Walton Education Foundation

Reading literacy is the end all; be all for life and in school. Being able to read well helps students and their families to break out of the generational poverty cycle. If you are a good reader, your chance of getting a good paying job increases exponentially. Helping our students who are struggling readers at the WISE Center is one of the most pivotal challenges we face as educators today. Due to the use of technology in our student's lives today, it makes sense to approach this with technology. We would like to heighten our students’ interest in literacy with supplementary technology and resources for whole group and small group instruction.
By the conclusion of this school year, we would like to see a 15% increase in mastery of our student's reading skills such as comprehension, fluency, and decoding of literature. This will include stories, news articles, poetry, and dramas as tested by the FAST ELA/Reading test.

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Exceptional Students Plus Technology = Progress

School:
Walton Intensity School of Excellence 
Subject:
Literacy 
Teacher:
Doralyn Sasser 
 
Ruth Theisen 
Students Impacted:
36 
Grade:
6-8 
Date:
September 22, 2023

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

 

CHELCO - Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative - $1,494.98

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Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 50

Due to the fact that I was able to get earphones and mice, my students were able to easily manuever around on their computers. It also allowed the students to listen to their assignments without interrupting anyone else. The shelf we got, that holds a total of fifteen mice and fifteen headphones, keeps everything nice and neat which means the headphones and mice will stay in good shape for years to come. Headphones also help some students concentrate better because they can listen to music as they work. I have been very pleased with how well this equipment has worked out, as is Mrs. Theisen. We are very thankful that our grant was funded and our students are being directly impacted positively by the headphones, mice, and the storage shelf.

grant photo

X using his headphones and mouse

grant photo

N using his headphones

 

grant photo

N and B using their new equipment

 

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Reading literacy is the end all; be all for life and in school. Being able to read well helps students and their families to break out of the generational poverty cycle. If you are a good reader, your chance of getting a good paying job increases exponentially. Helping our students who are struggling readers at the WISE Center is one of the most pivotal challenges we face as educators today. Due to the use of technology in our student's lives today, it makes sense to approach this with technology. We would like to heighten our students’ interest in literacy with supplementary technology and resources for whole group and small group instruction.
By the conclusion of this school year, we would like to see a 15% increase in mastery of our student's reading skills such as comprehension, fluency, and decoding of literature. This will include stories, news articles, poetry, and dramas as tested by the FAST ELA/Reading test.
 

 

What will be done with my students

Implementing opportunities to have additional technology (30 mice and 30 headphones) will make whole and small group instruction a multi-sensory process that is both appealing and explicit. By using this technology students will be able to shut out noises when they need quiet, listen to stories being read to them on programs like Study Island, Exact Path, and Common Lit, use mice to help them click where they need it, and have better mouse control.
Moreover, using sites like Rewordify or Book Share allow students to change the Lexile of the story they are reading to their independent reading level. This allows students to successfully read the same story as their classmates but on a level they understand. These sites allow students to copy and paste a reading passage and change the Lexile, so they gain a better understanding of what they are reading.
Furthermore, I would like to add 2 flexible seating chairs (with the intention to add more later). Students feel vested when they get to select the type of seating they will use. Furthermore, we would like to add a 27-slot mailbox to store the headphones and mouse for each student in its own cubby. This will allow our students to quickly be able to grab their headphones and mouse at the beginning of class and get right to work. They will also be able to put their headphones and mouse quickly and neatly in their assigned cubby when class is over. It is important for our students to have their own personal cubby. This lowers the risk of anything contagious be shared with other students. 

 

Benefits to my students

In today’s world, when students and teachers are bombarded with loads of technology and digital tools, we must make technology work for us and our students. This will enable us to create a focused student-centered education experience that connects readers with real-world problems. The ultimate goal is to nurture a culture of reading.
In particular, our ESE students (100% of our population) profit greatly from genuine literary experiences and digital tools that allow them to collaborate and connect with their peers.
Additionally, headphones and mice need to have a place to be put up so the cords and headphones do not get tangled. The headphones and mice being separated allows the beginning and end of class to run smoothly. No wasted time trying to untangle cords. 

 

Budget Narrative

This $1494.98 will cover the cost of 30 new headphones, 30 new mice, and 2 mailboxes (for headphone and mouse storage) for literary learning which includes our ESE (Exceptional Student Education) students.  

 

Items

# Item Cost
1 Califone NeoTech Plus 1017AV Premium x 30 $696.30
2 Logitech M100 Corded Ambidextrous Optical Mouse x 30 $299.70
3 Really Good Stuff Classroom Mail Center 27-Slots x2 $498.98
  Total: $1,494.98

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Special Thanks to Our Presenting Partners

CHELCO

The Alys Foundation

St. Joe Community Foundation

Florida Power & Light

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