2013-2014 Seed Grant Awards

Projects and Abstracts

All Huntsville City Middle Schools (primary contact at Grissom High School) (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Katherine Mousel
Raising the Bar
This project will help fund hands-on learning and lab experiences for seventh grade students in all Huntsville City Middle schools by creating kits containing all the needed materials for directed Laying the Foundation (LTF) labs. Nine LTF labs were chosen for their rigor, student engagement, use in interdisciplinary studies, and maximum monetary value to serve the greatest number of students. The goal of LTF is to prepare students for challenging college preparatory courses, AP and honors, which makes these labs excellent tools for "raising the bar" for all students.

Bob Jones High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Ben Johnston
Connecting Watershed and Water Quality to Geographic Information Systems
Professors and graduate students from UAH have agreed to work on a joint project where my AP Environmental Science classes will use La Motte water testing kits to analyze chemical parameters of water quality along Indian Creek. Using GPS coordinates and the data we collect, we will use GIS software from ESRI to analyze our data. A geographic information system (GIS) lets us visualize, question, analyze, interpret, and understand data to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends. We will analyze the land use of the watershed draining into Indian Creek and its effects on water quality.

Bob Jones High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Dale Patricia Brown
Dicey Detection Attraction
Dicey Detection and Attraction will allow Physical Science and Chemistry students to investigate the penetration ability and the decay of radioactive isotopes. By using the magnets for the "Attraction" portion the students will be able to see the affect of unpaired electrons when they investigate matter and electron configurations. By doing this, the students will have a better understanding of radioactivity and electron configurations.

Bob Jones High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Daniel Elegante
Looking for DNA? Back in a Flash!
DNA activities typically use 1990's technology for electrophoresis. Even when done by trained people the results can be iffy. Lonza's flash gel system gets rid of all of the really tedious details and allows a teacher to concentrate on the students and analyzing results. The flash gel system has prepoured cassettes and gives results in 5-7 minutes while minimizing the risks to student and teacher from ethidium bromide and UV light.

Bob Jones High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Lois Stratton
Thinking Outside the Boxes
Thinking Outside the Box. In genetics, students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of a dihybrid genetic cross by drawing a Punnett square to show 16 combinations that determine phenotypes. The connection to real life is often lost on students. This Fast Plants dihybrid project brings the dihybrid cross to life by using real organisms to demonstrate this concept. Using Fast Plants also presents an opportunity to review basic science concepts as well as plant biology: scientific method, requirements for plant growth, seeds and reproduction, plant structures and photosynthesis.

Bridgeport Elementary School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mrs. Janice C. Wilson
Apple iPad and the Library Media Center
Today's students live in a digital world. Technology is one of the primary ways they interact with their surroundings. Although we teachers probably have a love for books, if we were to ask a child to select a traditional printed book or a digitally enriched electronic version, the child would probably choose the digital version. Our proposed project is to integrate technology in our library media center by incorporating the various applications available on the Apple iPad by streaming various apps to our HDTV via an Apple TV device.

Bridgeport Elementary School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Ms. Kathy Kilgore
Making the Most of iPad Technology
Technology in the classroom is no longer an option it is a must. Teachers must be willing to learn and present technolgy to students to maintain student engagement in the classroom. In recognition of technological advancement in society, iPads will be used to open doors to vast amounts of information.This involvement of information is vital in the scientific world. Therefore, it must be incorporated into our classrooms. Not only learning the concepts but understanding how to use that information.

Bridgeport Elementary School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Ms. Melinda Gilbert
Technology in the Resource Classroom to Bridge the Gap in Learning
Students will use equipment to access supplemental material to support classroom Common Core and Individual Education Plan(IEP) lessons. Students will use equipment to help aid in the area of Math. Also, Autistic students will utilize equipment to aid in communications. Equipment will be used in conjunction with exsiting promethean board for whole and small group and one-on-one instruction.

