The following Robert P. Bell grants totaling $2,165 have been awarded to local teachers for the third grant cycle of the 2009-2010 academic year. It is estimated that over 550 Delaware County students will benefit from these grants.
- Lance Brand, Delta High School, was awarded $349 for anatomy and physiology students to build functional models of the heart. Students will first dissect pig hearts to conceptualize how blood flows through the organ, and then will work in groups to design and build their own models.
- Holly Summers, Muncie Central High School, was awarded $115 for algebra students to create 3-D posters using linear and absolute value inequalities. Each student will then choose someone else's project, write down the inequalities, graph them on paper, and see if they get the same design.
- Barb Crawford, Wilson Middle School was awarded $258 for eighth grade essential skills students to put the "Pay It Forward" concept into practice and do a good deed for others while learning about story problems. Students will create fleece blankets while learning how to solve multi-step story problems relating to the project. Blankets will then be donated to oncology patients at Ball Memorial Hospital and others in need.
- Amy Cullum, Wes-Del High School, was awarded $101 for Spanish students to use vocabulary words learned throughout the year to create a city on the wall of the classroom. Students will use terms such as directions, colors, verbs of creation (to draw, to paint), numbers and weather to label their large wall city.
- Ashley McConnell (student teacher for Lisa Marsh), Muncie Southside High School, was awarded $231 for high school family and consumer science students to participate in an international foods unit. Students will work in groups to learn about the countries of Thailand, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico and France and prepare a dish from each of these regions.
- Jennifer Kyle and Emily Collins, Wilson Middle School, were awarded $289 for sixth grade math students to identify angles from nature and the architecture of Muncie and then create a display of their findings. Displays will include a photograph of the angle, a definition of the angle, a measurement of the angle, and more.
- Sondra Siebold, Muncie Southside High School, was awarded $89 for ninth grade language arts students to participate in a unit titled, "McDonalds at the Louvre? Scare blue!" Students will research a famous painting and write a first-person narrative from the point of view of the subject of the portrait who, through the marvels of pretend time travel, will visit the twenty-first century and experience a specific technological advancement.
- Deborah Brown, East Washington Academy, was awarded $200 for second grade students to study Ancient Egypt. The students will create their own Ancient Egyptian artifacts, clothing, jewelry, crafts, and educational display. The unit will culminate in an "Evening in Ancient Egypt" event where students will share their projects with friends and family.
- Deborah Brown, East Washington Academy, was awarded $75 for students to study tall tales from around the country and retell a tale of their choice. The students' writing and illustrations will be mounted on cardboard folded in accordion fashion. The students will unfold their display and hold up their "tall tales" to figuratively and literally demonstrate how their tall tales grew.
- Sara Jarvis, Northside Middle School, was awarded $350 for sixth grade science students to use creativity, research, and trial-and-error to design a marshmallow launcher and track the data for distances the marshmallows travel. From the project, students will learn about energy and mass, trajectories, and the basic functions and operations of mechanical devices.
- Ami Brown, Cowan Junior/Senior High School, was awarded $108 for eighth grade English students to study the novel, The Martian Chronicles, and react to the novel via two different mediums. Students will create and compile their own "chronicle" about various events from their lives and the world around them. They will also work in groups to create a group time capsule to express their feelings and thoughts about the world in which they live.
Bell Grants of up to $350 are awarded to teachers with
innovative ideas, programs or projects designed to stimulate learning in their
students. The deadline for the next
round of grants in the 2009-2010 academic year is April 1, 2010.
For more information about Bell Grant, contact Suzanne Kadinger, Foundation Program Officer, at skadinger@cfmdin.org.
