Grant App Approval

This is a web-based program that will work on chrome books, the devices that students are using. It covers the areas of lighting design, set design, directing, stage management and improvisation. It will enhance the learning experience for students in the stagecraft and theatre programs at Santa Susana High School. It emulates a lighting console, allowing students to virtually design projects, record, and then playback. For example, they will learn about color theory, which enhances their work in science. Stick figures allow students to learn about stage management and blocking. This is a critical license because more students can learn to design. Since there is only one lighting console in the Performing Arts building, multiple students can learn how to design. This can be extremely useful not only virtually, but when we return to live performances, i.e., more students will be able to participate in designing.

Major objectives include:
1) learning the elements of lighting design, including color theory, gobo usage, how to use a lighting console
2) designing sets virtually, which will be used when we return to live performances
3) learning how to block a show, call a show, create cues for a show using the stage management portion
4) improvisational games and theories for performers that can be used virtually and live
5) giving multiple students the opportunity to learn the skills required to direct a show

This license will allow students to prep for shows now, which can be easily and swiftly transformed when we are in live performances. Multiple students can be learning at the same time.

Zoom lessons will be the primary avenue for implementation of this license. The students will create digital portfolios of their work which they can use when seeking employment in the entertainment industry. This license will help them achieve a State AME (Arts, Media, and Entertainment) certification. They will create a cumulative project that will be part of their final. Creating lighting and set designs for plays, musicals, concerts and guest speakers, then uploading to a digital portfolio, will allow students to continue working in the theatre, virtually.

Prior to using the elements of the license, students will be tested to see where their knowledge lies. The license allows for individual pacing, i.e., advanced theatre and stagecraft students will be able to utilize the more advanced offerings. By using shows that are on our list for live performance, students will be able to prep now, for future use.
The entertainment industry is moving more and more towards digitized environments. This license will aid students, preparing them to enter the entertainment work force.

We will raise funds on a yearly basis to keep this license intact.

Our students are craving engagement. Instead of completing spelling and vocabulary workbook pages (which don't really teach spelling or vocabulary), Vocabulary Spelling City is an interactive, engaging online program that not only instructs children on their spelling and vocabulary words each week, but also provide a fun and varied way to practice their words.

The objective for this project is to receive funds for this program for all of third grade. This is the last "fundamental" grade level to teach spelling rules and also a year where rich vocabulary is introduced. We would like the whole grade level to receive this program for a total of $280, but will accept any amount. We expect the result to be kids enjoying learning how to spell and learn new vocabulary. In turn, this will lead to writers using better spelling and rich vocabulary words in their writing. When kids have repetition while learning, they are more apt to remember. The goal of this program is to develop writers that use amazing vocabulary and proper spelling. Another goal is to help our ELD and special ed children to have an alternative way to learn spelling and vocabulary.

The only materials needed for this program are: a device with keyboard/mouse functions and the Internet. The program will be used for the mandated independent work time students must have each day. In addition, this program will be used weekly with our Language Arts series through Google Classroom (the district's main learning management system).

We are hoping to use this program ASAP! In addition to all the reports Vocabulary Spelling City provides teachers regarding their students' progress and performance, we will be able to assess if the program is working based on the implementation of students using their vocabulary words and proper spelling in their weekly writing assignments. We will also see their scores hopefully improve on their weekly assessments.

The program is good for one school year.

The primary need is to engage students in the understanding of a complex three dimensional system such as the human body. The proposal includes the purchase of anatomy models made up of a plastic skeletal frame. Students then build the anatomical structures from the inside out using clay.

The models allow students to apply what they observe in their own bodies or knowledge of dissection of small animals to internal human structures. The models are built to scale and contain prominent anatomical features that students will use as a basis for the building of the models. It is a constructive process that enhances learning. The Torziken models allow students to explore anatomy and physiology through a kinesthetic learning process where students shape and build a model of human anatomy with clay and a skeletal frame.

The models provide a lab experience without the need to dissect. Students get hands-on experience with anatomical structures including organs, muscles, nerves, etc. It is a three-dimensional learning experience where students can see and understand the placement of structures within the human body. Anatomy must studied in a three-dimensional setting to best understand how structures and systems work together.

Skeletal frames and the clay for the models along with other accessories included in the kit will be purchased as a classroom set. I have received training in how to best use the models and is prepared to embed them into the curriculum.

Major objectives for this project include the following: 1)Students will build a model in the study of internal body systems. 2)1st semester students will build out the model and 2nd semester they will dissect in. 3) Students will be assessed on identification of structures and how they work together.

Instruction includes simultaneous use of lecture and hands-on learning.

The expectation is that average assessment grades for the mid-term and the final will be above 80% on anatomical knowledge guided by the models.

The instructional practice will include a simultaneous use of lecture and student hands-on manipulation of the model. This allows students to better understand the lecture and to immediately apply the learning.

The models also allow for pinning of important structures as reference points for later review and discussion.

Teaching and learning anatomy are based on the mantra “structure determines function”. If students can determine the structure by building it and placing it in the appropriate location on the Torziken model, they will be able to critically think and apply that knowledge to determine the function of the organ.

Students will not only be building shapes of specific organs, but will also be adding various important/large structures to them. They will learn about the connectedness of all body systems through the building and discussion of these specific parts. For example, students will add striations and fascicle directionality to the muscles that they build so that when they place them on the Torziken model, they will be able to visualize the contraction of the muscle and the movement that it will produce.

The full dollar amount asked for will supply the classroom with 20 kits. Ideally the kits will be used in pairs of students. The partial funding dollar amount will fund 12 kits for the classroom, and students will be placed into groups of 3-4. The group will function as lab partners and work together to build their model along with teacher instruction. The teaming of students improves learning of the subject area as well as improving soft skills of teamwork and collaboration.

The kits provided with the models come with eight differently colored clay, all of which are used to create different systems. For example, the terra cotta color will be used only for muscles, yellow is used to build nerves, red and blue for veins and arteries, etc. The kits come with rollers, wire tools, and other clay cutting materials. A mat is provided for students to reference when building - the mat contains several different sized circles for easy reference as well as lengths students will need for building various organs. The kit also comes with a muscle atlas (reusable year to year) and a student workbook that can be reproduced/ copied for all students to have.

The planned implementation will be in the 2021-2022 school year in anatomy and physiology classrooms. The teacher has already received training in the use of the models and will spend time in the Spring and summer to plan implementation of the models into the existing coursework.

The objectives will be reviewed at the midyear mark as well as the end of the school year. From there, a revised plan will be designed for the following school year.

The entire kit is reusable for various years. The plastic skeletal frames are durable and will last many years. The clay is also designed so that it will not dry out and can be used for various years. The instructional practices that the project allows will last for many years after initial funding.

This software program is a huge time saver for teachers. It is an online assessment platform for grades TK - second which a teacher uses to assess their students, one-on-one, in distant learning or in the classroom. It provides the essential data needed to support each students learning. The gathered data is stored and used to place students in groups; or provide individual instruction; or to reteach a lesson whole-group. Individual student's results are easy to share with families and/or in support meetings like SST. Teachers can create their own tests or draw from a large bank of tests.

ESGI records each students progress in basic skills through assessments that teachers can create or use from ESGI's large test bank. Over time the results can be shown using pie charts or graphs which can indicate growth or potential concerns. This information can then be taken into meetings like Student Study Team or used in Parent Teacher Conferences. The program also provides parent communication in both English and Spanish. Flash cards for sight words can be printed for each child's according to their evaluation. The software is teacher friendly and a great tool for communicating to parents monthly in subject areas like: reading, writing, math, social emotional learning and science. As skills are taught and assessments are given over the academic year, a thorough understanding of each student's progress is realized.

Teachers will use the School District issued laptop or Chromebook to administer the tests. Assessing can be administered in a breakout room where the teacher shares the screen with the student. The teacher records the student's respond to the test questions. Otherwise assessments are done one-on-one when in a classroom setting.

This is a year long assessment program.

This is a yearly subscription issued to the purchaser. There is a discount given for multiple users.

Many students struggle with being able to "memorize their facts". Yet we want students to be able to recall their facts fluently. Traditionally, teachers have had students complete the dreaded "timed tests" or provide "drill and kill" worksheets to "teach" students to memorize their facts. When playing games, students are learning their facts in highly engaging activities. Through practice and play, students are more easily able to recall the numbers- thus becoming more fluent or having number fluency. As students progress in math and the expectations and complexity increase, students with number fluency are able to complete their work more easily. They are able to focus on the task on hand- not necesarily the operation required to simply complete 1 step of a problem. Hands-on learning is critical to student engagement and achievement. The games and activities from Boxcars and One-Eyed Jacks can be used from Kindergarten through eighth grade.

The objectives of the project would be to increase fact fluency in all operations in math. The results will be confident mathematicians excited to participate in math. Students success will be based on a pre-assessment of operational fact fluency, student annectdotal data, student engagement and finally the ability to fluently recall facts as measured in a post assesment.

