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From a total of 126 applications, 11 projects were funded in the Portland area and nine were funded in the Highline School District 401. Thank you to all 126 applicants. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your MAD ideas! (Scroll down for Portland Schools grants)
Highline School District 401Let’s Write S’More! Bow Lake Elementary Brett MacDonald & Carlyn Roedell, Sixth Grade Teachers Summary: Publish sixth graders' writing projects about Camp Waskowitz. Description of Project from Application: At the beginning of the school year our sixth grade teaching team was brainstorming ways to improve our students’ writing skills, give them real-life writing experiences, and help them to understand and enjoy the writing process. We hit upon the idea of a Camp Waskowitz Magazine. Since our students are going to camp in October we enthusiastically developed the project and it has turned into a monster! Not a scary or bad monster, but a huge endeavor to show off our students’ writing. This magazine will contain photo essays, interviews, advice and how to articles, feature stories, art, recipes and reviews; all pertaining to the kids’ experiences at Camp Waskowitz. Even if each student picks his or her one best writing piece to be published, this magazine will be as big as an old growth fir! Here is where the wonderful MAD Grant comes in – publishing costs. With grant funding we could publish a magazine for each student, classroom, one for Camp Waskowitz and for our Superintendent, John Welch. We would love to get the word out about our students’ improving writing skills, as well as the fabulous outdoor education program offered to our district’s sixth grade students. Watch for that s’more recipe; we will send you a copy, too! Science Detectives Cedarhurst & Seahurst Elementaries Dee Miller & Kerry Jo Clark Summary: Fund ten MAD science experiments for fifth graders at two elementary schools. Description of Project from Application: We’re baaaaack! Two “Mad About Science” teachers from Cedarhurst and Seahurst elementaries are up to their elbows in exciting new lab ideas for fifth grade classrooms at two schools in the same district. We collaborated on, and were granted a MAD Grant in 2007 for nine science labs. They were received so well by our fifth grades and improved science understanding and WASL scores so much, we’re back for a whack at ten new and very different labs. Not only will we broaden our students’ interest in science, but we will tie it in with math, art, reading and health/PE activities. We will also promote good science at our respective schools to educate other students about the subjects of science. We will accomplish this by photographing and displaying student labs in common areas of our schools. “Science Detectives” will be a popular kiosk at Cedarhurst and Seahurst. This year’s new labs will include: Make a Better Airplane, Black Gold (an extension of our previous Gummi Worm lab), Mystery Powders, Station Rotation (a lab designed to introduce inferences), Molecules in Motion, Living Systems which includes condition s of growth, life cycles and a simple clam dissection. For physical science we have planned Simple Machines and Changes Around Us. These lab activities will include observation, measuring temperatures, recording data , planning and executing an experiment and building systems. These are skills that our fifth graders will benefit from their entire lives. Northwest Wildlife Hilltop Elementary Terre Salzer, Librarian Summary: Teach three sixth grade classes about Washington State wildlife. Description of Project from Application: Camp Waskowitz is an incredibly enriching experience for our students. I believe that they are very lucky to be able to take part in the program. If awarded this grant I would like to expand on that experience and invite the Tahoma Audubon Society to come to Hilltop to provide a hands on Classroom Investigation program, for three sixth grade classes. This program would introduce the students to the wildlife of Washington State. Students would be able to get a close up view of nature and become acquainted with the rich diversity of wildlife in Washington. Students would b e introduced to some of the species that live here and explore the adaptations that they have for survival. I am fortunate to have a collection permit from the state and have collected several birds that I share with the students. This program would allow their knowledge of native animals to go beyond just the birds that I have used in some of my lessons. Enrichment of Frog Life Cycle Unit Marvista Elementary Vicki Hagan, Kindergarten Teacher Summary: Purchase frog eggs for kindergarteners to watch hatch into tadpoles. Description of Project from Application: In the spring I do a life cycle unit on various insects, animals and amphibians. I know my students would love to experience first-hand how a frog comes out of its egg as a tadpole and watch the tadpole change into a frog. I found on the internet a company called Grow a Frog and it is the best company that I have found for students to experience this. With my students actively watching this process it will strengthen their learning. White Boards for Writers Workshop Marvista Elementary Vicki Hagan, Kindergarten Teacher Summary: Provide personal dry erase boards so kindergarten students can show their work during their writers workshops. Description of Project from Application: I would like to complete a class set of white boards by asking for 12 more. Adding the 12 white boards and erasers would enable me to do group writing lessons with my entire class. Each of my students would then have their own white boards and erasers, consequently they would be actively engaged during the instruction time. Adding these durable white boards will help my students learn how to become better writers and my future students will benefit from the boards and erasers, too. (To lessen the costs I could substitute socks for erasers and that would bring the price down.) New Marvista Pond Study Marvista Elementary Julie Sutherland, Sixth Grade Teacher Summary: Fund equipment for water study in Marvista’s new pond. Description of