Middle School Grants 2017-2018
Anthony Morse All Middle Schools TSD 8th Grade Civil War Day
All four middle school’s 8th graders will be visiting the Troy Historical Museum. We will continue an activity that has become a staple for all 8th grade students who attend any of the 4 middles schools in the Troy School District. The Troy Historical Museum experience will supplement lessons pertaining to the Civil War, which will meet several of our Grade Level content expectations. Each school has designated activities they we will rotate 8-10 stations. This experience will allow students to hear great speakers and see how people lived during the 1860's. It is our goal to give students an experience beyond the textbook. For example, we are hiring a square dance caller, Abe Lincoln and Sojourner Truth. Grant money will help offset the cost that would be passed along to our students and families.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School ONETROY da Vinci Awards
6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at each middle school will create a short video to enter into a film festival entitled, “The daVinci Awards - ONE TROY”. . Examples of projects include: all 7th grade science students creating a video to teach a specific concept in the context of a story, literary analysis from 8th grade language arts students, exercise videos from physical education students, artist biographies from Visual Arts students, public service announcements from broadcast media arts students. This project encourages students to apply what they have been learning in their subject area classes. A ceremony will take place in the evening at Baker Middle School gymnasium to showcase the Best of Show videos from each course and grade level. Selected students will host the award ceremony and distribute trophies to the “Best in Show" for each grade level and each course discipline.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School Skydome Planetarium
7th grade science students will participate in the SkyDome Planetarium assembly .[1] This assembly offers a 45-minute journey through the universe inside an inflatable planetarium. The navigator uses a digital planetarium projector and a laser pointer to guide students through the stars of the Northern Hemisphere exactly as they appear on the day of the presentation. Students will learn how to identify every planet in our solar system in dramatic "flights" towards each world. They will be introduced to Greek mythological characters and see how these heroes of the past can be found in the stars. Students will witness the night sky in different seasons and from different global perspectives. The opportunity to participate in a Skydome presentation addresses the Next Generation Science Standards for Space Systems.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU is a concept similar to an Escape Room. An Escape Room asks participants to work together to solve puzzles to break out of a room. The concept of Breakout EDU is to “break in” to a box. Breakout EDU games teach critical thinking, teamwork, complex problem solving, and can be used in all content areas. By adding five additional kits to the school additional students will be able to work in teams to solvepuzzles which reveal the combination to several locks that are placed on the box. The Breakout EDU site offers games that have already been created in several content areas. A template is available to help teachers design their own games.
Janet Herberholtz Baker Middle School Science Olympiad
Baker Middle School's Science Olympiad team has 45 members vying for the honor of representing Baker on the State competitive team of 15 scientists. Students will compete is 23 different events in all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focus. Three events are new this year and we will purchase kits to be competitive. We will attend 7-9 invitationals with a few being in Ohio to compete against nationally ranked teams. In March 2018 the qualifying tournaments begin. We have been the top team in Oakland County for the past few years. Last year we placed 2nd in the state of Michigan and became the first team to represent Oakland County at Nationals.
Laura Rasmussen Baker Middle School Success With Smart Music
Individual and ensemble performance will improveas a result of students' ability to practice at home and receive immediate feedback using the Smart Music sofware. Smart Music will engage students in the home practice of their instrument, while providing students with immediate assessment results on their playing both at home and at school. Smart Music is a web-based, award-winning software used by music teachers around the world to enhance their programs and provides a way to dramatically improve their students’ skills. Student practice is focused because they can use their iPads to receive immediate feedback while listening to their performance and seeing the correct and incorrect rhythms and pitches onscreen. SmartMusic also allows students to practice their band or orchestra parts with background tracks and additional practice features that simulate the experience of playing with a band or orchestra at home.
