I think my school should apply for this because the kits I have researched and the lessons that go along with LEGO materials will help motivate students to participate in hands-on STEM lessons. In motivating and driving student participation within these subject fields, we can inspire students to create future goals for themselves. I also found a tweet/video (linked) explaining LEGO Education’s partnership with NASA. It was amazing to see the impact this had on students and I would love to see this occur within my classroom/school as well.

I think I should apply for this grant because students are recovering from a pandemic and now more than ever, we need our students to be our center of focus. Current practices in traditional schools are not set up with our students as the center focus. Furthermore, our learning spaces are not set to foster skills needed for the 21st century. If the learning environment was structured for collaboration with peers, students would be able to engage in opportunities for higher order thinking, communication, and creativity skills. In addition, we are a Title 1 school. For most of our students, school is their safe place. They should feel safe to take risks, set goals, and reflect on their learning.  If we want student agency to be present, we have to include our students in the decision making. We need to allow them to help create the environment. We need to ask them, what would help you be successful? In the 21st century classroom, having a well-managed classroom should not look like students in straight rows but instead engaged and involved in the learning. Flexible seating can help our class become engaged and involved in their learning.

I think this grant is the perfect opportunity to apply for myself, so that I can trial flexible seating in my classroom. Then, I can easily extend the application to my team members and other teachers once I can review the success of the project. The grant application process seems relatively easy, which is ideal given all the extra work classroom teachers are currently facing.

 

I think this grant would be perfect for my school because we have a lot of students who come from lower-income households. Many of them aren't presented with information that can guide their development or presented with a way different from the environment they are growing up in. Our school is fairly diverse and along with that comes a belief/fear that our students won't be successful because of their racial and socio-economic backgrounds. I think it would be awesome to show our students that they have a lot of options available and I think the Playbook Challenge could fund the beginning of something great.
The Playbook Challenge

I believe that Marley Elementary should apply for the Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant program because we are a Title 1 school who has many students throughout all grade levels reading below grade level. Due to the pandemic, there has been an increased amount of students who are reading below their grades targeted reading level. Students in the primary grades are lacking basic reading skills in which they would have developed during a regular school year. Students in the intermediate grades are regressing in reading due to limited opportunities during virtual learning for reading instruction, especially small groups. The D.G.L.F. grant for youth literacy would allow Marley to expand on the FUNdations and Fountas and Pinnell reading programs we already have in place. Marley would be able to provide new literacy materials for teachers and students, while also providing newer books for the school. Adding new literacy technology into classrooms would allow for students to become more engaged in literacy and hopefully provide the spark/desire of reading. 

This grant opportunity is a great fit for me because we share the same problem. On the Educators of America site, they state “being an educator or a teacher in a classroom today without the proper educational technology is becoming all too common of a problem.” This is the same problem I address in my technology plan. Further, the grant would cover the costs of VR goggles, and an annual license subscription, and online teacher training to ClassVR, a versatile platform using the power of Virtual and Augmented Reality for education and training from the classroom. I believe I should apply for this grant to begin funding the educational technology needed for my technology plan. 

I have applied for the Walmart Local Community Grant in the past and some changes have been made to the application. When applying to the grant organizations must be verified through the CyberGrants FrontDoor. The FrontDoor is a free service portal that allows potential organizations applying for a grant to access information in order to meet standards of all corporate sponsors offering grants. This service is very helpful when applying for a grant. It has the ability to find your Tax ID, allow additional users within your organization, and provides organization profile and banking information.

The Walmart Foundation focuses on charitable support within the community. Our school is right across the street from Walmart and it has been supportive in programs that help build community and create economic opportunities. The Walmart Grant Eligibility “Getting Started” page is a great guide and shows if your organization can qualify and has the link to the application.  The process makes it very easy for teachers to apply. Once you have registered in the FrontDoor portal it takes you to the grant which is quite short in length. I like the Walmart Local Grant because once your school is registered, the school can apply up to 25 times asking for what may be needed for the school. It is a very easy process that does not put extra work on the teacher or teachers that are applying. I am going to apply for this grant for the needed equipment in the TV studio which will help our school in the creation of our live morning announcements, video taping all school functions and be utilized in the Performing Arts Magnet classes in editing videos made throughout the school year.

 

The NEA success grant provides either a $2,000 or $ 5,000 grant to purchase resources and materials. This grant will allow the school to purchase materials to strengthen the students social and emotional learning. This project will develop the students critical thinking skills, collaboration skills and communication. Students will have the opportunity to connect to real world issues and challenges. 

My school would use this grant to provide students with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). At current time there is no SEL curriculum being used in all the classrooms. Students need social and emotional development taught because it promotes better success in students. Students need to be taught explicit lessons so that they can have better grades, decreased emotional stress, increased attendance and better relationships with peers and adults. Overall, students perform better and have more successful lives when they understand their social and emotional development.

NEA success

This funding, in my opinion, would be an excellent opportunity to purchase VR headgear and the applications required to engage children in virtual reality experiences in the classroom. Due to the present restrictions, students are not permitted to go on field trips. Students can take virtual field trips using VR technology, which allows them to travel and experience sites all around the world without leaving the classroom. 

Slooh’s Space Exploration Grant would be a great addition to the Southwest Baltimore Charter School (SBCS) because it would provide students with an unique experience in both the use of technology and the learning of astronomy. Most inner-city youths rarely see the stars in the sky because they are often out-shined by the artificial horizon created by street and building lights. If SBCS applied for this grant and got accepted, we could introduce the program as an after-school activity or even offer it as an elective. Either way, if incorporating the Slooh Space Exploration program would provide students with authentic tech usage, unique learning experiences, and help level the playing field for students by, “making real-world, real-time space exploration accessible for every student,” then SBCS would love the opportunity to engage!