Project from Application: Marvista’s sixth graders study aquatic water quality and habitat at both the Cove and Camp Waskowitz. We test water and look into the health of the water for macro invertebrates (insect larvae) and fish. Because of our new building, we are going to have a “pond” on campus, giving us a chance to study our own aquatic environment close up. We would like to have our own equipment to do water tests and study the macro invertebrates that will develop in our pond. This will enable us to more easily see the connections between our small habitat and larger habitats. A New World to Explore Seahurst Elementary Mimi Krsak, ELL Teacher Grades 4 - 6 Summary: Provide scholarships so that ELL students can attend Outdoor School at Camp Waskowitz Description of Project from Application: Last year all of my sixth grade students were able to attend their week at Camp Waskowitz through the kindness of a generous grant. This year I am asking again, not because I am greedy, but because the need is remarkably more significant. I have five sixth graders from Nepal, Myanmar, Mexico and Somalia who will be invited to spend four days at Camp Waskowitz this spring. The cost for each will be about $100. This is a life changing experience for early adolescents, and I don’t want any of my students to miss it. I don’t know how to begin to approach these families to ask them to save this much money, so once again I am hopeful that through the kindness of strangers, my students will have the wonderful opportunity to attend Outdoor School, a gift every child deserves. Building a Better Band Program Beverly Park Elementary Jill Brown, Band Teacher Summary: Provide used band instruments to beginning musicians. Description of Project from Application: When I began teaching band at Beverly Park Elementary there were few students in the band program, as many students and their families could not afford to rent a musical instrument from a music store. That first year, we borrowed instruments from other schools to allow more fifth grade students to take band. Since then, we have built a small inventory of band instruments. Some of these instruments were purchased with a grant; others were donated by community members and teachers and repaired to working condition by the school. The students in the band program are excited about the fact that our school now owns some instruments. Interest in the band program continues to grow each year, as do the needs of our families. The principal, counselor, music teachers, classroom teachers and other staff members have been very supportive of the band program and of the students’ involvement in the program. When we had a huge shortage of instruments again this year, two teachers donated instruments that they had at home. My principal would like us to continue to build an inventory of band instruments so that we do not have to borrow instruments from other schools each year. Having to borrow from other schools requires us to wait until those schools have fulfilled the needs of their own students. This means that many students will not know if they will get an instrument until well into October. It also means that those students will not be able to begin to learn to play until into the second month of the school year. Our education representative from Kennelly Keys Music is willing to work with us to get the lowest prices possible on used band instruments. He is always able to work within our budget on purchases and repairs. While new instruments usually cost $400 - $600 or more for basic student instruments such as flutes, clarinets, trumpets and trombones (others such as saxophone, oboe and French horn are much more expensive) used instruments can usually be purchased for $200 - $300 each (occasionally less). Participating in the band program can make a positive impact on a student’s school experience. Several teachers have remarked that participating in band has improved their students’ self esteem. Research has also shown that continued participation has a positive influence on a student’s progress in academic areas such as reading and mathematics. Colleges recognize the commitment and effort required for continued participation in the band program throughout a student’s school years. Colleges often select students who have participated in band for admittance and scholarship. We at Beverly Park would like to give as many students as possible this opportunity. Coral Reef Aquarium Mt. Rainier High School Sam Garson, Science Teacher Summary: Provide protein skimmer and live specimens for a coral reef aquarium Description of Project from Application: The Mount Rainier Science Department has placed as one of its goals for our students increased rigor and literacy in the sciences. We recognize the need for students to be proficient in advanced topics of study and to have the skill set to perform at advanced levels in today’s world. Towards this end we have been introducing projects and curriculum designs over the last three years that all work towards building student rigor and achievement in advanced science projects. This year I am hoping to add to these projects with the introduction of a coral reef aquarium system. The biggest obstacle for advanced science is access to hands on activities when dealing with these topics. From classification to unicellular cell studies it becomes increasingly difficult to get students working with hands on activities when you begin to move from the macroscopic level to the microscopic level. Finding ways to visualize the workings of single celled organisms other than the traditional science class lab of looking at paramecium is hard to do without an extensive budget or local access to a marine environment. A coral reef aquarium is based around the interactions of millions of single celled organisms. From the coral polyps that colonize together to form reefs, to the nitrifying bacteria, to the algae all form the basis for a beautiful and extremely interesting foundation for numerous activities in several classes. The science department has been discussing ways to develop new and innovative lessons in science and at the forefront of the discussion is our desire to develop a greenhouse