Kelly Chelbek Baker Middle School Baker Buddies Team Up With Jim B Ball Jones
Baker Buddy participants at Baker Middle School will take a field trip to the International Academy for team building, experiential learning, and a guest speaker. The purpose of the Baker Buddy Program is to bring 8th grade students together with 6th grade students to develop a mentoring relationship. Our 6th grade participants were recommended by their 5th grade teachers. Our counselors invited and encouraged these students to become part of the program. Our 8th grade mentors were recommended by their 7th grade teachers and submitted an application to participate. The goal of the Baker Buddy program is to encourage all students to continue working on becoming an individual, standing up for others, and learning from others. The guest speaker will be Jim Basketball Jones. His assembly addresses effort, personal responsibility, choices, respect, kindness and overcoming adversity.
Jessica Hughes Baker Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect [1] the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.
Dustin Harnish Baker Middle School Design, Create, Learn:
3D Printer Museum
Students will gain a greater understanding of different ancient civilization’s cultures through research and inquiry. Students will create an artifact which they feel embodies a civilizations essence. .A 3D laser scanner which can be used with an existing 3d printer will be acquired. The laser scanner captures the shape of an object (an apple, coin, artifact etc). We then can make 3D copies of the object on the printer. After studying ancient civilizations, students will be asked to create their own artifacts, inspired by what they have learned from our class about places like ROME, EGYPT, GREECE, INDIA. They will create and design the artifacts from clay. We will then use the laser scanner we are asking for to help us make digital copies of their artifacts for 3D printing. Later, we will compile our creations into a museum display full of student created 3D artifacts. The scanner will allow us to capture student creations digitally and make them into a product which is manufactured quality.
Holly Christopher Boulan Park Middle School Virtual Reality Viewers
Students will have the opportunity to take field trips to places they physically cannot visit. Using 25 View-Master Virtual Reality Viewers students can go to places all over the world. Places like Yellowstone National Park, Mount Everest, and the Great Wall of China will be right classroom. With permission from parents, students download the Google Expeditions app (already on the TSD Catalog) onto their phone and place the phone in the viewer. The viewers allow me to select trips and lead students on expeditions. Students will have 360-degree views of places all over the world, and since I am guiding them on the trip I am able to point out places and things I want them to see and experience. Nearly every student had a personal phone, and those who did not were able to share a phone with their peers
Holly Christopher Boulan Park Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. They will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy as part of the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.
Michelle Slaviero Boulan Park Middle School Conflict and Compromise in History
All 8th Grade US History students will complete National History Day projects this year. These are rigorous, student-centered, and technology-based persuasive projects based on the 2018 theme--Conflict and Compromise in History. Eligible students will compete at the Oakland County competition, and could move on to the Michigan and even National competitions. TFEE funds will cover some materials cost and cover (or offset) competition entry fees my blog http://mrsslaviero.blogspot.com/ for more information. Student Historians will develop an Annotated Bibliography and locate primary sources to defend how an event demonstrates conflict and compromise in US History. These projects are dependent upon technology and utilize Schoology, Symbaloo, NoodleTools, and OneNote extensively.
Christina Chatel Boulan Park Middle School Boulan Media Center Furniture
The Boulan Park Media Center will provide students with collaborative spaces to work on projects. Funds will be used to purchase some booth seating for the media center to offer students a “separate” space to get down to business and focus on group work. The booths could serve as a fun place to hang out before school or during lunch, and a comfortable place to sit and read quietly.
Cindy Shanken Boulan Park Middle School Collaboration Stations
Research shows that "...cooperative learning methods improve students' time on tasks and intrinsic motivation to learn, as well as students' interpersonal relationships and expectations for success" (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). TSD curriculum work in CAT teams encourages teachers to provide authentic, collaborative learning opportunities for our students. The 6th grade social studies CAT team is designing formative and summative assessments that require student collaboration. To facilitate this process the grant will allow the purchase of two sets of clover adjustable height tables and chairs. These tables are designed for up to four students and the chairs make it easy for students to work together. Ultimately the classroom will have eight sets to accommodate 32 students.
