovative ways of how they should think critically and solve real life problems. My goal is to create a research literacy/writing center, which will make allowance for the implementation of creating a 21st century classroom. The research literacy/writing center will provide an opportunity for students to research, read, write, listen, and speak more effectively as they are motivated through the use technology. My objective is to help students develop a natural curiosity and provide real life experiences and involvement with real people with real jobs/careers. Students will use an iPad, online websites, and the Internet to connect to the real world. By using technology, I can deliver a stronger instructional foundation that captures students’ interest. As a result, my students will interact and explore common core curriculum topics involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities. This approach will lead to deeper knowledge, better connected learning, and more applicable to subsequent learning, and further students’ life careers. Students will be exposed to numerous careers choices, in hope that they can develop interests and in their future, pursue professions that involve science, technology, engineering, or math careers. This innovative approach will aid and assist students as they research non-fictional topics, be exposed to guest speakers, and role-play different career paths in which they are interested in. It is vital that students achieve success, so that they are prepared for success in college, career, and life.  

What will be done with my students

The educational idea for this innovative project is to increase students’ learning gains by integrating STEM education into my daily common core curriculum lessons and activities. Using 21st century technology resources will motivate and engage my students as learning success increases. This innovative approach will allow students to become problem solvers and critical thinkers when applying skills in reading and writing and all content areas. The funds will be use to purchase an iPad, a research/writing center, and career costumes. The use of an iPad will capture students’ interest and maintain their attention as they read, research, and write a non-fiction book about their future goals. Students will be able research a wide range of subjects, topics, and career choices. This will advance and support students as they prepare for a more complex life, career choice, and work environment. After an ongoing period of instruction and learning, students will then focus on multiple career choices that are available to them as they began to look ahead and prepare for their own future. By providing a purposeful and meaningful literacy center that is both academically engaging and appropriately challenging will cause students to take risks, push them to think deeper, and challenge their own abilities. This project will afford each student the opportunity to write his own autobiography book about their beginning life, present life, and their future education and career life goals. My students will learn modern strategies as they access interactive websites, research topics, write reports, and obtain the practice they need to increase reading, comprehension, writing, and research skills. Thus, increasing and boosting math and science scores, as students are assessed on the End-of-the Year Reading and Math Assessments, along with the Big Idea Science Assessments.
ccording to our School Improvement Plan, by 2014, the reading achievement gap needs to be reduced by 6%, science FCAT levels need to be improved, and students need to reduce the achievement gap in mathematics from 34% to 26%. In order to close the gap, it is crucial that primary students are targeted. Using updated technology to drive and modernize my instructions, will allow for an easier integration of how I teach common core curriculum. These improvements will be driven by the use of STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Technology and engineering will be incorporated as students research new topics, role-play, interact with hands on projects, and guest speakers. IPads are the cutting edge in technology and having the funds to bring an iPad into my classroom would allow students to gain knowledge through the use 21st century technology resources. The iPad, various apps, websites, and online educational programs/activities will work easily to differentiate instruction to help meet needs of all learners. Since the iPad is wireless, it will create a more authentic environment for mobility and use. The research literacy/writing centers, is where students will use technology and the internet to gain desired information as they view video clips, models of how things works, and view demonstrations of how other people engages and performs their careers/jobs. BrainPop Jr. is an example of how students can view video clips and learn how scientists make new discoveries, how engineers need math skills to design and build cars, and how chemists use math to make sure that chemicals are mixed in correct proportions and to help predict how chemicals will interact. This approach will expose students to new vocabulary, increase reading fluency, and gain opportunities for reading informational texts. Appropriate Apps often provide embedded visual resources that can be used for learning social studies and science concepts. First In Math, an online interactive math program, is another example of how technology is changing the way students responds when attempting to learn new concepts, it has been a positive approach to raise student achievement. This brain-based learning program allows students to gain deep practice, where skills that normally take months of regular practice can be mastered in days. This program allows rapid increases in computation, problem solving, critical thinking, pattern recognition and other math skills. This shift in my teaching style came about merely because I became frustrated after reviewing the data of my students’ lack of knowledge related to place value and number sense. I attempted teaching my class Place Value using worksheets, manipulative, and other standard methods, but it did not show favorable results. After using a laptop and projector to show interactive technology programs, my students were motivated and began to grasp the concepts more easily. Students mastered more rapidly, the skills needed to move forward with our math curriculum. Another example is using Raz-Kids, an online, guided reading program with interactive books with comprehension quizzes. An Interest Survey indicated that my students enjoy the use of technology. Therefore, I use informational books from this program to introduce upcoming topics being studied in math, science, or social studies, which maintain students’ interest. This approach offers my students valuable opportunities to make sense of the world as a whole, rather than in bits and pieces. This style of teaching is valuable, as it removes the traditional barriers created between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By using STEM education activities, it will help to transform an ordinary teacher-centered classroom into a stimulating curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, that require students to actively engage in situations in order to find answers or solutions. The increased use of technology will improve student achievement and provide a plan to guide my class into the 21st century.
 