program at Mt. Rainier. This greenhouse would allow for extensive programs in sustainability, ecology, environmental systems, as well as several programs I am hoping to develop now in the areas of aquaculture, marine fish culture and reef culture. These programs are perfectly suited for a greenhouse as the growing conditions for plants provide much of the filtering/feeding media for marine and freshwater systems. These systems in turn provide for fertilizer in the form of fish waste for the plants. The MAD grants have already provided the base for the freshwater aquaculture system and my students now have a fully thriving freshwater aquaculture system in place in our class with 30 – 40 goldfish taking the place of a commercial fish such as tilapia and crops of chilies, basil and perhaps a new plant depending on class decision this year. The saltwater component is another amazing example of biology in action that a lot of students never have the chance to see for themselves as coral reefs exist in very few places in the world. Beyond that with warming temperatures coral reefs are in extreme danger of bleaching and destruction in today’s world. Exposing students to what a coral reef truly is other than a news blurb they hear about from time to time is of upmost importance to educating future citizens in understanding conservation and the importance of the oceans. The addition of the coral reef system will hopefully open up these resources to many of the advanced science classes at Mt. Rainier. There are many connections beyond the numerous labs and projects in freshmen and sophomore introduction biology, physics and biology. The advanced classes looking at chemistry in the community, advanced environmental science, physics, and the IB Sciences all have aspects of their class that would benefit from the ability to look at the makeup of sea water, the symbiosis of clown fish and sea anemones, shrimp feeding off of algae, cellular reproduction of algaes, how color spectrum of light is able to penetrate water, density vs buoyancy. All these ideas are based on a coral reef aquarium. The other large bonus is with our revamped science fair which was another amazing project funded by the MAD grant foundation we have students who are coming up with new ideas based on new technology and science. The main theme for our science fair is “solving global problems” and students are often looking to the ocean for sea level, pollution, trash flows the size of Texas, and other items in the news that they are excited about. A coral reef system allows for students to have a hands on lab setting that they can then take water samples from and view their coral samples flourishing. My hope is that this will be another stepping stone for the science department in our ability to truly engage and challenge students with more and more hands on exciting opportunities for them to experience real world science applications. To make the connection between the idea and the physical object that excites them is one that allows for us to ramp up the skill level that will serve them beyond the classroom in the real world or college setting. This past summer I found a local businessman who was willing to donate $8,000 worth of equipment to my classroom. I spent the beginning weekends at school setting up the system and buying the basic plumping for this tank. The only components I need now are a protein skimmer and some live specimens to begin the large biological process of growing the invertebrates and corals along with some fish. The fish will come later and I have found a local salt water shop that has a relationship with another high school and is willing to help me with my system once I have it up and running. Thank you very much for your time in regards to my application. In this economic climate I truly understand how hard your decisions are and I am truly grateful for the last two years where you sponsored my aquaponics system, and the science fair last year. Thanks to your support we were able to take 6 teams from Mt. Rainier to WSU for the Imagine Tomorrow Science Fair. The fair at WSU was an amazing experience for the students several of whom said they had no plans for college before but were now planning on applying to WSU and UW. We will be taking the momentum from last year and returning this year with 8 teams. There are several teams thinking about working with the aquaponics system and having these resources allows for really great projects to be shown in front of our panel of judges from UW, Fred Hutch and area Hospitals. The students have seemed to respond so well to the projects that it’s hard not to get excited along with them. The buy-in for class is certainly up and I am pushing students harder and further in the material and they are responding which is wonderful to see. Portland Schools Strung Up Pioneer Special Schools Holladay K-6 Dan Havran, Therapeutic Intervention Teacher Summary: Design and construct a marionette theatre. The theatre will be used for social story plays for the student population. Description of Project from Application: The Pioneer Special Schools are a program in the Portland Public Schools designed to meet the social, emotional, behavioral and educational needs of some of the districts most challenging students. My MAD idea is called Strung Up and the intent is to build a marionette theater within our school for use by the students and staff. We will use this theater to perform social story plays for our population. Students will not only get to see the stories in a one-of-a-kind setting, but also be a part of the dramatic process from imagination to actualization. In addition to the creative aspect of the project, students will also learn appropriate social skills through the performances. The dramatic arts are sorely lacking in the elementary setting and are currently nonexistent in our program.Funds from the grant will be used to pay for the design and construction of the theater as well as supplies for building marionette puppets. Supplies needed include wood, fabric, stringing material, plaster, hardware, etc. All materials will come from a craft store and a hardware store. Recycled materials will be used whenever possible.