Colleen Cain Larson Middle School Larson VIrtual Field Trips
Google cardboard viewers will allow the students at Larson access to virtual field trips through Google Expeditions. Students will gain incredible opportunities to enhance their learning through virtual field trips. Students in science can take virtual field trips to Jupiter with NASA’s Juno mission and tour the International Space Station. Students can visit the upper levels of the atmosphere and tour the inner workings of the cell. In 7th grade Social Studies classes, students can explore the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Ancient Egypt, experience the Coliseum of Ancient Rome, and walk through the Parthenon of Ancient Greece. 8th Grade US History students can travel to the Civil War battle sites of Antietam and Gettysburg, and explore the historic city of Philadelphia where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were created and signed. The students will have an opportunity to immerse themselves in what they are learning. Students will build critical thinking and reasoning skills as they are guided through virtual field trips with the google expedition app. Students will grow in their understanding of curriculum and make real world connections to the topics of study in class.
April Muller Larson Middle School Book Nook Project
Currently, TSD has an initiative to increase the amount of independent reading for our secondary students. At the building level, many Larson 6th grade teachers are also writing evaluation goals in the area of improving students' perceptions of independent reading. To promote independent reading The Book Nook Project will create a classroom space where there will be a comfortable reading bookcase bench in the middle of two larger bookcases. The bookcases will provide additional space for an extensive collection of books of various genres and topics.
Ashley Conrad Larson Middle School Ancient Civilization Project
The resources available to support content area literacy in 7th grade Social Studies classes will be increased for students though access to subject-specific readings through a classroom library that could be changed as attention shifts to different topics. This library will enable resources for more creative and engaging ways to have students work on their literacy skills while learning about history. New reading resources will be leveled to accommodate different ability levels, reader's theater materials, materials looking at the mysteries of history, history in comic book form and short simple articles that could be combined with primary sources to create task stations where students would look at a variety of primary and secondary sources in order to complete a task.
Trevor Potts Larson Middle School Flipgrid, Empowering Students
All Larson students will engage with experts in fields of study during passion projects, research papers, and authentic work in all content areas. As we have been challenged to empower our students and connect their learning to the world, Flipgrid is an innovative way to communicate, question, and solve problems that are important to our community. In 2017-18 all Larson Middle School students will be working on a "Pathway Project" to build a walking path, community spaces, and create signage outside our building. Flipgrid will be one way our students will fundraise, advocate through writing, presenting their questions, design, and test materials.
Amanda Fisher Larson Middle School Camp One Troy Collaborative Inquiry Project
MOCI students will make connections between their environment, who they are, the choices they make, and how they influence the world around them by creating their own playbook based on The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander. The project is the product of the inaugural Camp One Troy, where teachers began to brainstorm on an inquiry project that will ensure that students would be involved in something that encouraged their growth, confidence, and compassion. Based on that collaboration “The Playbook” project was developed.
Kathy Capuso Larson Middle School Math Mastery
Both Math Support and Math Achievement Skills classes at Larson Middle School will improve math skills through hands-on experiences, games, and activities. Students who are enrolled in these math support classes have skill deficits which make it difficult for them to learn as their same age peers. Often times these students have learning styles which require movement and hands-on learning. By utilizing math games and activities which not only meet students' learning styles, but also make learning more interactive and fun, we can improve number sense, math reasoning, and computation skills and decrease the skill gaps.
Stephanie Beswick Larson Middle School Math Game Closet
We will establish a Boulan Math Games Closet to enhance the mathematical/logical thinking skills of middle school students through games. While this grant is designed with our Math Support students in mind, this resource will be available to all math teachers at Boulan. Math games will create a passion for math in our students, especially in our Math Support students, that extends beyond the classroom. Getting students to engage in mathematical thinking while having fun playing games will help them see math in a positive light while enhancing their problem-solving, communication, and logic skills.
