MEF Round 18 Awarded Grants – June, 2011

Round 18 Grants – June, 2011

  1. Permanent Ink Slam Poets. The purpose of this grant is to give a group of 5 to 30 self-selected students at MHS the opportunity to participate in the Louder than a Bomb poetry competition which takes place every year in Chicago sponsored by the Young Chicago Authors.  In addition, team members perform their poetry at the Revue, STAND’s Coffee House, SADD, NWI’s Hotter than a Steel Mill poetry slam event.  The team will be self-sustaining through fundraising and shows after this season.  Total cost is $1250.   They are raising $550 to offset the costs.   Dave Hossler, MHS, 5-35 students, $200.

  2. Audiobooks:  Great Reads on the Go!
    The project focuses on increasing literacy and encouraging readers with lower Lexile3 scores.  This grant will be used to purchase 40 MP3 players and checkout books through the Lake County Public Library’s Overdrive subscription. These will be used in the classroom or checked out for overnight use.   Total cost of the project is $1000.
    MHS, 9-12, 400+ students, $1000,  Elizabeth Kenyon.


  3. Think First and Stay Safe School Program.   
    This is a research-based personal safety program to be piloted at Miller and Fieler next school year.  Thirty minute sessions over 5 consecutive weeks will be presented using skills learned, critical thinking and instincts to help stay safe.  This will focus on the three principles of PBIS – safety, responsibility to report abuse, and respect. 
    Miller and Fieler, Grade 3, 203 students, $724.10, Nancy Fleming.


  4. Bridging the Achievement Gap in Reading.  
    The Leveled Literacy Intervention System is a small-group, supplementary intervention program designed to proved powerful daily small-group instruction for the lowest achieving students in the early grades.  This system provides early detection and focused instruction to increase literacy.
    Iddings, Grades 1&2, 249 students, $1067, Linda Zorich.


  5. Sound Stories. 
    This project will enable students to connect literature and music in a creative manner by adding sound effects and music to stories and/or poems.  Beginning with whole group instruction, the teacher will model the process of choosing vocabulary, phrases, or feelings that could be re-expressed with instrument sounds, found sounds, or movement.  As a final step, students repeat the activity of the class and create their own sound stories.  All of this relates to creative and critical thinking skills.  In addition, cooperative learning skills of respect, teamwork, and community will be explored. 
    Salk, Grades 1-4, 500 students, $1450, Joy Brown. 


  6. Junior Engineering. 
    The purpose of the Junior Engineering project is to provide an opportunity for 3rd graders to build motorized machines using unique Lego kits.  Students will cooperatively build, motorize, and run machines exhibiting basic engineering principles while using critical thinking and collaborating skills. 
    Wood, Grade 3, 70 students, $560, Jayne Hickman. 


  7. Fun With The Sun. 
    The goal of this project is to accomplish an education program that demonstrates the advantages of conserving energy and using solar power.  By doing these activities such as nature print paper, solar beads to show that light can make color change, sun’s energy, use of thermometers to measure heat energy, solar balloons to show how heat makes substances expand, solar ovens to cook various foods will help students learn the importance of alternative energy sources. 
    Wood, K-4, 335 students, $500, George Grogloth 


  8. Patrick Muldoon and His Magic Balloon. 
    Patrick Muldoon is a story about a young boy who travels to several countries around the world.  It is currently in oral form.  Fourth graders will create illustrations for the story which will then be put in a book form.  A CD will be available to use with the book.  Music, Art, and regular classroom teachers will have the book available to use for lessons on cultures.
     Iddings, K-1 Art, 200 students, $417.96, Leslie Bier. 


  9. Poetry, Please. 
    Poetry is often the forgotten genre of English/Language Arts instruction.  Research has shown the importance of poetry and the development of fluency, written and oral language and appreciation of literature.  Teachers having access to poetry will enable this forgotten genre to enter our classrooms.  The purpose of this grant is to fund the purchase of poetry kits for John Wood and Miller Elementary schools that are written specifically to increase fluency, oral language, written language and love of literature.  The funding of this poetry grant will encourage the teachers to pause a moment every day to put the rhythms and cadences of poetry into the air and into the ear.
    Lori Govert and Jenny Maynard, Miller and Wood, K-4, 850 students, $3027.40. 


TOTAL ROUND 18 GRANTS:  $8,946.46

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