September 2021 Grant Recipients

Heading back to the new school year after summer break can bring about many different emotions in students. They can feel excitement, but also sadness and anxiety. Add to that the uncertainty of the previous year, and some students will start the new year feel uneasy and overwhelmed.

Student engagement and a feeling of classroom community are the best ways to tackle those feelings. Using "soft starts" for the school day helps students in many different ways. Students begin their day having a chance to settle in instead of getting right to work. They still take care of their morning routines i.e. backpacks, lunch choice etc. But, after they finish those, they are able to choose an activity that gets them talking, moving, and easing into the day.

Soft Starts usually last about 15-20 minutes, including clean up time. These activities vary from puzzles, building station, creating videos, Book Club, strategy games, or personal projects. The year starts off with just a few to choose from then new ones are added as students show responsibility and interest. Students are not only empowered by choosing which activity they would like to do, it also helps create a sense of community as they talk and discuss. They are also able to collaborate with other classmates who have similar interests or they may find new interests. Soft Starts are the perfect way to begin the new school year; helping students feel a part of our classroom family and invested in their education.

Picture-Perfect Science is a project that combines science lessons with reading comprehension strategies, using children's picture books, to help them learn to read and read to learn while engaged in inquiry-based science. The materials requested will provide me with an opportunity to participate in six different science investigations over the course of the year.

1. Freezing and Melting-Physical Sciences: Frozen treats provide a familiar and fun context for learning changes in matter, using read a-louds and some "cool" activities with Popsicles and ice cream, students will learn about solids, liquids, freezing, and melting.
2. Sounds All Around-Students-Physical Sciences: will discover that sound is caused by vibrating matter and that sound can make matter vibrate. They will construct a string telephone to explore how sound can travel through a solid object.
3. Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow?-Life Sciences: How can you tell if something is alive? What do living things need? These questions and more will be answered through activities and picture books.
4. Seeds on the Move-Life Sciences: This lesson explores the ways that plants disperse their seeds to produce more plants. Learners will read about how wind and water help to spread seeds as well as many fascinating ways animals "plant" trees. Then the students take a "sock walk" to explore how plants sometimes depend on animals to move their seeds around.
5. Unbeatable Beaks-Life Sciences: The students will observe local birds at a classroom feeding station and then explore, through simulation activity, how different bird beaks are suited for different food sources.
6. Amazing Caterpillar-Life Sciences: Children will construct their own understanding of the butterfly life cycle by observing, exploring, and journaling before the scientific explanations and vocabulary are introduced.