Don't Stop Smelling the Roses
Roseway Heights Meghann Kabza, Special Education Teacher Summary: Provide funds so that the Special Education Life Skills class can continue to cultivate its courtyard rose garden. Description of Project from Application: We were the grateful recipients of the Stop and Smell the Roses MAD Grant two years ago and we truly appreciate being a part of this opportunity. Our special education life skills class planted 12 rose bushes in our school’s courtyard. We maintain the roses and courtyard garden area on a weekly basis. As the garden area needs constant maintenance, we would like to ask to continue our MAD Grant as Don’t Stop Smelling the Roses. We will use MAD Grant funds to maintain the rose bushes and surrounding courtyard garden area. Gardening supplies, such as gloves, soil, refuse bags, rakes and clippers, will be purchased, if we are selected to receive MAD Grant funds. We would also like to look into the option of putting in an irrigation system, water storage barrels and the possibility of a worm bin, composting area. As we work in the garden area weekly, the horticultural/science benefits to the students and school are endless. Therapeutic aspects of working in the garden support students' cognitive growth, as well as self-esteem, and improved awareness of body and mind. Social interactions through working with plants give students the opportunity to share, relate, listen, communicate and interact with plants as the facilitating factor. As Mona Gold, a horticultural therapist states, "Working with something that is living, a plant that needs to be cared for, and that does not discriminate, is a powerful experience for all individuals.” So, in closing, we would love to continue to develop this facet of our school grounds and continue to include the school community in learning more about the benefits of horticultural therapy and hands-on work with plants. Please, support us in our efforts and Don’t Stop Smelling the Roses, at Roseway Heights School.
Rain Barrel-of-Fun Sunnyside Environmental School Edwin Wack, Classroom Teacher 6 - 8 Summary: Fund a rain barrel watering system for student gardens. Description of Project from Application: Sunnyside Environmental School is a K-8 magnet school in the Portland School District. We believe in promoting sustainable living and core values. Our students are instilled with a love of the environment and respect for the resources we use. We would like to develop a rain barrel system to water our school gardens which encircle the school. One of the problems we face is that most of our rainwater is directed into the city waste water system which overloads when we have a strong storm pass through. We would like to divert the rainwater and store it for use in the summer months when students tend our gardens. Unfortunately, considering the size of our project, it has been difficult to secure donations for such an undertaking. We would use the resources to develop a water storage system using rain barrels (decorated by students) to trap the runoff which we would dispense throughout the summer months using soaker hoses. The system is modeled after a simpler system that I currently use at home. The downspouts are partially diverted to storage with the remainder being sent through the regular system. We hope to store and use approximately 500 gallons of water from three downspouts on our building. The project will be developed by 8th grade students with the help of the younger children at our school. Each grade will decorate a barrel for their specific garden plot. Students in my class would use the project to study runoff rates and rainfall averages to plan the best times of the year to take advantage of this system. The equipment is relatively simple, 50 gallon food-grade barrels hooked together by spigots with a filter system to trap debris from the rooftops. I have used this system on a small scale at home to save on the cost of watering my vegetable garden. It usually lasts me several weeks between rain storms, and my tomatoes love it.