Jason Fawcett Larson Middle School Literacy Mentor Text Project
Sixth grade language arts students will improve abilities to write in all three major forms of writing and engage in a writer’s workshop using high interest mentor texts. High quality picture books will be purchased to use as mentor texts. They are effective because they are engaging and short enough to be used in writing mini-lessons during our writer’s workshop. Each book will be organized by lesson(s) with accompanying lesson plans that the staff will develop.
Jason Fawcett Larson Middle School Literacy Café
The Literacy Cafe is the next step in creating an effective physical environment for middle school readers and writers. Over the past several years, I have carefully created a classroom environment that is welcoming, calm, and conducive to learning and creating. After making a number of changes in the classroom setting that changed lighting, seating and replacing desks with tables, the next step in creating the best possible physical environment for student learning is to create a Literacy Cafe. This area will include couches, a comfortable chair, end tables, and a lamp. It will be similar to a comfortable seating area at Starbucks, allowing students a space to read, write, and collaborate. In addition, it will allow another flexible seating option within my classroom to optimize each student's learning.
Sandra Bammel Larson Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations
Cindy Christiansen Larson Middle School Breakfast, Books, and Blockbusters
Students will read a novel, discuss/review it using various activities, and then watch the movie version of the book. After the movie, students will analyze the similarities and differences between the two. Breakfast will be provided at weekly morning book discussion meetings, and snacks will be provided for the movie. Our first book will be Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. We will discuss the book during October and November with the movie planned for early December. After Hoot, students will have a voice in the next two to three books the club reads. In this way, motivation and enthusiasm for the club will be maintained. This club will be open to any 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student that is interested, and the discussions/reviews will be primarily student-led after initial teaching of thinking routines and discourse techniques. This innovative opportunity for students to discuss and thinking in multi-grade level groups will lead to an enhanced culture of reading at Larson Middle School and will further encourage a habit of lifelong reading in participants.
Sarah Condne Larson Middle School Knife Skills are Life Skills
Students will be able to choose, handle and store knives in a correct, safe and effective manner after viewing a short YouTube video on basic knife skills (holds, slice, rocking cuts) as in introduction. The teacher will then provide large images of a Chef's knife that students will label the parts of. Students will then fold a piece of construction paper into 8ths and define the different cuts in each box; fine-, medium-, coarse- chop, chunk, mince, dice, slice, julienne. Students will then use colored construction paper to cut samples of each using scissors. This project then serves as a cheat-sheet/guide in the kitchen. The following day, students will complete a kitchen lab (using vegetables from the school garden when possible) in which they will practice and demonstrate the correct hold and cut for each food as directed.
Terry McCormick Smith Middle School Little Bits STEAM In Middle School
The new Next Generation Science Standards focus on the Engineering Design Process as a vehicle for student learning. Students will create a wide range of designs and inventions to perform different functions while exploring scientific concepts within the curriculum using Little Bits Kits, The Kits offer multi-modal, creative entry points that students can easily engage in and embrace to allow their creativity to flow while "doing" science. There are many types of pieces in a variety of kits that can all interact with each other. The individual pieces snap easily together with magnets to create electronic circuitry. The additional kit and pieces requested below plus simple additions like old CDs, craft sticks, fabric, and other arts & crafts objects will enhance student creativity and innovation This hands-on approach is particularly effective in bringing at-risk population and non-traditional learners enthusiastically into the learning environment to master science concepts, while also giving traditional learners the opportunity toexpand their learning. Occasional Genius Hour class days will see middle school scientists utilize Little Bits equipment to design and build inventions related to a current topic of study. Inventions will be presented to the class and shared outside of class via technology.
Vivek Nayak Smith Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.
