2006 Greater Sacramento Region (Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Yolo Counties)

ELEMENTARY
Salmon Suitcases for our Schools
The Salmon Suitcases program will contain books, DVD/videos, models, specimens, puppets, and posters.  In class, students will prepare aqua tanks to simulate river conditions.  Fertile salmon eggs will be delivered and the students will observe as the eggs develop and hatch and record their observations.  They will learn about the habitat needs at each stage of the life cycle, monitor water quality, and research threats to salmon and trout survival.  Before releasing the fish, the students will create bon voyage cards that reflect an appreciation for fish and include hopes for safe migrations, plentiful food, few predators, and an easy upstream journey to spawn.

John Durand
Galt Joint Union School District
Tracking Time
Kindergartners will use individual learning square calendar rugs as a learning center with recognition of personal space and numbers 0-31.  This colorful calendar rug will brighten up the 42-year old classroom and provide an inviting and comfortable learning environment for children to learn letters, numbers, days of the week, and months of the year.

Cecelia Kingsbury
Madison Elementary School
Paintbrushes to Pixels: Art and Technology Integration
By providing a wide variety of programs, the Paintbrushes to Pixels Project will create an environment that is inclusive, encourages individual expression, and promotes creativity.  The Art Ark mobile art education center will provide useful “hands on” encounters with various art and technology media.  Interpretive programming, characterized by multiple levels of engagement and links to diverse disciplines, critical understanding, and appreciation of the visual arts is created and maintained.

Mary DeChance
Sierra View Elementary School
Van Buren Reading Club
The Van Buren Reading Club will challenge students with a cold read (a story they have never read) every morning after arriving to the cafeteria.  They will then listen to the audio tape of the same story three times, following along the page with their finger and reading aloud along with the tape.  Each time the audio tape repeats the story faster, helping students learn to read and pronounce words more efficiently.  Once students have read twelve stories, they will be presented with a reader’s club t-shirt and a certificate to display their achievement.

Lesta Chavier
Van Buren Elementary School
Kindergarten Tool Kits
The purpose of the program is to provide each kindergarten student at our school with a tool kit filled with pencils, paper, scissors, glue, crayons, a dictionary, and other items.  The program aims to provide parents with tips and activities to promote beginning literacy skill success.  Vocabulary and the alphabet will be the primary focus for parents and students with activities that promote and incorporate the standard language arts program for the state. 

Susan Ollis
Henry Elementary School
Students Under the Sea
Using a photo of themselves “under the sea” for inspiration, students will write a short story about their undersea adventures while developing their writing skills.  Students will also work with seashells and starfish, anatomical fish, and Gold Fish crackers to exercise their math and science skills.

John Durand
Galt Joint Union Elementary School District
Teaching Information Literacy Using Nonfiction Resources
The idea behind this project is to spend time teaching students the basic elements of information literacy.  These elements include understanding the organization of information, understanding information technology, critically evaluating information, and using information in problem solving and decision making.  Many students without regular access to a computer will also learn basic computer skills.

Joanne Ligamari
Woodridge Elementary School

Music Mojo!
Music Mojo! is a unique music project that brings children, teachers, parents, and the community together to participate in the magic of music-making.  Students will begin the project by participating in exploratory lessons and will be involved in projects integrating music as science, math, language arts, history, and geography.  Students will perform songs from around the world as well as original compositions using Orff melody instruments during a culminating concert for families and the community.

Alan Johnson
Caleb Greenwood K-8 School
Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day is a living history day that will bring pioneer living to life.  Students will dress in period costumes, as will parent volunteers and the teacher, to recreate the pioneer environment.  Throughout the day, groups of students will rotate through a variety of stations.  At each station they will create a product or participate in a process that benefits the group as a whole. Students will go home with projects reflecting their day spent as a pioneer and a greater understanding for this period in our state’s history.

Alesandra Sinistro
Crocker/Riverside Elementary School


JUNIOR HIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOL
As We Grow
As We Grow is designed to develop students’ understanding of variation, genetics and natural selection, all of which are key topics in the 7th-grade science curriculum.  Throughout the process, students will also learn about plant anatomy and physiology by observing the birth, development and death of plants. During the activities of the program, students will observe and generate questions about two populations of plants prepared by the teacher, record detailed observations of their lab work, and compare individual and group characteristics.  Based on those observations, students will try to determine which traits are inherited and which are acquired. 

Thu Autumn Nguyen
Edward Harris Jr. Middle School

Rutter Rooters
In many Central Valley schools, gardens have been incorporated into the educational curriculum to teach children about plants, agriculture and nature.   But running a successful garden also requires patience, dedication and the right tools.  The grant will provide a weatherproof shed that will enable the community and student gardeners (many of whom hail from immigrant communities) to have year round access to their supplies.

Ellen Cochrane
James Rutter Middle School



SENIOR HIGH

Culinary Arts and Hospitality Course
This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills for working in the food service and hospitality industries, and the basic life skills necessary for independent living.  Major topics included in this course are food service business practices, loss prevention, inventory procedures, human relations, marketing, records, purchasing, correspondence and forms, financial stability, work schedules, supervision, salesmanship, menu pricing, liability, equipment, food preparation, hospitality business practices, technology and more.

Craig Roberts
Calvine High School

Strawberry Creek Environmental Classroom
In an effort to learn about the importance of protecting the environment in local communities, students will perform testing on water and input data into an Internet site designed to collect global water quality results.  They will grid the Strawberry Creek area and catalogue existing flora and fauna for use in graphing and presenting, while comparing with previous year results.  They will do the same with two nearby vernal pools.  Students will report their findings and conclusions in a multimedia format. 

Tony Lederer
Calvine High School

Harvest Art Show
In preparation for the Harvest Art Show, digital photography students will use Photoshop CS2 to design invitations and programs.  Art students will mat and frame artwork.  Categories of art will be defined by students and the layout for the show will be performed by students.  Students will learn to collaborate with other schools, parents, and community members by answering questions and serving refreshments at the reception.

Michelle Townsend
Inderkum High School