Benefits to my students

The educational idea for this innovative project is to increase students’ learning gains by integrating STEM education into my daily common core curriculum lessons and activities. Using 21st century technology resources will motivate and engage my students as learning success increases. This innovative approach will allow students to become problem solvers and critical thinkers when applying skills in reading and writing and all content areas. The funds will be use to purchase an iPad, a research/writing center, and career costumes. The use of an iPad will capture students’ interest and maintain their attention as they read, research, and write a non-fiction book about their future goals. Students will be able research a wide range of subjects, topics, and career choices. This will advance and support students as they prepare for a more complex life, career choice, and work environment. After an ongoing period of instruction and learning, students will then focus on multiple career choices that are available to them as they began to look ahead and prepare for their own future. By providing a purposeful and meaningful literacy center that is both academically engaging and appropriately challenging will cause students to take risks, push them to think deeper, and challenge their own abilities. This project will afford each student the opportunity to write his own autobiography book about their beginning life, present life, and their future education and career life goals. My students will learn modern strategies as they access interactive websites, research topics, write reports, and obtain the practice they need to increase reading, comprehension, writing, and research skills. Thus, increasing and boosting math and science scores, as students are assessed on the End-of-the Year Reading and Math Assessments, along with the Big Idea Science Assessments.
ccording to our School Improvement Plan, by 2014, the reading achievement gap needs to be reduced by 6%, science FCAT levels need to be improved, and students need to reduce the achievement gap in mathematics from 34% to 26%. In order to close the gap, it is crucial that primary students are targeted. Using updated technology to drive and modernize my instructions, will allow for an easier integration of how I teach common core curriculum. These improvements will be driven by the use of STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Technology and engineering will be incorporated as students research new topics, role-play, interact with hands on projects, and guest speakers. IPads are the cutting edge in technology and having the funds to bring an iPad into my classroom would allow students to gain knowledge through the use 21st century technology resources. The iPad, various apps, websites, and online educational programs/activities will work easily to differentiate instruction to help meet needs of all learners. Since the iPad is wireless, it will create a more authentic environment for mobility and use. The research literacy/writing centers, is where students will use technology and the internet to gain desired information as they view video clips, models of how things works, and view demonstrations of how other people engages and performs their careers/jobs. BrainPop Jr. is an example of how students can view video clips and learn how scientists make new discoveries, how engineers need math skills to design and build cars, and how chemists use math to make sure that chemicals are mixed in correct proportions and to help predict how chemicals will interact. This approach will expose students to new vocabulary, increase reading fluency, and gain opportunities for reading informational texts. Appropriate Apps often provide embedded visual resources that can be used for learning social studies and science concepts. First In Math, an online interactive math program, is another example of how technology is changing the way students responds when attempting to learn new concepts, it has been a positive approach to raise student achievement. This brain-based learning program allows students to gain deep practice, where skills that normally take months of regular practice can be mastered in days. This program allows rapid increases in computation, problem solving, critical thinking, pattern recognition and other math skills. This shift in my teaching style came about merely because I became frustrated after reviewing the data of my students’ lack of knowledge related to place value and number sense. I attempted teaching my class Place Value using worksheets, manipulative, and other standard methods, but it did not show favorable results. After using a laptop and projector to show interactive technology programs, my students were motivated and began to grasp the concepts more easily. Students mastered more rapidly, the skills needed to move forward with our math curriculum. Another example is using Raz-Kids, an online, guided reading program with interactive books with comprehension quizzes. An Interest Survey indicated that my students enjoy the use of technology. Therefore, I use informational books from this program to introduce upcoming topics being studied in math, science, or social studies, which maintain students’ interest. This approach offers my students valuable opportunities to make sense of the world as a whole, rather than in bits and pieces. This style of teaching is valuable, as it removes the traditional barriers created between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By using STEM education activities, it will help to transform an ordinary teacher-centered classroom into a stimulating curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, that require students to actively engage in situations in order to find answers or solutions. The increased use of technology will improve student achievement and provide a plan to guide my class into the 21st century.
 

Budget Narrative

Writing Center Lakeshore Learning 1 $499.00
Book Binding/Publishing Student Treasures 19 $200.00
Apple iPad Apple Store 2 $399.99
Career Costumes Lakeshore 3 $100.47

Total $1199.46


 

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