2008 Grant Proposal Details

Shuffling into Success   Charlemagne Elementary

Total: $2000

Description:  In this project, we intend to foster 5th graders’ linguistic development in both English and French through the use of MP3 players at home and at school. In the French classroom, we plan to have native French speakers (teachers, instructional assistants, parent/community volunteers) record short texts and vocabulary words in the content areas of math, science, and French language arts. Students will use iPod brand MP3 players due to their previous exposure to iPods as an instructional device in 4th grade and the ease of iPods’ interface with our existing software. Students will use the iPods at school for focused work on French fluency and comprehension at their reading level. Students will use the iPods at home to support French language development outside of the school context. Students will be able to listen to native French spoken texts repeatedly to build fluency and improve comprehension. They will also be able to use native French speakers’ accent and grammar usage as a model for their own spoken and written French. The iPods could also give students’ access to math assistance as well, such as repeated directions for math homework or explanations math skills and strategies. In the English classroom, we plan to use iPods to support students in English language arts, social studies, and health. To support reading development, native English speakers (teachers, instructional assistants, parent/community volunteers) will record short texts, chapters, or excerpts from our reading and social studies curricula. This will give struggling readers a chance to preview these selections or do repeated readings to build fluency and comprehension. It will provide on-target readers with an opportunity to continue to build their skills and advanced readers to access more material at their individual levels. We will also record in-class social studies and health assessments so struggling readers can work at their own pace without being hindered by reading ability. To supplement social studies content (early American history, Revolutionary War, study of French-speaking countries around the world), we will provide access to primary sources such as famous speeches and period music. We will also have students to create podcasts based on the content they are learning. For example, students might explain a day in the life of a colonial craftsman, compare and contrast life in Eugene and life in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, or provide explanations of healthy eating choices for first through fourth graders.

Why is this important?  This project is designed to build fluency, comprehension, and content knowledge in French and English. Many students lack exposure to native French speakers or the French language outside of the school context. By taking iPods home, this project will enable students increase their exposure to the target language (French). By using primary sources of information such as speeches and music, students will have greater access to difficult social studies content information. Podcasting will also help students synthesize the content they are learning and cement it in long term memory as they create explanations to teach the younger students. This project is also important because of the impact it will have on students’ French linguistic abilities and language acquisition. Providing students with an authentic and accurate model of spoken French will support their oral and written French skills (pronunciation, grammar) as they mentally consult what they have previously heard. Having students listen to native French speakers will improve their listening comprehension, receptive vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking fluency.

Who will be served?  Approximately 52 fifth grade students will be directly served by this project each year. 200 first through fourth grade students will be indirectly served by this project each year as a result of listening to podcasts of the fifth grade social studies and health projects.

How will this be evaluated?  Every Monday morning, students are evaluated in French oral expression. These scores will be monitored by the fifth grade French teacher to determine progress in the areas of pronunciation, grammar, and oral speaking fluency. The instructor will also assess students’ formal French writing a minimum of three times a year. Writing will be done in essay form. We hope to see their scores improve consistently over the course of the year as a result of being exposed to native French speaking on a daily basis. Students’ French oral reading fluency and reading comprehension are also measured three times per year. A student reads orally one-on-one with an instructional assistant who times their oral reading rate for one minute. Then, the student finishes the passage and the instructional assistant asks questions about the reading to determine the student’s level of comprehension. After using the iPods consistently, we would expect students’oral reading fluency rates and levels of comprehension to increase.

Does this build on existing programs?  Last year, the third and fourth grade French teachers wrote and received a grant from the Chintimini Fund for iPods for instructional use. Our current fifth graders are familiar with using iPods to promote French language acquisition and English reading fluency. We would like to build on their existing skills in order to further their linguistic development in English and French and facility with technology.

Budget:  35 iPods @ $49.00 each $1,715.00 - 35 KOSS earphones w/case @ $4.99 each $174.65 - 10 packs of Belkin earbud covers @ $9.99/5 pairs = $99.90 -- Shipping $11.45 - Total $2,000.00

Proposal #:  20