All four middle school’s 8th graders will be visiting the Troy Historical Museum. We will continue an activity that has become a staple for all 8th grade students who attend any of the 4 middles schools in the Troy School District. The Troy Historical Museum experience will supplement lessons pertaining to the Civil War, which will meet several of our Grade Level content expectations. Each school has designated activities they we will rotate 8-10 stations. This experience will allow students to hear great speakers and see how people lived during the 1860's. It is our goal to give students an experience beyond the textbook. For example, we are hiring a square dance caller, Abe Lincoln and Sojourner Truth. Grant money will help offset the cost that would be passed along to our students and families.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School ONETROY da Vinci Awards
6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at each middle school will create a short video to enter into a film festival entitled, “The daVinci Awards - ONE TROY”. . Examples of projects include: all 7th grade science students creating a video to teach a specific concept in the context of a story, literary analysis from 8th grade language arts students, exercise videos from physical education students, artist biographies from Visual Arts students, public service announcements from broadcast media arts students. This project encourages students to apply what they have been learning in their subject area classes. A ceremony will take place in the evening at Baker Middle School gymnasium to showcase the Best of Show videos from each course and grade level. Selected students will host the award ceremony and distribute trophies to the “Best in Show" for each grade level and each course discipline.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School Skydome Planetarium
7th grade science students will participate in the SkyDome Planetarium assembly .[1] This assembly offers a 45-minute journey through the universe inside an inflatable planetarium. The navigator uses a digital planetarium projector and a laser pointer to guide students through the stars of the Northern Hemisphere exactly as they appear on the day of the presentation. Students will learn how to identify every planet in our solar system in dramatic "flights" towards each world. They will be introduced to Greek mythological characters and see how these heroes of the past can be found in the stars. Students will witness the night sky in different seasons and from different global perspectives. The opportunity to participate in a Skydome presentation addresses the Next Generation Science Standards for Space Systems.
Laura Kemp Baker Middle School Breakout EDU
Breakout EDU is a concept similar to an Escape Room. An Escape Room asks participants to work together to solve puzzles to break out of a room. The concept of Breakout EDU is to “break in” to a box. Breakout EDU games teach critical thinking, teamwork, complex problem solving, and can be used in all content areas. By adding five additional kits to the school additional students will be able to work in teams to solvepuzzles which reveal the combination to several locks that are placed on the box. The Breakout EDU site offers games that have already been created in several content areas. A template is available to help teachers design their own games.
Janet Herberholtz Baker Middle School Science Olympiad
Baker Middle School's Science Olympiad team has 45 members vying for the honor of representing Baker on the State competitive team of 15 scientists. Students will compete is 23 different events in all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focus. Three events are new this year and we will purchase kits to be competitive. We will attend 7-9 invitationals with a few being in Ohio to compete against nationally ranked teams. In March 2018 the qualifying tournaments begin. We have been the top team in Oakland County for the past few years. Last year we placed 2nd in the state of Michigan and became the first team to represent Oakland County at Nationals.
Laura Rasmussen Baker Middle School Success With Smart Music
Individual and ensemble performance will improveas a result of students' ability to practice at home and receive immediate feedback using the Smart Music sofware. Smart Music will engage students in the home practice of their instrument, while providing students with immediate assessment results on their playing both at home and at school. Smart Music is a web-based, award-winning software used by music teachers around the world to enhance their programs and provides a way to dramatically improve their students’ skills. Student practice is focused because they can use their iPads to receive immediate feedback while listening to their performance and seeing the correct and incorrect rhythms and pitches onscreen. SmartMusic also allows students to practice their band or orchestra parts with background tracks and additional practice features that simulate the experience of playing with a band or orchestra at home.
Kelly Chelbek Baker Middle School Baker Buddies Team Up With Jim B Ball Jones
Baker Buddy participants at Baker Middle School will take a field trip to the International Academy for team building, experiential learning, and a guest speaker. The purpose of the Baker Buddy Program is to bring 8th grade students together with 6th grade students to develop a mentoring relationship. Our 6th grade participants were recommended by their 5th grade teachers. Our counselors invited and encouraged these students to become part of the program. Our 8th grade mentors were recommended by their 7th grade teachers and submitted an application to participate. The goal of the Baker Buddy program is to encourage all students to continue working on becoming an individual, standing up for others, and learning from others. The guest speaker will be Jim Basketball Jones. His assembly addresses effort, personal responsibility, choices, respect, kindness and overcoming adversity.