Math Boards for Algebra
Faubion Jamie Homberg, Algebra Teacher Summary: Provide personal dry erase boards so Algebra students can show their work during classroom exercises. Description of Project from Application: Let’s get back to the old one room schoolhouse days where everyone does their work on their own slate. Crazy, you say??? Why would we go back to the old way of doing things? Well, just because an idea is old does not mean it’s not good. This idea can be adapted for the new and modern world, except today we use dry erase boards instead of slates and each student gets their very own. I know that is just crazy, isn’t it?Students now do not have to go to the board to show their work. They can just hold up their board. And as a teacher, I can instantly see how my class is grasping the material, just by scanning the boards they are holding up. What am I going to do with all that extra time, now that I do not have to go around the room checking everyone’s paper to see if they understand? It’s a crazy thought, but I guess I’ll just have to teach more material or help the students that need extra help. I know what you are thinking, “This is Algebra, we do a lot of graphing, do we have to draw a graph on the board over and over for each problem?” No you do not!!! It already has a graph on it and an area to show your work, all you have to do is plot the points on your graph and write the equation next to it. No more wasting paper and time drawing graph after graph. You can spend the extra time working on the problem. I know, it is mad, I tell you, just mad.On a more serious note, these boards can be used on a daily basis. They allow me to get instant feedback on how well my class understands the material and if I should take some extra time to explain things a little more thoroughly. The boards have a graph, a place to show their work and come with erasers and markers. The extra time gained by the students not having to draw a graph for each problem, is worth the price alone. It’s also environmentally friendly because it will save a lot of paper over the next several years. Isn’t that just crazy! I feel this product will be a valuable tool for me and my students and I hope that you too can see the benefits that this can provide
Oregon Trail Live
Astor School Elisa Schorr, Assistant Principal Summary: Provide half scholarships so that fourth graders may participate in an overnight Oregon Trail field trip, regardless of family income. Description of Project from Application: Our fourth graders participate in an intensive study of the Oregon Trail. To make the Oregon Trail real, we would like to take them to the Oregon Trail Overnight run by Outdoor School. This adventure is an overnight field trip to a camp and is designed as a culminating activity for the 4th Grade’s study of the Oregon Trail. Students spend two days and one night learning pioneer style through a variety of activities including: - Learning about furs
- Cooking their own dinner
- Learning pioneer life skills
- Working with logging tools
- Learning about plants and animals
- Attending a real campfire with songs, skits, stories
- Learning the Virginia Reel (square dance)
Fourth grade is an important transition year for students. It is where structured play ends (recess, etc) and kids start to really focus on academic subjects. As the academic standards become harder, it is important for students to start seeing connections to the real world and take “book learning” out of the book. We feel having an end of year culminating activity will help further classroom studies and also take the curriculum and make it come to life. Upon completing this field trip, the students are responsible for numerous class activities and writing assignments. Additionally, the students present their knowledge to their reading buddies (first grade) and teach them the dances and stories learned. Our school is very diverse in terms of ethnicity and socio-economic status. We have 461 students in grades K-8 with 56% of our students on free or reduced lunch, which is the federal definition of poverty, and 40% of our students are students of color. Several students will be able to easily fundraise and get family donations to cover their cost of this field trip. However, an increasingly larger percentage of our student population will not be able to donate to help pay for their student's attendance. With your grant, we hope to provide scholarships for our most needy students to attend this great experience. We will ask all students to fundraise (probably sell chocolate and popcorn), and will then use your funds to supplement our most needy students. We plan on providing half scholarships to 23 students, with the class fundraising covering the other half of the trip for those students. The fundraising provides a secondary educational objective, in teaching all students valuable lessons in selling things, managing money and ordering. By having the scholarships for kids, it allows access for all kids. Your funds will cover 23 half scholarships for students on free or reduced lunch. Opal Creek Field Trip Meek Professional Technical High School Misty Scevola, Natural Resources, Biology, Environmental Science Teacher Summary: Fund a trip to Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center so that students can see an old growth forest. Description of Project from Application: Students go on a 3 day 2 night field trip to the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, stay in a group lodge in the small town of Jawbone Flats. Students hike, explore an old growth forest, identify plants, 1000 year old trees, identify fungi, amphibians, reptiles and wild flowers. Students also learn energy practices of sustainability that are evidenced in this town, including a hydropowered