Dice and dominoes are used in daily "short bursts" of game play as a class, in a small group, with partners or even idependently. During COVID times, when students are allowed back into the classroom, they will still be unable to share materials. Therefore each student needs their own set. Some of the most asked-for activities include my "Shake Rattle and Roll" play list- when we get up and move, sing and shake the dice shakers (think 7 day pill box with dice) and then quick buddy up for fact fluency tasks. We can also work with Buddy classes in first grade to help reinforce the fluency skills they are developing. The dice being requested are to supplement the existing dice we have to create greater challenges. The dice, dominos and cards all support our grade-level math standards.

Our grade level already has a base line of our students abilities. Dice will be used daily in class (Zoom) and at home for continual practice. Progress will be checked quarterly.

When this grant is awarded, the materials will be able to be used for many years to come. It will be providing engaging learning for about 85 students this year and hundreds in the future. Materials are able to be collected and cleaned for subsequent classes of 4th graders.

Collapsible green screens allow students to have a virtual background while they film themselves performing and auditioning. During these times of distance learning, it is particularly challenging for performing arts students who are not able to sing, dance and act together. By providing materials that allow them to turn their home environment into a professional looking studio, students will stay engaged in the arts and feel like they are learning new skills to enhance their performance skills. When we able to come back to school (starting with hybrid learning), students can continue to utilize these screens to create digital projects for their portfolio for college applications, job interviews, and projects geared toward school. They will definitely be in continues use even when back to school full-time.

The major objective is to provide a professional backdrop as students create their portfolios and web pages. It will enhance their projects in order to showcase their work for portfolios, auditions, school performances and social media outreach.
Results of the grant would give students the ability to utilize equipment to create high quality projects which would showcase their work and keep them engaged. They would be able to show these high quality projects to our school, our community, colleges, and potential employers. Students would also learn to use tools that would enhance their technology skills, providing them with new skills to take into the working world.

Working in conjunction with equipment we already have, students will be able to check out green screens for their use. When they check out the screen, they will receive a link to instructional videos created by our teachers and/or students that will help them learn how to use it.
There are a myriad of applications for using the green screen. For example, a quartet of singers that video and record their particular part at home: instead of the background being in front of their bedroom closet door, for instance, the green screen would allow a consistent virtual background for all four singers. The finished product would look and sound professional.
They will be given the basic skills of how to use it. They would then be encouraged to use their creativity to explore new ways of using these devices. As they discover new ways to use the screens, they would then share this information with other students. It's another means to give students the tools for their creative projects.

The moment we receive the green screens, students would be able to check them out immediately. We would be able to measure our objective by comparing the visual outcome compared to prior submissions. We will be able to see the quality of their submissions once they use the green screen ( before and after green screen use).
Yes we can assess abilities prior to implementation. Since students have already been submitting their videos we can use these older submissions to compare with the new green screen submissions.

After the grant is completed, we will continue to use the screens and expand their usage to other departments, thus reaching a greater student population.
We would continue to use them throughout the entire school year and into the future.

Garden Grove's Fourth Grade class is at 44 students at present, and online using ZOOM. Periodically we distribute books and newspapers to students so they can have quality reading material in their hands , and to deelop a rich, enhanced learning experience, but we do not have many duel class sets of books, just sets of 6 for small groups . At this time students are in the midst of a pandemic and cannot come to school or get into groups of six for instruction. We also have an online IXL subscription in math only, to help supplement our MyMath program and to differentiate to meet the needs of our students in math. Since the pandemic has forced instruction to be online only since last March, the gap has widened between what students usually know and are able to do, and what we are seeing now. This grant will enhance the current program in two ways, and support our students both now and once they return to school.
First, it expands our current IXL math subscription to include Language Arts. This provides support for all students in the areas of main idea, author's purpose, texxt structure, writing strategies, vocabulary building, understanding literary devices such as similes, metaphors, and figurative speech, and informational texts about art, music, traditions, and famous people and places, science, and nature and more. Students have access to all grade levels, so studens can work on the grade level skills where they are at and improve at their own pace. Since we already have a subscription to IXL (through another grant) it will only cost $300 to add one other curricular section to the access for all fourth grade students. Students would then have access to the 227 fourth grade ELA skills as well as the other ELA grade level skills making differentiation more accessible.
Secondly, we want to purchase 44 copies of the nonfiction book "Who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg" ($5.88 each x 44 = $258.72) to expand and enrich our nonfiction and biographical set resources. RGB has had a profound impact on our society and world, and to understand that impact, students should hae access to her story. This would allow us to put this information "in their hands" for information, research, and writing. Additionally, this will give our school two class sets of this text which can be used by any grade level in the future . When remarkable people affect our world so profoundly, we need to add their story to our curriculum. Access to books about influential and current people, places , and events should be a "given" in our public schools. Class sets are difficult to obtain and costly unless by Grant monies. We currently have only one class set of a biogaphy for our fourth grade students, and it is Theodore Roosevelt. This balances the curriculum with a double class set of a biogaphy of a woman who has made a positive impact on our society and its people. We are asking for $300 for IXL and $258.72 =$558.72 total for this Enhancement Grant.

The major objectives are to enhance and differentiate our Language Arts instruction by expanding our current IXL subscription to include the Reading Strategies, Writing Strategies, Vocabulary, and Grammar and Mechanics skills available on the multi grade level platform of IXL, and to include the nonfiction RBG novel into our ELA curriculum and novel sets. This IXL ELA addition is especially important for our students with special needs and second language learners who need support with idioms and adages, reference skills, vocabulary and literary devices. Adding the Language Arts section to the subscription will support our fourth grade teachers in differentiating to meet individuals needs, and improve learning and achievement. Adding these two sets of this nonfiction novel will build a richer, updated curriculum, and enhance the learning experience with updated connections to our world. It will also allow teachers at the same grade level to use the same novel at the same time collaboratively rather than waiting for one group to finish before another can begin the novel.

Using IXL utilizes a Tech Approach to individualized learning thrugh the Internet and connects students with information and practice to aid students in their learning of Math and English Language Arts skills such as Main idea, Writing Strategies, Vocabulary in Context, Idioms, Reference Skills and Text features. Students are assigned sections they need to review and the program presents instruction, provides corrections with samples, and provides reports to the teacher of progress and practice so the next step is more clear for each student.
The two class sets of RBG is a low tech appoach to learning, as the teacher guides students through the text adjusting the educational experience for different types of learners, and encouraging discourse and debate to strengthen student Listening and Speaking skills.
At times, a "Flipped Classroom" model is used where students do the classroom portion of their learning (IXL skill practice and reading specific chapters) before they meet either on ZOOM as a class or cohort, or in class for class discussions. Often, when students have "books in their hands" they report more engagement and connection to the text, rather than reading it on the screen.

As soon as the money is paid for IXL the access is almost instant. The RBG books will arrive in about a week after puchase.
We are asking for $300 for IXL English Language Arts Skill set, and $258.72 =$558.72 total for this Enhancement Grant.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eyp5mBoUR9TMXlb6pzb9TTsxa8gEA-WdULufm8NTDG0/edit?usp=sharing

The IXL access is valid through the summer and into August of next year so students can contiue learning and preparing for their next grade level throughout the summer. Then it would need to be renewed to continue. The RBG books will stay at the school to be used year after year by multiple teachers, multiple grade levels and as many students as desired. Puchasing 44 will provide TWO class sets so that entire grade levels can read it at the same time and students get their own copy. The books will be returned to school for future students and teachers to check out.

As the new Library Clerk for Madera Elementary, I am excited to update our library with new Non-Fiction and Fiction books. Our collection of library books is extremely dated. Many books are irrelevant to our students today. Our library just underwent a massive remodel with new flooring, furniture, walls and ceilings. It's time for our collection of books to be refreshed as well.

According to the California Library Statistics, the suggested copyright guidelines to discard books is as follows:
000 2-10 years (computer tech books may age faster)
100 10 years
200 2-10 years
300 5-10 years
400 10 years
500 5-10 years (some science titles may age faster)
600 5-10 years (technology titles may age faster)
700 5-15 years
800 Flexible
900 5-10 years (country books, atlas, maps may age faster)
Biographies Flexible; 10 years for contemporary subjects
Encyclopedias 5 years (consider online versions)
Almanacs 3 years
Periodicals 3 years; 6 months if superseded by electronic resources
Fiction 10 years (you may want to keep award winners)

Madera is currently running on an average age of 19 years in our collection. Our science, technology, biographies and non-fiction picture books are the oldest in our collection. It is imperative to have updated, engaging books for our students.