Jessica Hughes Baker Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect [1] the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.
Dustin Harnish Baker Middle School Design, Create, Learn:
3D Printer Museum
Students will gain a greater understanding of different ancient civilization’s cultures through research and inquiry. Students will create an artifact which they feel embodies a civilizations essence. .A 3D laser scanner which can be used with an existing 3d printer will be acquired. The laser scanner captures the shape of an object (an apple, coin, artifact etc). We then can make 3D copies of the object on the printer. After studying ancient civilizations, students will be asked to create their own artifacts, inspired by what they have learned from our class about places like ROME, EGYPT, GREECE, INDIA. They will create and design the artifacts from clay. We will then use the laser scanner we are asking for to help us make digital copies of their artifacts for 3D printing. Later, we will compile our creations into a museum display full of student created 3D artifacts. The scanner will allow us to capture student creations digitally and make them into a product which is manufactured quality.
Holly Christopher Boulan Park Middle School Virtual Reality Viewers
Students will have the opportunity to take field trips to places they physically cannot visit. Using 25 View-Master Virtual Reality Viewers students can go to places all over the world. Places like Yellowstone National Park, Mount Everest, and the Great Wall of China will be right classroom. With permission from parents, students download the Google Expeditions app (already on the TSD Catalog) onto their phone and place the phone in the viewer. The viewers allow me to select trips and lead students on expeditions. Students will have 360-degree views of places all over the world, and since I am guiding them on the trip I am able to point out places and things I want them to see and experience. Nearly every student had a personal phone, and those who did not were able to share a phone with their peers
Holly Christopher Boulan Park Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. They will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy as part of the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.
Michelle Slaviero Boulan Park Middle School Conflict and Compromise in History
All 8th Grade US History students will complete National History Day projects this year. These are rigorous, student-centered, and technology-based persuasive projects based on the 2018 theme--Conflict and Compromise in History. Eligible students will compete at the Oakland County competition, and could move on to the Michigan and even National competitions. TFEE funds will cover some materials cost and cover (or offset) competition entry fees my blog http://mrsslaviero.blogspot.com/ for more information. Student Historians will develop an Annotated Bibliography and locate primary sources to defend how an event demonstrates conflict and compromise in US History. These projects are dependent upon technology and utilize Schoology, Symbaloo, NoodleTools, and OneNote extensively.
Christina Chatel Boulan Park Middle School Boulan Media Center Furniture
The Boulan Park Media Center will provide students with collaborative spaces to work on projects. Funds will be used to purchase some booth seating for the media center to offer students a “separate” space to get down to business and focus on group work. The booths could serve as a fun place to hang out before school or during lunch, and a comfortable place to sit and read quietly.
Cindy Shanken Boulan Park Middle School Collaboration Stations
Research shows that "...cooperative learning methods improve students' time on tasks and intrinsic motivation to learn, as well as students' interpersonal relationships and expectations for success" (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). TSD curriculum work in CAT teams encourages teachers to provide authentic, collaborative learning opportunities for our students. The 6th grade social studies CAT team is designing formative and summative assessments that require student collaboration. To facilitate this process the grant will allow the purchase of two sets of clover adjustable height tables and chairs. These tables are designed for up to four students and the chairs make it easy for students to work together. Ultimately the classroom will have eight sets to accommodate 32 students.