turbine that provides electricity to the town, solar powered classrooms, solar composting toilets and town composting and gardens. Students participate in a service project as part of a class project that restores buildings, gardens, taking out invasive species or replanting seedlings, to learn how to give back to the community in the form of community service. This is an awesome field trip, one that our students may remember the rest of their lives. It bonds our students, like no other experience, gives them a chance to see one of only two uncut watersheds in Oregon, and gets them out of the city and away from their everyday lives. Our students are drop outs from every public school in Portland, and often have so many issues that weigh them down: 60% of our students are on free and reduced lunch, and seldom have extra money to go on field trips, let alone vacations. Going on a field trip gives them a chance to get a new perspective on life, and an insight to what they might be able to do to give back to the environment and to themselves. By going on this field trip our students develop rapport with us, their teachers, and find that they can try new things they never thought they could do before in a safe environment. They get a chance to have fun while they are learning and enjoy themselves in the process. The Science of Water Quality Roseway Heights Eric Bennett, 5th Grade Teacher Summary: Provide funds for a Life in a Pond slide set and Environmental Microbiology Kit to support fifth graders' study of the Bull Run watershed. Description of Project from Application: Students find the study of micro-biotic life forms is MAD! The Pacific Northwest is a land of and dependent upon water. Natural springs, rivers, lakes, and sloughs surround us. The Bull Run Watershed is one of our nation's purist water supplies. Our children need to understand and appreciate micro biotic life in a pond so that they have a greater knowledge in the value of fresh water resources around us. We have a great opportunity to study the science of water quality. I hope that my students will learn what fun lies within microbiological studies. If 5th graders are studying this type of curriculum, “Who is smarter than a 5th grader?” My students need the Life in a Pond Slide Sets to support the Pond Water Quality Field Trip that we have scheduled this year (and will schedule for years to come) to Whitaker Ponds and Columbia Slough Natural Area. Using our current supply of beginner microscopes, we will educate 60+ children in the study of pond microbiology. These slide sets and materials will be used for years to come. We need these slides to extend our learning through discovery. We will make a comparison of the prefabricated micro-biotic slides to the handmade slides of micro-biotic organisms from the Natural Area. The Environmental Microbiology Kit introduces the students to the study of microbes in the immediate environment. Students learn to pour plates, isolate molds and bacteria from a variety of sources, make plate counts of bacterial colonies, and prepare slides for microscopic examination.
Beyond Light the Light Bulb Vestal Elementary School Dave Blanchard, 4th Grade Teacher Summary: Fund the purchase of noisy toys and electrical equipment so that fourth graders can learn about bending circuitry by rewiring toys to change their sounds, make them light sensitive, etc. Description of Project from Application: As the son of an electrical engineer, I have long felt that our science curriculum could go a long, long way toward making electricity more interesting for 4th graders, even without exposing them to the dangers of higher voltages. There just isn’t that much excitement to be had (or shared) in setting up the opportunity for students to figure out that if they can connect the wire to both ends of the battery AND to the light bulb correctly, the bulb will light up. Yes, I’ve done the “connect the brads” quiz board, and many of the typical classroom electricity experiments. But I decided I wanted to really grab the imaginations of my students. I wanted them to be “jazzed” about what electrons, and electronics, can do! Since one of my many recent interests is in “circuit bending,” I would like to share it with my students. In a nutshell, circuit bending involves manipulating the circuitry of what I call “noisy toys” -- all those games with sounds connected to various buttons or graphics, which go so far beyond the primitive miniature record players in the pull-the-string toys with which I grew up. These toys really talk! And whistle, growl, rumble -- in short, they have real, complete sounds programmed into their little circuit boards.Now for the fun part: They can be messed around with in ways that change the sounds! By connecting (or disconnecting) a wire in the right place, the voices can be sped up, slowed down, garbled, or changed into alien sounds seemingly unrelated to the original toy. This, at its simplest, is circuit bending.But wait, there’s more! By adding resistors (either regular or variable), LEDs, and other electronic parts, sounds can be made to be responsive to light, or to touch, or even to other sounds! All it takes is some parts, a toy to dissect, some patience, and all kinds of discoveries can be made. Of course, students will have to learn how to draw a basic circuit, so that they’ll know where the blue wire was originally connected, in case they want to put it back after experimenting with it. And they’ll need to be able to recognize potentiometers, different kinds of switches (and just how can you tell if it’s a switch, anyway?!) and lots of other things that nobody my age ever learned in school. Please encourage some future scientists, inventors, and electronic designers by funding this grant. It truly is MAD science!!
