Last month, the Shamong Foundation voted to approve the following three grants. We are very excited to share a quick summary of these three grants with you.
Grant Title: Leemos (We Read)
Submitted by: Ms. Jessica Cardella, Spanish teacher at IMMS
Grant Summary:
This grant involves the creation of a Free Voluntary Reading Program for Spanish 1 students. According to Stephen Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition, “people acquiring a second language have the best chance for success through reading.” Traditionally, students are offered free-choice reading in English, so it would be beneficial to transfer that opportunity to Spanish as well. Reading in Spanish will help the students to acquire a larger vocabulary and a better understanding of the structure of the Spanish language. This library will contain Spanish leveled readers for the Spanish 1 students in 7th and 8th grade to read in class or at home. By offering a variety of books in Spanish, it will allows Ms. Cardella to reach the different needs and interests of her students.
Grant Title: Creating Composers
Submitted by: Ms. Ruthie Stitt and Ms. Susan Styers, Music teachers at IMMS
Grant Summary:
Through this grant, students will explore music composition by arranging and organizing musical thoughts into short pieces, culminating in the creation of a musical work that is all their own. This will come to fruition by using the iPads through Music Education Apps, such as Garage Band which allows students to be able to record their own song while creating their own digital accompaniment. As part of the instrumental music program, students will also be able to gain a better sense of pitch awareness utilizing tuning apps on the iPads. Additionally, students who require the need for Adaptive Music will be able to play the guitar and piano through GarageBand, as their classmates learn these instruments in 6th and 7th grade. Lastly, if an instrument is out for repair or if a student is physically unable to play their instrument due to injury, they can still participate in supplemental interactive note reading activities on the iPads.
Grant Title: Room to Move
Submitted by: Ms. Jennifer Babbitt, Media Center Specialist at IMS
Grant Summary:
This grant will provide for a flexible seating environment in Indian Mills Elementary media center. Movement stimulates the mind. Todays’ classroom is an active, dynamic place where students are often given “Room to Move” - empowering them with choices of where to sit, how to sit and even when to sit. All this to keep them more engaged, comfortable and productive. The current furniture in the media center does not provide for these opportunities. Since bodies are built for motion, for wiggling and twisting, bouncing and sometimes even rocking, the flexible seating collection offers ergonomic seating that flexes and rocks, chairs that roll and swivel and tables and desks that adjust from sitting to stand-alone height and can work alone or nest together - all designed to move with ease and help students find the position and space where they work best and to allow for easy transition from lecture to hands-on practice, from collaborative projects to independent time for reading, research or introspection. . These products work together to help set the stage for an active, flexible media center.