Colleen Cain Larson Middle School Larson VIrtual Field Trips
Google cardboard viewers will allow the students at Larson access to virtual field trips through Google Expeditions. Students will gain incredible opportunities to enhance their learning through virtual field trips. Students in science can take virtual field trips to Jupiter with NASA’s Juno mission and tour the International Space Station. Students can visit the upper levels of the atmosphere and tour the inner workings of the cell. In 7th grade Social Studies classes, students can explore the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Ancient Egypt, experience the Coliseum of Ancient Rome, and walk through the Parthenon of Ancient Greece. 8th Grade US History students can travel to the Civil War battle sites of Antietam and Gettysburg, and explore the historic city of Philadelphia where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were created and signed. The students will have an opportunity to immerse themselves in what they are learning. Students will build critical thinking and reasoning skills as they are guided through virtual field trips with the google expedition app. Students will grow in their understanding of curriculum and make real world connections to the topics of study in class.
April Muller Larson Middle School Book Nook Project
Currently, TSD has an initiative to increase the amount of independent reading for our secondary students. At the building level, many Larson 6th grade teachers are also writing evaluation goals in the area of improving students' perceptions of independent reading. To promote independent reading The Book Nook Project will create a classroom space where there will be a comfortable reading bookcase bench in the middle of two larger bookcases. The bookcases will provide additional space for an extensive collection of books of various genres and topics.
Ashley Conrad Larson Middle School Ancient Civilization Project
The resources available to support content area literacy in 7th grade Social Studies classes will be increased for students though access to subject-specific readings through a classroom library that could be changed as attention shifts to different topics. This library will enable resources for more creative and engaging ways to have students work on their literacy skills while learning about history. New reading resources will be leveled to accommodate different ability levels, reader's theater materials, materials looking at the mysteries of history, history in comic book form and short simple articles that could be combined with primary sources to create task stations where students would look at a variety of primary and secondary sources in order to complete a task.
Trevor Potts Larson Middle School Flipgrid, Empowering Students
All Larson students will engage with experts in fields of study during passion projects, research papers, and authentic work in all content areas. As we have been challenged to empower our students and connect their learning to the world, Flipgrid is an innovative way to communicate, question, and solve problems that are important to our community. In 2017-18 all Larson Middle School students will be working on a "Pathway Project" to build a walking path, community spaces, and create signage outside our building. Flipgrid will be one way our students will fundraise, advocate through writing, presenting their questions, design, and test materials.
Amanda Fisher Larson Middle School Camp One Troy Collaborative Inquiry Project
MOCI students will make connections between their environment, who they are, the choices they make, and how they influence the world around them by creating their own playbook based on The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot and Score in This Game Called Life by Kwame Alexander. The project is the product of the inaugural Camp One Troy, where teachers began to brainstorm on an inquiry project that will ensure that students would be involved in something that encouraged their growth, confidence, and compassion. Based on that collaboration “The Playbook” project was developed.
Kathy Capuso Larson Middle School Math Mastery
Both Math Support and Math Achievement Skills classes at Larson Middle School will improve math skills through hands-on experiences, games, and activities. Students who are enrolled in these math support classes have skill deficits which make it difficult for them to learn as their same age peers. Often times these students have learning styles which require movement and hands-on learning. By utilizing math games and activities which not only meet students' learning styles, but also make learning more interactive and fun, we can improve number sense, math reasoning, and computation skills and decrease the skill gaps.
Stephanie Beswick Larson Middle School Math Game Closet
We will establish a Boulan Math Games Closet to enhance the mathematical/logical thinking skills of middle school students through games. While this grant is designed with our Math Support students in mind, this resource will be available to all math teachers at Boulan. Math games will create a passion for math in our students, especially in our Math Support students, that extends beyond the classroom. Getting students to engage in mathematical thinking while having fun playing games will help them see math in a positive light while enhancing their problem-solving, communication, and logic skills.