Replace 10-Year-Old Dry Erase Boards
West Sylvan Middle School Linda Morgan, 8th Grade Math Teacher Summary: Replace worn dry erase boards so that eigth grade Math students can continue to show their work during classroom exercises. Description of Project from Application: Over ten years ago, I purchased 30 dry erase boards. The students love using them. Coordinate grid is on one side and the other side is blank for showing the work. The students use them 3 to 4 times a week and I can tell right away who is understanding the material and who is not. I would like to replace the boards since the boards are getting quite marked up. My largest class is 34 so I would like to purchase two sets.
3D Printer Technology
ACCESS Academy @ Sabin Alfonso Garcia, Science Teacher, Grades 5 - 8 Summary: Provide a kit to construct a 3D printer so that students can learn about 3D printing technology. Description of Project from Application: Imagine that you needed a part for an antique car, or clock or other item, and it wasn’t available anywhere. Or, that you wanted to create a prototype for a brand new design or product. In the past, you’d have to find a specialty shop to make this for you, and it could be extremely expensive. Today, 3D printers let anyone print their own parts and prototypes in plastic, so long as they can afford the fifteen to thirty-thousand plus dollars for the machine. Just as desktop printers have transformed the printing and publishing industries over the last twenty years, 3D printing has the potential to dramatically change the way products are made and distributed. These changes present a wide variety of opportunities for students, workers and entrepreneurs. Students who have early exposure to this technology can gain an important advantage for themselves, their schools, and their communities. Unfortunately, access to such machines is extremely limited, due to the high cost of commercial printers. This grant proposes to bring 3D printing technology to the classroom by giving students the opportunity to build and operate an inexpensive open source 3D printer. By purchasing a kit and constructing the printer, students will have a much deeper understanding of how this technology works than if they simply operated a ready-made printer.One of the most interesting aspects of this proposal is the potential to serve as the genesis for a wider program of 3D printing technology in the region. The requested printer kit (MakerBot) has the capability to print many of the parts required to build additional printers (the RepRap Mendel). The funds requested here are sufficient to print many of the parts required for several additional printers which could be donated to other schools. In this way, funding of this grant could replicate not only hardware, but also the opportunity to learn about this emerging technology.
Bringing Streams into our School Beverly Cleary School Blake Robertson, 3rd Grade Teacher Summary: Provide a chiller for the third graders' aquarium so that they can raise trout in the school's library. Description of Project from Application: It seems truly mad, no, crazy to get aquarium water to stay under 50 degrees Fahrenheit, right? Well it can be done! And my third grade class and the rest of the science community at Beverly Cleary School (formerly Fernwood) will do it with your more than generous help! Why do we need to get water this cold? Getting water to this temperature with an aquarium water chiller, keeping it clean with an undergravel filter, and ensuring water quality with a test kit will allow us to mimic conditions in Northwest streams. That means we can grow organisms found in the Northwest all year long -- specifically rainbow trout and salmon! We currently do not have the ability to do this with our class’s current aquarium setup. I have sent a request and been approved (by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife partnership) to get trout eggs (through its STEP program) this February on the condition that our class acquires the equipment needed to chill and filter our aquarium. Our class will set up the aquarium in the library where the entire school can appreciate it. My class will be stewards of this project and educate the school on standards supported by the raising the eggs into fish. When the fish are ready, our class will release them into their natural habitat!
This idea is grand, but it is possible and the results will be truly MAD. The purpose of this project is to make a difference in Beverly Cleary students’ perception of the environment around them and to enhance the science curriculum with hands on learning. While the initial cost of this is large, once the equipment is purchased the project will be able to go on every year after year. At the completion of this project each year, the students will be able to identify the life cycles of fish native to their streams, understand how what they do impacts local streams, and apply their skills of record and data collection in science. This will truly be a meaningful experience.
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