At this time, students are not on campus. This is the perfect time to weed books from our library and update with new books. Currently, students can search our library collection through our website. Students then complete a Google Form requesting a book or books which I check out to them and can be picked up from a library cart in front of our main office. We have had a great response from the students for checking out library books during this time. Once students are back on campus and are able to visit the library, they will visit once a week with their class.

In a perfect world, we would have the library updated by the time students return to campus. As soon as books are received, they will immediately be available for the students.

With suggestions from our faculty, guidance from our PermaBound representative on books to add to our library and continuous weeding and updating; the Madera Elementary Library will continue to inspire our students for years to come.

Book Subscription:
Students are constantly looking for and checking out new releases in the young adult fiction area. When a new release is shipped straight to our class, packaged as a gift, students get excited about the chance to read. In an effort to captivate students' hearts for reading, I am cultivating an interactive library...one that allows students to read and express opinions about the books that I offer. My high-level readers (and anyone that is interested) will have a chance to read and evaluate the new books, giving them ratings and reviews. Books will then be available to all students with a peer review and a brief summary. I tried this on a small scale last year and every book that had been peer-reviewed and "sampled" was quickly checked out and read. It is a great way to make learning not only fun but experiential and relevant.

Globes:
My World History class encompasses every continent and covers over 1000 years of world history. I am constantly in search of things to give students visual anchors to help categorize and remember essential information. One tangible tool that students enjoy is a simple globe. Though these are slightly "old school", their relevance is not. I found these Old World Globes that reflect the world as believed by a certain time period. Having this collection would be essential because students would be able to envision what the explorers and navigators of the time thought of the world and track how it changed as we track history's changes. Students would be able to compare the information on each and extrapolate how the globe reflected the thinking of the time!

The major objective of the book subscription is to help students engage in and enjoy reading. This will play an essential role in training students to read for pleasure. The main objective of the Old World Globe set is to give students a tangible and visual anchor for their history discussions and timelines. IM history will be impacted because, with these globes, discussions will be deeper and easier for all students to understand. Also, students will be able to kinesthetically engage with a heady philosophy of the times that the globes depict simply.

I have all the basic materials to make these useful in my classroom. For the books, I plan to incorporate them in multiple ways. 1. Books tastings: students try out new books and voice opinions on them. This exposes them to new authors and genres. 2. Create a Book Review Team that will be able to read and review the new book of the month and write reviews that connect with their own peers. This serves a dual purpose: it challenges my excelling readers and supports my struggling readers. For the globes, every new century, the view of the world changed. As we construct a timeline in IM World History, I would have students track visual changes on the globes as well. I would also challenge students to connect the every changing perspective to changes happening in religion and philosophy too! Super excited to see the observations and hear the discussions this inspires!

The book subscription would have a fairly quick response rate because my students would begin checking them out immediately after they were reviewed. The more they were checked out, the more successful implementation was. For the globes, the objectives would not be completed until the end of the school year, but each time a globe was used, I would be able to compare it to last year when I had no visual for students to connect with.

All items I have requested will be sustained throughout the school year. Books would be stored in the class library and the globes would be displayed on shelves (visible) and pulled down when ready to use. These projects would both be used by many students to come, not just this year's 7th graders.

Fluency and Fitness is a digital platform that allows students to learn and review essential K-2 reading and math standards while moving their bodies. Fluency and Fitness combines ELA and Math tasks with exercise. An article written by Triumphant Learning states that, "many children, and especially kinesthetic learners, benefit from practicing math facts and sight words through movement. Moving frees their brain to focus. It also helps them remember the facts better. Allowing children to move while they memorize math facts and sight words helps them remember better." The kids are needing many different experiences to access their learning from home......"Fluency and Fitness" will give them a chance to get up and move, memorize sight words and math facts, and most importantly - HAVE FUN!

The students math facts and sight word knowledge will increase allowing them to have success in other areas of their ELA and Math programs. When students have a strong sight word and math facts foundation, their overall problem solving and comprehension skills increase. An article written by Learning Coaches Corner states, "Knowing math facts is similar to knowing sight words–it frees up the mind to solve real math problems and dissect reading passages." When students feel confident in their sight word and math fact recall, they can concentrate on the more rigorous parts of a problem.

During Distant Learning, my 1st and 2nd Graders will receive Fluency and Fitness via their Google Classrooms. I will use Fluency and Fitness during our ZOOM sessions - all 1st graders will join one zoom and all 2nd graders will join another zoom. When we are able to be together in the classroom, we will continue to use this program from our desks - 6 feet apart. The students will watch their screen and repeat the sight word or math fact as their body follows the movements from the kids on the screen.

My 1st and 2nd Graders have been assessed using the STAR Early Literacy test as well as "Beginning fo the Year" math assessments. I will continue to assess our students formally and informally throughout the school year to determine growth. I will be able to implement Fluency and Fitness within one week of purchasing it.

I will need to purchase it myself after this school year is over.

With this grant, the focus would be to add nonfiction titles to the Knolls Library. The area of focus, for the older students, would be in the areas of Science, Social Studies, and History. The focus for the younger students would be to add additional nonfiction titles with beginning reading levels. There are many students who have a preference for reading nonfiction books over fiction titles, so it is important to provide access to a variety of titles in a variety of subjects to meet the needs of those students. Also, as classes and students utilize Chromebooks and the internet to do research for projects, there is a need in the library for more nonfiction books with high interest content.

After running a collection analysis, it was noticed that in the areas of History, Social Studies and Science, the books were predominantly aged. Of the 354 titles analyzed, over 312 were published more than 20 years ago. With 88% of the books in these areas being outdated, they are neither useful for research or for interest reading. Many students have interest in reading books in these topics, but are unable to find a title that they would like to read.

At Knolls, there are many of the lower grade students who prefer to read nonfiction books. There is a need to expand the number of available titles with a First of Second Grade reading level so that there is a larger variety of books from which to select. These younger students are learning to read and do not hide their excitement about reading nonfiction books. Books about animals are especially popular, but there have been requests for other Science and Technology titles.

The grant and its implementation would benefit all of the students at Knolls. Even with all of the access that students have to technology, they still love coming into the library and selecting books to read. Having access to a variety of titles will benefit their learning experience, help improve their reading skills and hopefully add to a love of reading for a lifetime.

The objective of this grant is to provide additional nonfiction books to students of all grade and reading levels. The new titles would be of high interest to the students, and would increase the circulation of nonfiction books.

The result of the implementation of the grant would allow the students to have a broader selection of nonfiction books to choose from in the areas of Social Studies, History and Science for the older students. The younger students would have new and exciting titles to read.

The impact of the grant would be that students will find more nonfiction books that will interest them, and will choose to check them out of the library to read. By reading the nonfiction books, the students will improve their abilities to read informational text and learn about something of interest.

All of the titles will meet the criteria of the current informational text formats and will be supported by the Accelerated Reader Program.

As the books are added to the library, some of the titles will be introduced to the students through book talks or read to the classes as they meet in the library.

The grant would be implemented in a timeline that would allow maximum time for the books to be circulated during this school year.

The best way to measure the success of the grant is by the increased circulation of the titles. Another indicator of the success is the excitement among the students as they read the books and recommend the titles to other students.

The project will be sustained by the purchase of hardcover, library bound titles, which are designed to withstand high circulation.

Starfall is an internet based application that helps students learn how to read and do mathematics. It is designed for grades K-3. It can assist any students that may need extra help with the basics from letters sounds to blending to those that have the phonic skills and are reading. At the very basic level, it goes through each letter and provides opportunities for students to see the uppercase and lowercase letters, picture examples of words that begin with the letter, as well as providing the sound each letter makes. At the end of each letter file, there is a game the student can play to help reinforce the letter and sound. Once the student has mastered the letters, Starfall then provides mini stories, games, and other activities for the short vowel sounds as well as long vowel sounds and word families. At the grade 1, 2, 3 levels, Starfall has mathematics broken down for each grade and focuses on the skills that are taught. It also has opportunities for children who are already reading to practice. At both levels, Starfall provides seasonal activities for the children to engage in as well.

We perceive that our students will improve their phonics skills and reading ability by having the full use of this program as well as have a better understanding of the math concepts being taught in class. Starfall will have a positive impact on those students that participate and use it in conjunction with what is being taught in class.

The great thing about Starfall is that you can differentiate what is assigned to your students. For example, a kindergartener may not know their letter and sounds. You can have them focus on a particular letter or letters. Another kindergartener may be reading, you can have that child focus on books in the different word families. Another student may need help in math and recognizing numbers, that child can practice math skills. We can use it 1:1 or whole group on our interactive whiteboards or on screen share if we are zooming. The possibilities are endless. The students have all the materials (device, internet connection) necessary.

We would like to start as soon as possible, especially since we are already 30 days into school. There are several ways that we will be able to measure/evaluate the success of this program. We will use teacher observation. The STAR Early Literacy and STAR Reading and Math tests will also show if Starfall has been an effective tool in assisting our students. We have already given the STAR tests to all our students so we have a baseline for each student and will be able to see the growth over time.

