Mini-Grant Winners 2005

Sharon Regner, Monday Morning News Show
On March 21st our first news show was televised in all classrooms within our two schools. Twelve enthusiastic students in grades 5 through 8 worked together to produce this weekly News Show. Next year, I plan to include more students by changing the news crew every eight weeks. Curriculum topics most emphasized are language arts, science (as reported by our female version of Bill Nye) and sports. Important goals include: (1) providing an enriching activity for our gifted and talented students; (2) offering a venue for celebrating student achievements; and (3) building intra and inter-school spirit. We utilize two Mac computers, a digital video camera, iPhoto, and iMovie.

Gayle Britt, Trading Spaces Along the Silk Road"
This project requires students in 7th and 9th grade history/language arts to connect the medieval world, people and cultures via trade routes. Primary sources such as the writings of travelers Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo will be studied. Geography, goods, religion, culture, social structures passed from one space to another and back again. Students create multimedia projects demonstrating understanding of each area of the world studied culminating in the creation of an e-portfolio/virtual field trip. For students to understand that the Silk Road is a metaphor for the Internet today, their work will be shown to students in Central Asia living on the Silk Road.