Jason Fawcett Larson Middle School Literacy Mentor Text Project
Sixth grade language arts students will improve abilities to write in all three major forms of writing and engage in a writer’s workshop using high interest mentor texts. High quality picture books will be purchased to use as mentor texts. They are effective because they are engaging and short enough to be used in writing mini-lessons during our writer’s workshop. Each book will be organized by lesson(s) with accompanying lesson plans that the staff will develop.
Jason Fawcett Larson Middle School Literacy Café
The Literacy Cafe is the next step in creating an effective physical environment for middle school readers and writers. Over the past several years, I have carefully created a classroom environment that is welcoming, calm, and conducive to learning and creating. After making a number of changes in the classroom setting that changed lighting, seating and replacing desks with tables, the next step in creating the best possible physical environment for student learning is to create a Literacy Cafe. This area will include couches, a comfortable chair, end tables, and a lamp. It will be similar to a comfortable seating area at Starbucks, allowing students a space to read, write, and collaborate. In addition, it will allow another flexible seating option within my classroom to optimize each student's learning.
Sandra Bammel Larson Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations
Cindy Christiansen Larson Middle School Breakfast, Books, and Blockbusters
Students will read a novel, discuss/review it using various activities, and then watch the movie version of the book. After the movie, students will analyze the similarities and differences between the two. Breakfast will be provided at weekly morning book discussion meetings, and snacks will be provided for the movie. Our first book will be Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. We will discuss the book during October and November with the movie planned for early December. After Hoot, students will have a voice in the next two to three books the club reads. In this way, motivation and enthusiasm for the club will be maintained. This club will be open to any 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student that is interested, and the discussions/reviews will be primarily student-led after initial teaching of thinking routines and discourse techniques. This innovative opportunity for students to discuss and thinking in multi-grade level groups will lead to an enhanced culture of reading at Larson Middle School and will further encourage a habit of lifelong reading in participants.
Sarah Condne Larson Middle School Knife Skills are Life Skills
Students will be able to choose, handle and store knives in a correct, safe and effective manner after viewing a short YouTube video on basic knife skills (holds, slice, rocking cuts) as in introduction. The teacher will then provide large images of a Chef's knife that students will label the parts of. Students will then fold a piece of construction paper into 8ths and define the different cuts in each box; fine-, medium-, coarse- chop, chunk, mince, dice, slice, julienne. Students will then use colored construction paper to cut samples of each using scissors. This project then serves as a cheat-sheet/guide in the kitchen. The following day, students will complete a kitchen lab (using vegetables from the school garden when possible) in which they will practice and demonstrate the correct hold and cut for each food as directed.
Terry McCormick Smith Middle School Little Bits STEAM In Middle School
The new Next Generation Science Standards focus on the Engineering Design Process as a vehicle for student learning. Students will create a wide range of designs and inventions to perform different functions while exploring scientific concepts within the curriculum using Little Bits Kits, The Kits offer multi-modal, creative entry points that students can easily engage in and embrace to allow their creativity to flow while "doing" science. There are many types of pieces in a variety of kits that can all interact with each other. The individual pieces snap easily together with magnets to create electronic circuitry. The additional kit and pieces requested below plus simple additions like old CDs, craft sticks, fabric, and other arts & crafts objects will enhance student creativity and innovation This hands-on approach is particularly effective in bringing at-risk population and non-traditional learners enthusiastically into the learning environment to master science concepts, while also giving traditional learners the opportunity toexpand their learning. Occasional Genius Hour class days will see middle school scientists utilize Little Bits equipment to design and build inventions related to a current topic of study. Inventions will be presented to the class and shared outside of class via technology.
Vivek Nayak Smith Middle School Constant Velocity Cars
Students will create and utilize data from car experiments using constant velocity cars. Students will be able to create and utilize data from constant velocity car experiments to deepen their understanding of forces, motion and energy within the 8th grade science course. They will create data through modeling the motion of the constant velocity buggy car. Then they will analyze and interpret data to find relationships between factors that affect the motion of the vehicle. They will apply physical science concepts to real-life situations.