If the Simi Valley Education Foundation does not fund opportunities for grants of this nature in the future, we will look at other avenues to procure funding for this program. Even if it means we pay for it out of our classroom funds. We firmly believe that Starfall has a positive impact on our students!

Distance Learning has been such an interesting experience for all involved. The kids are working hard at home to master many Language Arts and Math skills. The students' days are filled with essential standard learning and predictable routines. While these are necessary and crucial activities, it's also so important that the kids have opportunities to express themselves artistically and practice using their imagination at home! "Art From A Distance" will provide our 1st and 2nd Graders with guided, engaging art lessons and the supplies needed to participate from home.

It is my hope that this project will lead to increased academic success and happy 1st and 2nd Graders! An article written by Edutopia.com states that, "Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork." Our kids need arts education now more than ever. We should see increased scores on our formal ELA and Math assessments.

The 1st and 2nd Grade Teachers will each begin with one art "Module" from Udemy.com (We would like to purchase a total of 3 different modules.) Each module has between 8 and 10 online, guided art lessons. The teachers will rotate the modules - giving each student a total of 28 art lessons for the school year. We will send one lesson home per week via Google Classroom and the art supplies needed will be sent home during our weekly school pick/up day. We will be able to offer this art program in person as well, as soon as we are able to have kids physically in our classrooms. We will sanitize all materials before sharing them with other students at home or in class.

We will be able to implement "Art From A Distance" within one week of receiving materials. We hope to see an increase in our formal and informal assessment scores in ELA and Math, as well as an increase in our student's curiosity about the artistic world.

We will be able to reuse the online art lessons year after year as the subscription does not have an "end" date. Once the guided lessons are purchased, we will have access to them indefinitely. We will need to replenish supplies as needed - we will be able to use our classroom supply budget to replenish. These art lessons can be utilized for many years to come! 🙂

I teach 7th grade World History with a pathway component of Medicine. I teach students History of Medicine touching on Ancient medicine but the bulk of the teaching is in Medieval Times.
Students will gain hands on experience and will take home products that bring the history of medicine to life.
During this class students learn who the founders of medicine were, how medical practices were preformed, and how illnesses were treated. Students learn that a "doctor" or healer would consult with an apothecarist to get herbs that would help heal a sick patient. Students learn that these herbs have healing traits and many are still used in medicine today. For example: Willow bark was use used for aches, pains and fever when made into a tincture (tea). Today manufactured Aspirin still contains willow bark.
Students will be able to mix a tea bag of "calming tea " using a recipe that includes herbs used in Medieval Period. They will also make a healing balm (salve) that is for chapped lips, burns, rashes, etc.

One of my main objectives is for students to understand that using plants has a different taste than food they are used to eating or medicine they typically take. Today food and medicine is produced to have a pleasing taste to it. In the past medicine was created strictly to heal. Food was eaten strictly for healing or survival. Giving them a real example with the Catnip Tea and Calendula Salve/Balm, students will see the ingredients are "pure" and nothing is added to make "the medicine go down in a delightful way."
Students learn that plants contain healing properties. They will understand the benefits of growing and using plants as herbs, as spices and as medicine . One of the assignments students complete is researching 10 plants (can't use the ones presented in class) for their medicinal value and show how to identify the plant, what it's common name is, and what its scientific name is. The projects that I am asking funding for brings learning about healing plants (herbs) to life when they make products that can be used by them and share with their families. After students have learned to make an herbal tea and healing salve at school they can continue to develop and explore other ways to use herbs they learned about.

Teacher will front load information about Middle Ages medicine that includes notable contributors. Students will be presented with information and images that show medical instruments and how they were used to help heal a person. For example; they will see the instrument used to preform trepanning ( creating a hole in the skull) and why this was a popular practice,. They will see the instrument that was used to cauterize an amputation and applying a salve to reduce infection and stop blood flow. An improved practice over just sawing the leg off and heating the area. After the teacher gives common herbal use examples, students will investigate various healing plants, what part of the plant was used and what it was supposed to heal.
The teacher will use the ingredients of Catnip Tea to teach about each herb: Catnip is for relaxation, calming Skullcap is for anxiety, insomnia Chamomile is for soothing stomach ache, calming Spearmint is for digestion. Students will combined the appropriate amount of ingredients in a tea bag. Take it home and enjoy a cup of tea in the evening before bedtime.
Although there are no ingredients that are harmful in any way in this Catnip tea, I will send home information about each herb, how to prepare the tea, and what it is designed to do.
Calendula healing salve will be taught the same with students taking their own 1 oz. tin home.

Typically I make a Medieval Gingerbread for studetns in class during the Fall semester - this year I gave the recipe to students on line so they could make it at home as most of the ingredients are common pantry items. In the Spring semester students make the Calendula balm/ salve in May as the culminating activity. This year I will have students make the Catnip Tea at the end of January or in February as I feel this is a good time to have a hot cup of tea at night. I feel that this will be an easy introduction to an actual healing product used in the Middle Ages. There is almost no way students won't be successful.

Students will make the balm/salve in May after all the information about Medieval Medicine and assignments regarding healing properties of plants and discoveries have been completed. I will be able to see that objectives were met by evaluating their herb research and following the directions to make the tea (tall students will be able to successfully do this.) I expect to hear from students how they liked or disliked the tea after having time to make it and drink it at home. The healing salve is made by myself and another adult due to having to heat the ingredients. When the salve has cooled and solidified (this is completed in one class period) all students will take home a tin.

After the grant is completed students will have a basic knowledge level of how plants are used to heal. The idea of plants used as medicine is Ancient. Lately, there has been a resurgence in the desire to have a natural, healthy life style by using plants/ herbs . I know that I am sparking an interest in this area of study and I am providing students with desire to continue learning the history of medicine. Modern medicine is vastly different today - but all the knowledge came from Ancient times - with a wealth of knowledge and progress in the Medieval Times. I believe students will want to continue to learn and use the knowledge gained from History of Medicine.

This particular class has a programming component in which we use Sphero Robots to complete tasks and activities that teach students many different skills of block programming. Over the last five years the Sphero Robot system has been successful in providing the tools necessary for students to learn programming. However, with the current pandemic students are not at school and they are unable to use the robots.

Coderz Robotics 101 offers a solution. Students will be able to program virtual robots in the same way as they would with the real robots we usually use. The exception is that everything is online and web based so there is no need for actual robots.

The objectives of this project are:

-to temporarily replace actual Sphero Robots with virtual Coderz robots. (This would be a one year solution.)
-to provide students with a introductory course in robotic programming.
-to provide students an opportunity to expand on the knowledge learned from Code.com 'Express Course'.
-to provide students with a virtual 'hands on experience' through the use of Coderz Robotics 101

Think of teaching block programming as a series of lessons that get continually more advanced at every step of learning. Lesson start off as simple procedures of how to move a robot forward or backward and left and right. Over time the instructions needed to accomplish tasks will get progressively more difficult. An example of a more complicated task might be to have a robot move forward three feet, stop, turn left, move an obstacle 90 degrees to the right.

In order to teach programming, each step must be introduced as a lesson or series of lessons that chain consecutively. Each new lesson builds on the last bit of knowledge gained.

Distance Learning in SVUSD currently has about 15 meeting days between teacher and students. My plan is as follow:

Meetings 1-5 Implementation of Code.com Block Programming 'Express course'.
- This will introduce students to the basics of computer block programming and will provide students with a foundation on which to build for robotic
programming.

Meetings 6-15 Implementation of Coderz Robotics 101
- This is a program which has 20-25 hours of curriculum and expands on that with up to 50 hours of missions and activities.

The beauty of teaching programing through the sources mentioned above is that students must show proficiency in a task before they can move on to the next lesson. Much of this is handles through the programs themselves by informing the teacher of who is completing the objectives correctly and of who is struggling. As the teacher I introduce a lesson and task then the students will attempt to solve the task using the programming skills they gained from the current and previous lessons. During tasks I am able to provide assistance for any students that may be struggling. Coderz also lends itself well for solving tasks with partners or in groups. I would use Zoom breakout rooms to allow students to work together on some tasks.

I have been teaching coding and robotic programming for five years. Previously, we used Sphero robots to teach the Robotic programming lessons. However, these require a special charging station that charges all forty Spheros at once. It is impossible to lend the Spheros to students during distance learning as there would be no way for them to charge.

Coderz Robotics 101 would be a one year solution to the dilemma of providing students a hands on experience.

As a Civic Learning school, we have a focus on teaching character education using the six core values of the Medal of Honor Character Development Program (citizenship, commitment, courage, sacrifice, integrity, and patriotism). Embedding this learning focus across our curriculum is an excellent way to to make this learning meaningful in the context of our students' own lives. Learning to demonstrate excellent character and civic responsibility is critical to the well-being of our society as these young students will grow into our next generation of leaders.

