Teacher Innovation Grants

The following Teacher Innovation Grants were approved April 17, 2007.

#0307-04 Jack VanNoord, Middle School South Social Studies Teacher Social Studies Cuneiform Project: $293

This project combines history, linguistics, geography, archeology, art and problem solving. Students one year will set up the archeological dig sites by making hieroglyphic tablets, and the students next year will solve the project by excavating the archeological dig site set up by the previous year’s students.

#0307-10 Tracy Albert, May Whitney Art Teacher
Photo Story 3: $670.00

Purchase headphones and microphones to use with free Photo Story 3 software, and existing school laptops. Students import their own pictures and music into a storyboard while narrating the story with their own voice.

#0307-12 Karen Jaffe, Middle School North Drama Teacher
Film Making:  $943.75

Purchase two digital camcorders and cables to enable students to record their dramatic performances and edit them into short films. This equipment can also be integrated into literature and social studies curriculum to create movies for classroom projects.

#0307-19 Mary Dooms, Middle School South 7th Grade Teacher
Small Business:  $800

Students will create and operate a small business, integrating Lit, LA, math and social studies curriculum. Supplies needed include production and packaging materials and miscellaneous supplies. Specific needs will be identified when students determine what product their company will manufacture.

#0307-21 Riley Broach, Middle School North Orchestra Director
Music Production:  $1400

Students will create a fully produced album with composed music – self-composed and peer-composed, throughout the year, with a finished product available to the public near the end of the school year. Students will produce, engineer, record, perform and analyze their own digital recording.

#0307-35 Justine Repplinger, Lake Zurich High School Math Teacher
TI Navigator:  $2270

The wireless system connects the student’s TI graphing calculators to the teacher’s computer, allowing instant communication between the teacher and the individual student. Calculator entries from the entire class can be viewed simultaneously and feed back received from each student.