2008 Grant Proposal Details

Blast into Reading!   Arts & Technology Academy

Total: $500

Description:  Henry and Mudge, James and the Giant Peach, and the Mouse and the Motorcycle. What do these all have in common? They’re engaging books that make students want to keep the pages turning. We’re proposing purchasing literature book sets that can be used to develop fluency, vocabulary, & comprehension skills at a variety of levels. Our goal is to make every child a reader and with the purchase of these sets, it brings us one step closer to our goal.

Why is this important?  With these literature sets, it will allow children to make the necessary connections to become skilled readers. They will learn to evaluate, ask questions, respond and reflect, and be exposed to different types of writing. A large majority of our students aren't able to purchase additional books or go to the public library on a regular basis. By exposing them to these fantastic resources, we would be able to provide a challenging and rigorous program for all students, regardless of their level and in turn, create life long readers.

Who will be served?  This would benefit all the 1st-5th grade students, which is approximately 130 children.

How will this be evaluated?  We can measure a student's individual fluency, comprehension & vocabulary skills on a variety of measures to include: weekly and unit tests, running records, & district testing. Additionally, students would complete projects with each book they read, demonstrating understanding of specific skills targeted with that literature selection.

Does this build on existing programs?  This proposal builds upon one of the driving principles of our school which is integrating topics within one another & providing alternative ways of demonstrating understanding, especially with an emphasis on arts & technology. Additionally, we would develop a scope and sequence with the literature sets so that each grade level could choose from a variety of books, without repeating them at other grades allowing for a more enriching program.

Budget:  We would divide the funds equally at each grade level & purchase different literature sets of 6 or more of specific titles. This means that each grade level would be allocated $100.00 to spend on literature sets.

Proposal #:  8