Our main objective for this program is to engage our students in thoughtful contemplation and discussion of the core values as a springboard to finding ways to both observe and demonstrate these values in real life. Students will analyze the ways characters demonstrate , or fail to demonstrate, the core values in these novels and will in turn think about how these situations would apply to their own lives. At the completion of these novel studies, students will be able to not only define the core values, but also give examples of how and why they are important and can be demonstrated in our everyday lives. Students will be able to articulate the importance of acting out these values both for themselves and for our society.

Teachers will engage the students in a shared reading of these novels. Students will have the ability to follow along in the novel as teachers read aloud. In past novel studies where students each have had a copy of the novel being read, an observer would see students cheering when asked to get out their books, eagerly turning pages, and even groaning when each day's shared reading ends. Many times, we find students begging to read "just one more chapter". Discussions flow and students cite text evidence to support their positions.

We eagerly hope that students will be returning to campus in some form very soon. Once books have been purchased and delivered, and students have returned to campus in at least a limited capacity, we will be able to let students dive into the pages of these novels.

These books will be used for many years to come. This grant will be sustained as long as the books last. For this reason, we plan to keep the books on campus for our novel study.

Distance learning has radically transformed the way students are receiving instruction in all classes, but music education is one subject that needs the most adaptation to be successful remotely. In-person, band students receive physical sheet music and are able to receive immediate feedback from teachers, instructors, and even peers about their performances. Learning and performing as a group is a large part of what I focus on in the band classroom. Most people take a band class because they love it. Even when/ if school resumes there will be stricter restrictions band must follow. There is talk of many restrictions when it comes to “aerosol instruments,” so it is likely band classes will have to wait longer than other classes to return to in-person learning. SmartMusic is the best option for returning to a sense of normalcy in the online and hybrid band classroom. As of now, students only have access to a limited amount of sheet music to practice. Additionally, there are limited ways for students to receive feedback on how they are performing on their instrument in a distance learning environment. One way is to unmute and play over Zoom, which greatly distorts music audio due to internet latency. The other way is for students to record themselves playing their instrument and upload those recordings to Google Classroom which does not allow for immediate feedback. SmartMusic offers a large digital music library that students can practice and perform. SmartMusic also provides immediate on-screen feedback to students, letting them know if they played a rhythm or note correctly, close to correct, or incorrectly in a streamlined and motivating way. Even in normal times, a SmartMusic subscription is an invaluable practice tool for music students, but especially during the pandemic, a subscription to SmartMusic for every band student is essential to greatly enhance the remote music education experience for all of my students.

The major objectives of this project are to increase the variety of music repertoire students prepare in class, increase the digital library students have access to for their individual practice, and motivate students to practice more on a regular basis (measurable by the practice tracking tool available in SmartMusic). As a result of purchasing the SmartMusic software via a grant, band students will become better and more well-rounded musicians and individuals. Working on a variety of music in class and in individual practice sessions will not only allow students to work on different important musical skills and techniques, but this access to an abundance of music from around the world will also allow students to learn more about different cultures and time periods through musical performance. As a result of online performance of SmartMusic materials, students will become more proficient at their instrument (empirically measurable by average percentage scored on SmartMusic assessments) and more creative (measurable by the variety of music they choose to practice).

Due to remote learning, all students already have access to a computer equipped with a built-in microphone, so no materials in addition to the SmartMusic software will be needed to implement this project. With the implementation of SmartMusic into my band classes, I would begin by selecting a few pieces of music available on SmartMusic for students to read through. Once they have completed the initial read-through of the pieces, I would ask students to pick a few songs to go over in-depth as a class. Teaching music that interests the students motivates them to be more engaged throughout the learning process. I will relate my music theory and music history lessons to the pieces we are focusing on in SmartMusic. Students will spend a few weeks or even months practicing our focus pieces individually while utilizing the immediate individual feedback SmartMusic is able to provide, in addition to the live feedback I am able to provide over Zoom. Student assignments will include submitting recordings of our focus pieces in SmartMusic. If the Premium subscription to SmartMusic is purchased, students will also be free to explore all of the additional music available on SmartMusic during their individual practice sessions. The purchase of SmartMusic will enable smooth learning in my remote learning band classes because it will provide a legal way to digitally access the amount of quality music needed for a quality music class and will provide an additional layer of feedback for students. This process of teaching actually looks similar to how I teach in-person band classes, which will better equip students to rediscover their love for band and for music they may have lost due to being apart in the pandemic.

Once purchased, SmartMusic can immediately be implemented into my lesson plans and into students’ individual practice sessions. Increasing the amount of quality literature students have access to will occur immediately after student accounts are set up. I will evaluate how students are managing the motivation to practice on their own through my weekly practice report assignments and through the SmartMusic practice tracking tools. I am able to assess how much students are practicing on their own prior to implementation through my weekly practice report assignment on Google Classroom. I expect that once SmartMusic is implemented, students will have more repertoire, and thus more motivation, to practice, so I expect student practice times to increase gradually over the next few weeks. While the amount of students practice outside of the classroom has some level of importance, it is much more important to me that they are spending quality time practicing their instrument. Before implementation, I can assess the quality of student practice time through live interactions via Zoom and through my Band Exit Ticket assignments on Google Classroom that asks students to describe what they have been practicing during individual work time. SmartMusic will add an additional way to assess the quality of a student’s practice session by allowing me to listen to quality recordings of students practicing their instrument. Once SmartMusic is implemented, I also expect the quality of student practice sessions to increase over the next few weeks.

Since SmartMusic is a software that needs to be renewed each year, the Royal Band Department's continued use of SmartMusic in future years will depend on additional funding provided from other sources. The knowledge and skills students gain from practicing with SmartMusic will be sustained by individual students throughout their entire lives. The practice tools they use within SmartMusic will likely increase their motivation to practice their instrument on their own, which will positively impact their work ethic in all aspects of their lives.

Our Kindergarten through 8th grade students are curious and excited learners! Due to Distance Learning, our kids have not been able to attend our campus for hands-on labs and workshops. Monte Vista's curriculum emphasizes the importance of hands-on investigations as part of our independent study pathway and we are seeking ways to ensure our kids continue to thrive in this area while they are at home. An article written in Familyeducation.com states that, "Fostering an early interest in STEM can build a strong foundation for a child's math and science skills for years to come and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 8.6 million STEM-related jobs in the United States in 2018."

We hope to see our students continue to be excited and curious about learning! STEM activities will lead to increased emotional happiness as well as increased ELA and Math skills. We expect to see increased scores on our formal and informal assessments throughout the year as well as increased attendance and work production in all areas.

We will create "At Home STEM Kits" for the kids to use at home. Each student will keep the kit for 2 weeks and then it will be sanitized and rotated to another student. Each kit will contain the materials for a STEM project along with directions. Teachers will have specific ZOOM sessions to support the STEM standards at least once per month.

We will be able to implement our project within 2 weeks of receiving all materials. We will gather student feedback via Google Forms and we will continue to formally and informally assess our students monthly. We will be able to assess our kids prior to implementation by using a Google Form to track the student's feelings about distance learning and if the addition of "hands-on" materials for home use is positive.

We will be able to sustain the project year after year with a few materials needing to be replenished as the kids use them. We can use money from our school supply budget or fundraisers to pay for the items. ( Most materials will be non-consumable.)

The Township Library has been steadily improving because of grants like this one. However, it still needs current nonfiction. Nonfiction is essential to each student's learning. They learn how to evaluate, understand, and appreciate the earth, science, technology, the past, and present. When I first came to Township seven years ago the younger students never looked at nonfiction. I divided the nonfiction into lower grades, JK-3, and upper grades, 4-6. The increase in nonfiction checkouts was miraculous. I believe this is because the students just couldn't find the books they could read and understand. Children love learning about space, animals, vehicles, etc. but they need books they can read. A nonfiction book helps them to know what they will love and appreciate as they grow older. Maybe they will like animals, rockets, or computers. This gives a child the chance to know and learn about all these things.

The major objectives for this project is to build up our nonfiction, specifically our animal sections, sports, and natural disasters. While we have added a few items each year we really need to improve these sections in our library. Township students love these types of books. They will check them out over and over. They will be encouraged to take accelerated reading tests which help increase their reading comprehension. AR tests on nonfiction are much more difficult to pass and so by taking tests on these books they will increase their reading comprehension abilities.

Next year we will also be having a library theme, "A Great Migration of Books." We will challenge the students to read as many books as they can. If they read a book about nature/animals they will get extra points. Each month I will read a book about an animal or animal migration. Students love this opportunity to study real life. These books will also be used in their classroom reports. Several upper grade classes have animal reports and it would be wonderful to have these books available to them in their school library.

Each month a new animal book or animal migration book will be read to the students. Students will be challenged to read in order to help their class "migrate" across the library bulletin board. They love a challenge.

