Since research on comprehension with audio support is overwhelmingly positive, Arbor Creek readers are now able to take home a personal cassette player, an audio version of the book, headphones, a writing journal and the actual paperback book to practice reading with support.
Grants - all (all)
You Otter Hear It!
Christine Walker, Arbor Creek, $1,000
Building For A Successful Future
Bob Stewart, Frontier Trail, $600
Students attended before and after school sessions to construct bridges from blue prints, demonstrate roller coaster physics, research alternative energy sources and design and construct scale models of homes. These "hands-on" activities will demonstrate the practical application of the knowledge students are acquiring on a junior high level answering the question, "Where will I ever use this?"
Sensory Integration
Melissa Thomas & Shelle Ellis, Walnut Grove Elementary School, $1,000
Dizzy disks, rolling pins, ball tunnels, cuddle loops and wiggle seats are sensory input tools which are important to the overall behavioral, social, motor, and cognitive development of these early childhood disability students. Special Education teachers and occupational therapists will work together to incorporate kinesthetic learning into the everyday environment, increasing the ability to attend to task, learn new information and control behaviors.
Technological Explorations
Jenny Prueter, Mike Potchad and Greg Pelligreen, Prairie Trail Junior High School
Taking students beyond the classroom was the goal of this mini-grant furnishing Garmin GPS units to junior high science students. Orienteering and geo-caching lessons were presented to the students through GPS technology. Students developed their own course and learned the concepts of triangulation and satellite technology while experiencing activities that stressed health and physical fitness through the direction of the physical education teacher.
Therapeutic Relationships
Joe Bywater, Prairie Learning Center
The Foundation was able to work with district resources to find transportation for these at-risk students to visit Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter. Students participated in a dog-training technique program providing them with exposure to a transitional pre-vocational experience. Students had the opportunity to practice self-control and listening while building their self-esteem and social skills in an off-campus setting.