2005/2006 NEF Fall Grant Awards
Drumming Circles Program at John Eliot School
Eliot |
$3195 |
| Grant will fund two village drumming circle assemblies to be led by professional drummer, Tom Foote. The grant also includes a follow-up residency period and further training for Eliot school teachers in facilitating drumming circles, as well as the purchase of various drums and percussion instruments to be used on an ongoing basis by the whole school. The drumming circles are expected to help improve concentration through focused energy and improve hand pattern coordination. Drumming encourages collaborative learning, discipline and teamwork; fosters diversity through exploration of other cultures; and provides the opportunity to communicate ideas and feelings. The drumming circles will also expose the students not only to the music of other cultures, but to the people of the cultures where the music originated, as musicians, educators and special guests from around the world will contribute to helping the children have a diverse, multi-cultural experience. |
Writing Memoirs in The Classroom
Hillside |
$1045 |
| Grant will purchase books to be used as teaching texts to support the 5th grade memoir writing unit. Three classroom sets of 30 titles will be purchased so that this unit can be taught concurrently in all grade 5 classrooms, according to curriculum sequence, and so that books can be used as touchstone texts throughout the year in relation to other units of study. |
Solar Cars
Mitchell |
$3026 |
| Fifth graders in two Mitchell classes will work with a solar car expert to design, build and race solar cars. Working in groups, students will use math, science, and teamwork skills to accomplish their goal. Lessons focus on learning the parts of a car, designing within race regulations, understanding solar energy, and working as a team. This grant is an expansion of a program which one Mitchell teacher did last year with the solar car expert and her class. |
Exploring Landforms through Art
Newman |
$625 |
| All 4th graders at Newman will participate in an Art Quest presentation called “Landforms.” This cross-disciplinary program seeks to tie together art appreciation and the 4th grade science curriculum by having students “detect” and identify landform details embedded in paintings and drawings. |
Nick Page’s Newman ZestFest
Newman |
$2990 |
| The Zest Fest is a 3-day musical event involving all Newman students, teachers and parents designed to build community and encourage respect for other cultures. The event will include sing-along assemblies, work in small groups to learn songs, interactive concerts with families, and creation of a “school song.” Children will be introduced to music and lyrics from a variety of cultures, languages and musical genres. Additionally, Mr. Page will work with Newman music teachers to offer consultation and resources that will enable them to facilitate sing-along and other community-building vocal experiences for Newman students in the future. |
Multicultural Author/Illustrator Grace Lin:
Young Writer’s Workshop
Newman |
$3463 |
| Grant seeks to have Author Grace Lin work with Newman first graders over a period of two years. The Author will visit the first grade classrooms to present students with an interactive role play about the publication process. She will also show the students how they can use everyday life as inspiration for telling stories. Students will create their own personal stories. In the second year, Lin will revisit these students and focus on how students can advance their writing to the next stage by turning their ideas into longer and more complex pieces of writing. |
Using Technology To Enhance
Teaching Spanish in The Elementary Schools
Eliot, Hillside, Mitchell Spanish Programs |
$3363 |
| The grant will purchase technology equipment to enhance instruction of Spanish in the elementary classroom. The purchase of two iBook laptops and a data/video projector will enable the Spanish teachers to enhance their curriculum and improve their instructional abilities. The teachers envision the new equipment being used to: bring cultural into the classroom by connecting to the internet and being able to share personal photos; record students’ stories on Garage Band and create personal files to be kept for each student so they can assess their own progress; have students create Power Point presentations; and create many more cost effective visuals. This program will serve as a pilot with commitments from Debbie Watters to buy an additional laptop if this proves successful.
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River Systems Curriculum Unit
Pollard |
$980 |
| The purpose of this grant is to purchase reusable stream table kits and initial materials to start an 8th grade hands-on science unit on rivers as part of the Earth Science curriculum. Through the use of these tables, the students can create river models through which they will investigate the concepts of geologic time, what a watershed is, how rivers and landforms are created, and the impact of human manipulation of rivers. The grant will also fund the purchase of topographic maps of major rivers in the world. |
A New Art Resource Center for High School
Teachers and Students
High School |
$3500 |
| The grant will update and expand the current art library in the high school art department with the purchase of 90 titles of books and DVD’s. The Resource Center will serve to develop an intellectual and social common where students and teachers can research an interest, prepare class materials, or study techniques and concepts to further inform their own work. |
Upgrade of Music Sequencing Software Program for
High School Music Technology Lab
High School |
$3255 |
| The grant will purchase Logic Express 7, the updated version of a music sequencing software program that is currently used in the high school music technology lab. Logic Express 7 interfaces with Garage Band and Reason through the use of re-wire, which allows better import and export of file sharing among programs and offers improved audio editing and production. Logic is one of the main tools students use to compose music, allowing students who may not be in performing ensembles the opportunity to take a music elective that counts toward the Fine and Performing Arts credit. The music technology lab is also used for adult education classes and for professional development courses for music teachers. This software is needed for compatibility with other software programs, and to continue the current instructional program. Installation, maintenance and future upgrades will be provided through the NPS Educational Technology Center. |
Needham High School Public Art Project
Phase I: Design Competition
High School |
$3500 |
| This grant will fund the Design Competition phase of a multi-phase project to create a piece of public art to be displayed in the atrium of the new high school. The goal is to hire an artist who will include students in the creative process and work as an artist in residence with students at the high school. Additionally, the funds will be used for preliminary curriculum research and materials to develop a new public art course at NHS. |
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