I know how popular these books will be to my students. They will be checked out constantly and very much loved. The books we have now are greatly appreciated and it would be nice to give the students up to date books on these subjects.

Books will be purchased as soon as possible. Students will be able to check them out and enjoy them as soon as they are barcoded. I will continually put new books on display so the students can easily see them. From past experience, I know how much my students will love and appreciate books on animals, sports, etc. They love nonfiction.

These books will be constantly used. They will be purchased from Permabound and if any of them are damaged (by time, not students) they are replaced free of charge. I will also repair them and clean them so they will continually be available to the students.

As the Athletic Trainer at Royal High School, I provide medical services to all athletes at Royal High School. I am actually hired through Adventist Health Simi Valley to provide these services and to help spread awareness about our role in our community. An athletic trainers role is to provide healthcare to students at Royal by preventing and treating injuries, rehabilitating injuries, providing a differential diagnosis, and managing emergency care events. In addition to our role expectations before the pandemic, our job role has expanded because of COVID 19. Our Athletic Training Program created screening protocols for all athletes/ teams, has worked with the custodial staff to make sure cleaning and disinfecting protocols were put in to place, provided additional education for coaches and students, and we have also provided as well as spread information about PPE. While trying to do this for all sports, it can be challenging to find a budget for supplies so every sport has access to the same materials especially with our budget being cut this year.

Although we have many other supplies that we would need, we are trying to afford the basic supplies right now so we can still help our teams during this time. We have already started fundraisers for PPE, hand sanitizer, and more to prevent the spread of the pandemic so now we need supplies to actually aid in preventing injuries. The supplies we need help prevent, treat, rehabilitate, and aid in emergency protocols that happen at Royal High School. Our supplies will allow us to take care of our athletes and our community. Not only do the supplies help with the physical ailments of the job, but they also help with educating individuals on what an athletic trainer is, why we are there, and what we can do to support them. A lot of our job is also education whether it be about hand washing procedures, acclimation, concussions, preventing injuries, and more; but we need the supplies and tools to help treat and prevent the injuries/ illnesses that we educate about.

The objective of the Athletic Training Program is to provide medical services by preventing and treating injuries as well as reducing the risk of disease transmission. By having supplies, we will be able to serve all teams and all athletes at Royal High School. There are about 1,500-2,000 students that participate in sports at Royal High School, which makes up a majority of the student population. We want to make sure we have the supplies to prepare students to return to play safely as well as effectively especially now when there are many obstacles in the way. We also want to raise awareness about our healthcare services and the healthcare providers in the area that are attributing to our programs growth.

There are a lot of things that we work on each day to educate individuals about what our program does and how we make an impact in our community. First off, we educate and work directly with all coaches at coaches meetings about protocols and everything injury wise. We also communicate directly with the athletes and educate them as well at practices or through zoom meetings. I also have open clinic hours where any athlete from any sport is allowed to come and get an injury checked out. In addition to educating the athletes and coaches, we also have a student observation program that helps promote our athletic training services. Students are able to sign up for an Athletic Training elective so they can help provide basic first aid/ CPR during games and practices as well as shadow me and learn what the job is about. I started at Royal High School last year and there were 14 students in the observation program. This year we have 52 students enrolled in the Athletic Training class because more students were aware of athletic training since I was able to work with all sports. I want to continue to build our program and have more students become interested and get involved so that we can have better outcomes in the future as well. It provides a great experience for the students and a great experience for the athletes to learn how to take care of themselves.

I believe that the supplies will make a direct impact right now especially during this pandemic, but we will also see how the supplies help all of the athletes and teams over the next year or two. My hope is that by continuing to provide to all teams this year, it will allow us gather recognition and more funding in the future on our own. The supplies will help us with that because access and education lead to community awareness and involvement.

As mentioned in the previous answer, we will continue to provide for all teams and continue to grow our program by helping more athletes each day and each year. I hope to eventually get more non-consumable goods such as new rehabilitation equipment and new braces so that students are able to get better care each year forward. Right now, having people still rely on us during a pandemic for anything we have the ability to do is what we want to provide so we can sustain our credibility in the future.

The Yellow Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and published in 1892 in an important piece of American Literature that supports the state learning standards for English 11.

The Yellow Wallpaper has recently been published as a graphic novel with engaging and interesting illustrations.
The story itself deals with themes that are important to discuss in the academic setting. The major themes of the novel are the need for self-expression, and how the lack of ability to express ourselves can lead to isolation, the strain rigid gender roles can have on a person or relationship, the theme of appearance vs. reality, and the treatment of those considered to be second class citizens in the late 19th century, as well as the significance of mental health in the late 19th century. The work ties in well to other works studied by students in 11th grade, such as Edgar Allan Poe's emphasis on psychology, and the Transcendentalists focus on self-expression, but offers a diverse take on the experiences of men and women during this time, as it is written by a female author.

This text is valuable to students, but many struggle with the imagery, language and nuance Perkins creates in her story. Purchasing the graphic novels would aid in not only engaging students but allowing the text to be accessible to all levels and needs. The graphic novel supports visual learners, students transitioning out of the English Language Development Program, and encourages complex thinking as students are able to reinforce imagery and ideas through the visuals.

The Common Core State Standards for English 11 will be supported with the purchase of these novels are:
RL 11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

This does not include the standards that will be achieved through the Speaking, Listening, and Writing domains, as students, gain firm understanding of the content of the novel and are able to a greater depth of understanding to discuss it, share insights and ideas, and create arguments through persuasive writing.

Once the novels are received:

- Students will be able to access the content of the story through the graphic novel format.

- With access to that knowledge, students will activate higher-order thinking to discuss and share original insights or ideas about the broader context of the story and its implications.

- Students will be able to cite strong evidence from the text and to analyze and explain that text to support their own ideas and inferences.

- Students will analyze the author's choices, craft, and structure, as well as compare that to images of the graphic novel. Questioning the text is a key rhetorical skill.

- Students will be able to formulate and develop arguments and persuasive pieces of writing and speech, regarding the meaning of the text in both the context of the novel and in the greater context of equality in the late 19th century. This includes the socio-political allegory in the novel.

- Students will exercise and develop research skills as they look at the work in the broader context, by comparing the content of the novel to contemporary beliefs and norms.

- Students will value and appreciate the opportunity to work with a graphic novel, which offers a greater depth of understanding and engagement.

- Close reading skills will be developed and exercised.

- Students who are not meeting state standards for literacy will benefit from the accompaniment of a visual aid while reading.

The students will be able to use these graphic novels in literary circles where they can read sections together, or silently, pausing to discuss the events of the novel, the imagery, characterization, and how it compares and contrasts to the images, as well as their own understanding. For literary circles, students need the graphic novel, and then a meeting place. This can be in the classroom, outdoors, or via Zoom.

Students will utilize the "Say, Mean, Matter, How" strategy to look at what the text explicitly says, what it meams, and why does it matter to the overall understanding of the work. I finally ask students to analyze the "how" to explore the author's choices in craft, such as their diction, syntax, characterization, use of figurative language, and literary technique. Students have the opportunity to both read and see how the author creates tension in her work through the use of diction, dialouge, and imagery. These are higher-order concepts usually practiced at the AP level. The graphic novel allows students in CP to access these same concepts through the use of visuals.

Students will discuss first in smaller groups, and then as a class through Socratic seminar. For Socratic, materials already availible would be used. Via Zoom, through screen share and Chromebook access, in the classroom through the use of the smartboard. Socrate can also be recreated outdoors.

Students can utilize apps from G-Suite such as Google, Classroom, Google Docs, and Google Slides, to produce written work and engage in projects such as recreating tone, mood, and imagery from the novel. These activities can also be done in the classroom, online, or on paper, depending on the learning environment at the time. No other materials would be needed.

The teacher will check for understanding through the use of Google Forms to survey, class polls, exit tickets, comprehension questions that activate higher-order thinking, and the ability of the student to meet persuasive and argumentative writing requirements through a CCSS aligned rubric.

The implementation of this project can begin once the novels are received and distributed to students in class.
The reading of the novel would take approximately 1 week, in which discussions, writing prompts, exit tickets, and polls would allow the teacher to check for understanding. The follow-up activities that would be based on the novel would span over the course of an additional 2 weeks as students create, develop, and fine-tune persuasive and argumentative writing techniques aligned with the California Common Core State Standards. The students will be evaluated based on their ability to achieve those standards, and their improvement with those skills when compared to previous work samples.
Since this novel fits so well into our already established curriculum, students can reflect on their learning throughout the school year as they encounter new works with similar themes, opposing viewpoints, and similar rhetoric.

English 11 focuses on American literature and rhetoric. Since this novel is useful in both areas, the longevity and use of the novel will extend for as long as the focus of English 11 is on American literature and rhetoric. If there ever is a change with curriculum and standards for English 11, this novel can be used in AP Literature and Composition (as it is also a recommended work for AP) as well as the IB program. The graphic component of the novel opens up the accessibility of the content, making it valuable to even younger grades, should curriculum changes occur.

The novels will be kept safe and secure. Students will only utilize the novels in class with supervision. Should the novels show signs of wear after time, they can be laminated at the school site.

Thank you for your consideration of this grant. I believe that this novel will provide the students with not only numerous academic benefits, but the benefit of diversity among curriculum dominated by mostly male authors. Thank you again.

Prior to schools being shut down by Covid 19, we had a team go to a conference in San Diego for Professional Learning Communities. One of our walk away ideas was to turn our Reading Intervention program upside down. We, in the past, were having our lowest readers work with this intervention teacher. However, we came to the idea that those students needed us more. We also realized that our grade level and highest readers were not having the opportunity to explore various novels with a greater depth. Once the District approved our switching groups we had to come up with a plan. We, the 2nd grade team at Crestview Elementary, are going to do just that. We want our at grade level and higher students to explore a novel a month. We have been going through our personal libraries to come up with books. We will be accessing our school library as well. We just don't have enough for all the students involved. So adding books to our grade level will bring more experiences and enhance the learning of our students.

Students will read various novels with our credentialed reading intervention teacher. They will take the Accelerated Reader quiz when the novel is completed. They will create various projects from reports, google slides, videos, virtual field trips, etc. Students will present the books to other students in the class to motivate them to become curious about these books. We want to expand and improve a better readinng experience for all.

Part of Common Core standards for students does not only include reading itself, but comprehension and collaboration, presentation of knowledge and ideas. We believe that this experince will be beneficial to the long term growth of our students.

We currently have two groups of students during our school day. We also have two second grade classrooms. We are going to combine the at grade level and above for this reading program.
1. Students will meet with the Intervention teacher via Zoom in a break out room from the primary teachers classroom.
2. Students will read a novel together, discuss, go over unknown vocabulary, reread it on their own.
3. Students will take the Accelerated quiz for the book.
4. Students will create a "project" about the book.
5. Students will present the book to the rest of their classmates.

We plan to begin this as soon as possible. We are waiting for the Intervention teacher to start. We will begin with the book Sarah Plain and Tall. We have other books scheduled to take us through the school year. We have already assessed students with the Reading Star test, the San Diego Quick, and a one minute read. We will reevaluate these assesments throughout the school year.

This grant will provide reading materials for our second grade group. We want to be able to continue this in the future. We will continue our library to include not only fiction, but non-fiction and poetry as well. This will start the building blocks to expand and improve our second students experiences in reading, collaborating, and presenting.

Students in the woodshop learn many things including how to measure, add and subtract fractions and problem solve as they build really cool projects like a Grandfather Clock. This opportunity is greatly diminished doing woodshop at home. My idea is "Build Kits." The "Woodshop At Home: Build Kits" project is being created to enhance the Royal High School's Woodshops ability to offer students a very hands-on woodshop experience that authentically reflects the kinds of work they would do in the actual woodshop at Royal. The money will be used to supplement the woodworking "build kits" that the students will take home and literally build. The kits will come with enough materials and supplies to build four authentic standards based STEM woodshop projects. I would like to supplement, or enhance, the kits with tools and safety equipment that is necessary to build the projects at home and do it safely. Our goal is to give the woodshop students a hands-on experience which is the very thing that kids love about the woodshop and is also one of the key elements of STEM education.

The objective is to get 4 projects into the hands of students to be built at home. These kits will coincide with the units of studies being taught. All students will receive and successfully build each of the projects at home with teacher guidance. As students build they will be applying the knowledge they are gaining during the academic lessons taught during the ZOOM meetings. Projects successfully and safely built is a major objective. Another objective would be high knowledge of subject matter content which could be measured on unit tests.

Teacher will use the textbook, Youtube videos and in class lessons to teach the background content. The teacher will create video's to be watched at home to guide the students through the building process. These videos will model woodworking techniques and skills as well as use the content knowledge the students learned in class. The video will also highlight tool safety and what the final project should look like.

The "Build Kits" will be used in each of the 6 week rotations. Results will be immediately seen as students complete the project that goes along with the current unit and then successfully is able to pass the final exam which reflects each of the units covered.

The hope is that this "build kit" program will only be needed during this distance learning time and that students will get back to campus soon.

Let’s Find Out and Science Spin are Scholastic News publications that are available as consumables and electronically. We are looking to purchase subscriptions to both publications for our Kindergarten students. Both of these news magazines provide exciting nonfiction topics that are engaging. They provide flexibility that will allow students to learn in the classroom and virtually. The texts are exciting and encourage children to read. The online version reads and highlights texts so students can track information easily. This also allows for differentiation. There are paper/pencil activities, online games and videos, which give students the opportunity to further their knowledge on the topic. The topics are seasonal and age appropriate. In October, the themes include Firefighters, parts of a pumpkin, Autumn, and Voting. Science Spin adds real life science experiments and are NGSS aligned.

We perceive that our students will find a love for social studies and science. That their thirst for knowledge will not end with what we have taught in our classrooms but will continue with Let’s Find Out and Science Spin. They will have the opportunity to research and learn more about the topics/themes presented.

Let’s Find Out and Science Spin are accessible through paper magazines and now electronically. We will be able to use either in our classrooms or virtually. They provide great opportunities to involve the family for enrichment opportunities. The possibilities are endless. There are no extra materials needed.

We have already ordered subscriptions to these publications and are seeing the excitement in the children’s eyes each week when a new theme is introduced. We have curriculum for social studies and science but we want to provide additional opportunities to enhance our students’ learning and pique their curiosities. We want to create life-long learners in Social Studies and Science.

If the Simi Valley Education Foundation does not fund opportunities for grants of this nature in the future, we will look at other avenues to procure funding for this program. Even if it means we pay for it out of pocket. We remember reading Scholastic News magazines in school and the excitement and anticipation we had waiting for the next issue each week. . We want to provide that same opportunity for our students.

The need for this project is to obtain a class set of John Lewis’s series of books on the Civil Rights Movement known as March. This book series is an excellent way for my students to connect with the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The books contain illustrations and artwork that are like those found in a comic book which really grabs the attention of the students. The books first-hand accounts from John Lewis of such historical events like the Selma March and the Freedom Rides are an invaluable tool to understand the motivations, as well as the trials and tribulations of those directly involved in these pivotal moments in American history. But the need that I think it will help me to address is the need to have our students understand the importance of being civically engaged and active, and this series does a superb job of demonstrating that anyone can create meaningful change in our country by being civically engaged and active.

The major objective of this project is to demonstrate the importance for students to be civically engaged and active in their communities. The major impact will be that students in my class will leave with the desire to be good citizens and be invested in their community. Using this series of books will help me ensure that our students are leaving Royal High School proud and excited to be active in their community, a community that can thrive on its diversity and equal opportunities for all. These objectives can be met through reading all three of the books in the series and using the topics in the series to help facilitate discussion on civic engagement. The measured outcome will be seen through student writing, class discussion, small group discussions, and debate all tied to the book’s themes and topics.

I will use various teaching methods with this series of books. There will be reading some of it together as a class and discussing it as we go (as a whole class and in think-pair-share format). The students will also read on their own and will have various writing prompts. Some of these writing prompts will encourage them to reflect on what they have read, share their feelings on what they have read, share any type of similar experiences they may have had, as well as write about similar historical events from different time periods. We will also use the books in small groups where the students will share their thoughts and feelings on what they have read. Groups will also be provided with debate topics based on what they have read and assigned to take a side and use the book to provide evidence to back up their argument. Group work will also consist of collaborative slide shows and presentations to share with the class and/or other small groups their experiences and thoughts with the book and its subject matter.

The use of the book series will begin during our “Post WWII America” Unit and go through our “Civil Rights” Unit. The book study would begin in the middle of February and finish in late March each year. I will evaluate my objectives by reading student essays and reflections on the book and its topics. I will also evaluate my objectives by listening to small group debates in class as well as class discussions on the lessons that can be learned from John Lewis’ experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. As for my ability to assess my students prior to the implementation of the books, the discussion of civil rights and civil liberties begins as early as our study of the Constitution and really starts to get in-depth during our study of the 1920s and the Red Scare, so I will have a good idea where my students stand prior to the implementation of the books into the curriculum.

The books will be reused each year. There are no recurring costs.

As we look ahead t a school experience unline any other, we as educators strive to provide students with valuable, challenging, age appropriate content. Science is currently a particular area of struggle for many teachers. We were in the pilot process when the pandemic hit, so many teachers are left without a current NGSS aligned science curriculum. This website, created by Dr. Jeff Winokur, know as the "Dancing Scientist" engages students and provides teachers with aligned curriculum for grades K-8. It is constantly being updated, and the curriculum contains enough material to cover the standards, whether in person or via distance learning. From their website: "Generation Genius is a K-8 teaching resource that brings school science standards to life through fun and educational videos paired with lesson plans, activities, quizzes, reading material and more. Our videos are produced in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association, and aligned to standards in all 50 states."

This grant would provide all students at Hollow Hills a comparable Science curriculum, from grades K-6. It is a cost we can more than likely cover for future renewals. Currently 6th grade is creating their own materials, and this would alleviate some of that struggle. The website is so much more than just videos....it has lesson plans, quizzes, exit tickets, discussion questions, reading materials, teacher guides, and plans for simple cost effective labs that can be done in class or at home. These students need to learn not only the science standards, but to have the love of exploration and discovery sparked to keep them interested in science well beyond elementary school. Our ability to cover all the standards is measurable, as is our student performance on standardized science tests. We can also track student engagement and performance on tests and quizzes to see if renewal in a year is beneficial.

This program includes complete 5E lesson plans, which begin with a phenomena and encourage students to wonder and explore before they are taught material. They will be guided through an exploration and use quality scientific data and methods to enhance their understandig of scientific concepts. The program offers videos, but also provides guides for hands on learning as well, often using simple items that are affordable and cost effective.

Once we are approved for purchse, we can get started. The STEAM docent and I would look through the rogram to determine what basic experiment materials we already have, and teachers can begin using the program with theit students.

We have an active PTA as well as a staff dedicated to provide the best experiences for our students. If we determine that sustaining the program is beneficial, we can raise the funds needed to renew for another year.

BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. creates cross-curricular digital content to help teachers facilitate in engagement and learning for their students. In a data anaylsis study that compared students that used BrainPOP vs. students that did not use BrainPOP, students scored higher on standardized testing in the three core curricular areas (ELA, Math, and Science). The results of the study show that BrainPOP meets the Moderate Level of Impact for ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). In California, students had the most statistically signifcant impact in science, and the largest effect impact of all five states tested.

When we went into Distance Learning last year, our intervention teacher introduced my kindergarten team to BrainPOP Jr. BrainPOP/BrainPOP Jr. offered teachers a free trial for the remainder of the school year. Even though kindergarten does not receive intervention, she used BrainPOP Jr. to make support videos to reinforce concepts that we were teaching in via distance learning, to ensure that our students were 1st grade ready. My team also all signed up and began integrating standards based videos, activities, and games into our daily/weekly plans. The kids were highly engaged and we felt that it was a great benefit to us to have BrainPOP Jr. as a support tool to what we were teaching within our Distance Learning curriculum.

BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. has a vast amount of standards based curriculum to support teachers and help engage students, especially when teaching at a distance. This is resource is an incredible support site for teachers to help students and parents during this unprecedented time.

Well as stated previously, schools that engaged in BrainPOP showed higher test scores on standardized testing, qualifying BrainPOP for the Moderate Level of Impact for ESSA. Furthermore, in Califormia, 72% of the effect sizes were significant, showing that students who engaged in BrainPOP had an overall positive effect; science being the most statistically positive effect.

More specifically, BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP give teachers the ability to provide engaging standards based lessons that support their Distance Learning and at some point in school lessons. It will allow for more student engagement, flexibility in learning, while also providing data to teachers with quatifiable results having embedded quizzes within the already structured pacing guides and lesson plans.

The students will benefit from animated lessons, to coding and constructing their own meaning, playing games and simulations that develop critical thinking skills and problem solving. Assessments are designed in multi-dimensional tasks and games that do not lack in engagement, but do require vast cognitive skills.

BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. have resources for teachers to help support students and parents specifically designed for Distance Learning and for facilitating lessons within the classroom. They have an educator resource page that has pacing guides and lesson planning already created for teachers with teaching tips, support materials, printables or pdfs to be sent digitally, and interactive support videos. Teachers also have access to differentiation strategies, custom and formative assessment tools. BrainPOP Jr and BrainPOP also provide School to Home Connection resources to further academically and developmentally appropriate on- and offline activities and ideas that are simple, meaningful, and fun.

They offer standard based lessons, activities, games, and assessments for SEL, trending topics, such are antiracism, environmental, univeral topics, coding, engineering and tech, movie making and more. The vast array of curricular support that can be infused into enriching our students' learning experiences is extensive. BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP gives teachers the supports to make learning visible, challenging, reflective, while building connections and engaging deeper, curiosity driven learning. Students have the ability to watch a video, then explore topics in greater depth by, listening to stories, playing games, creating, and exploring.

We have already given assessments for the beginning of the year and will soon be doing assessments for our 1st quarter Progress Reports in primary. In upper grades, teachers will be able to see measurable growth based on whether the lessons, games, and tools embedded into their current lesson planning improves test scores in core curricular areas. There are no results for Standardized Testing for last year due to COVID, so we will not be able to make a comparable there, but from just the little time that we used it at the end of the year last year, our students were prepared and ready to move on to the next grade-level, despite the rapid ending of school based on assessments given.

At Hollow Hills we do a lot to raise funds for programs and things we find necessary for our student population. Due to school closures, our funds have been drastically cut. That being said, should this grant be funded and we be able to effectively implement it and see student perfomance growth, it is likely that we will work to use money raised during our fundraisers this year to repurchace a licence again for BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP.

That a person’s life is inspiring enough to write a book on is fascinating. And when students discover similarities and connections between their own lives and those of the heroes they read about, it empowers them to overcome their own challenges with hope and determination. Students are inspired to follow their dreams in a world full of possibilities. We are a Title I school and over 75% of our students are multi-cultural. Through these diverse biographies, students take pride in their diverse culture and backgrounds. And because biographies are about real people doing real things, they should spark a desire in students to make this world a better place.

The main objective of this project is to empower students to follow their dreams in a world full of possibilities. And to help students achieve the realization that struggle and effort lead to great accomplishments.

Some of the books will be read aloud in class. Many of the books will be read by students in Literacy Circles for which we will require multiple copies.

As soon as the grant is approved and we receive the books, the books will be available for students to start reading in their book circles. Students will create presentations on the books and show how these books have helped them develop values such as empathy, tolerance, acceptance, and compassion.

This is a continuation of a grant that I wrote last year on Diverse books. This year I extended it to Biographies of Diverse Heroes. Future grants will be written to sustain the project.

Since teaching on Zoom has been a challenge for both teachers and students, I have researched different platforms to enhance the learning we are implementing in Math and any skills that can be practiced to support the daily lesson. I had heard that surrounding districts were using IXL, so I signed up for a monthly trial offer. I also shared this with my 5th grade team and they signed up as well. We have been using it since day one and can see why other schools have adopted this program. After teaching a math lesson, we have assigned IXL for homework and the kids have benefitted greatly from the daily practice of the skills on IXL.
IXL is a personalized learning platform. It combines curriculum, a Continuous Diagnostic, individual guidance, and real-time analytics to help teachers differentiate instruction for each of their students. We are able to monitor the use of the program and the mastery of the skills that we assign. As students work on their assigned IXL skill, they will be building an in-depth understanding of the concept introduced in our lesson. Questions adapt automatically to each student
so that they can develop skill confidence at their own pace.

Using it on a trial basis, this program has already been a great benefit to our students. They have been able to practice math skills that have been taught in class and master them. IXL's high-quality digital curriculum and technology work together to provide meaningful learning in a format that students love.
We find an IXL to support the objective of the lesson, deliver the lesson and then assign an IXL skill lesson to help cement students' understanding through skill practice. IXL's skill plans show you the exact skills that complement what you're teaching. It has skill plans in state standards or through textbook skill plans. There are skills for every chapter from our My Math program. The Skill Analysis report allows teachers to check for assignment completion and to gain insight on our students’ understanding of the lesson. This report gives us overall stats on our class performance and even groups the students by the level of difficulty they are working at within the skill. We can mouse over each student’s name for deeper analysis of their progress. It allows us to keep an eye out for students who have trouble spots and may need additional support or practice with foundational skills.

The teaching methods that will be used will be through Google Classroom. We attach a link of math skills that we would like the students to practice and master after teaching them a lesson in class. IXL's high-quality digital curriculum and technology work together to provide meaningful learning in a challenging, fun way. This will also be used in class as a skill practice tool when other assignments are completed in Math and there is extra time for the early finishers.

As students work on their assigned IXL skill, they will be building an in-depth understanding of the concept you introduced in our lesson.
Questions adapt automatically to each student so that they can develop skill confidence at their own pace. For each IXL skill, it encourages students to reach a SmartScore of 80 (proficiency). If students achieve proficiency and are ready for a challenge, then we have them strive for mastery, a SmartScore of 100.

We hope to be able to renew the subscription for this program in years to come. We will continue to use this even after our students come back into the classroom. This program can only make our students stronger in their math skills and feel more confident with continuous practice.