Buckhorn Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Tysha Douglass
"Minis" Creating Podcasts
"Minis" Creating Podcasts will allow a group of 7th grade students from an Enrichment class the opportunity to create podcasts of previous taught math topics using iPad Minis. The students will create a lesson that will incorporate slides from Keynotes, and self-made music using Garage Band. The podcasts created by the students will be available for students at Buckhorn Middle School to watch and others to watch once accepted by Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) for a concrete understanding of that particular math topic.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Cindy Marsh
Arithmetic That Will Stick!
Arithmetic That Will Stick is a project in which 4th grade students will have an opportunity to significantly enhance their confidence and esteem in the area of arithmetic. The students will conduct math lessons with emphasis on teamwork, organization, and leadership development as they introduce common core math concepts and objectives to classmates and other audiences through the development of an audio and video version of a Podcast.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Jenniffer Neal
Science with IMovie
IMovie is an IPad app that will enhance learning through student lead activities. Students will create movies while performing Science experiments in the Science lab. They will add music, pictures, and informational data as they complete the Science project(s). The movies can be shared with all students for continuous learning opportunities. The IMovies can also be uploaded to the ALEX (Alabama Learning Exchange) website for other teachers and students to view and use as Science resources.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Kimberley VanHooser
"To Infinity and Beyond" Using Ipads as an Infinite Science Tool
"To Infinity and Beyond" is a science driven technology project that will allow third-fifth grade students to use ipads as an infinite science tool. The students will utilize the ipads to research the three scientific domains of:physical science,life science,and earth/space science. Students will be able to research scientific content and processes, while applying these skills through the use of video and science documentaries. The infinite use of the ipad apps, camera, and video software will allow students to recognize the important role science plays in the development of technology.

Challenger Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Karen Beech
Science Olympiad, Here We Come
Due to constraints of limited resources, we have not had a Science Olympiad Team for many years. However, I feel that teh push to challenge students' higher order thinking skills and scientific reasoning ability demands that we give our students opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. Events in the Science Olympiad competition will enrich those students that want to accept the challenge.

Excalibur Christian School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Shelly Zabel
Hands-On Equations
Many students often benefit from the use of manipulatives in learning new mathematics skills. With a game-like approach, Hands-On Equations presents Algebra concepts and skills using pawns, dice, and a balance scale. In as few as seven lessons and no prior Algebra knowledge, students will be able to solve an equation such as 2(2x + 3) = x + 9. In addition to using the Hands-On Equations system, each week we will present stories of great mathematicians and provide games that enhance critical thinking and support increasing arithmetic computation speed and accuracy.

Excalibur Christian School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Susan Penfield
Experiencing Physical Science
Experiencing Physical Science will teach children the principles of physical science by involving them in hands-on projects. Working together in teams of 3, 7th and 8th grade students will design and build two major projects, utilizing their math skills for evaluation and analysis. The first project will be a toothpick bridge, with teams designing, building, and testing their bridges within a given budget. The second project will be the design and construction of magnetic levitation (maglev) vehicles that the teams will test and adjust. This course will be repeated in subsequent years.

Fayetteville Middle School (Lincoln County, Tennessee)
Ms. Amber Mefford
Project Social
Project Social is a project in which typically developing students in grades 5th through 8th will use research and technology to create videos depictions of social interactions within their school to be used to teach students with pragmatic impairments.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Kelly Kattos
Numbers Make Sense When You Know Their Place!
Number Sense is the foundation upon which all other mathematical concepts arise. Students who know how to make sense of numbers can break down problems, use numbers to make judgments, and develop useful strategies for problem solving. Greengate students need a variety of approaches that include visual, kinesthetic and tactile. They need regular guided use of concrete models to internalize the relative magnitude of numbers from whole to fractional and decimal. This project will provide four classrooms with base ten models and other manipulatives to help students develop deeper number sense.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lisa Bruton
Building your Brain with Lego
Students will use higher level thinking skills to solve problems associated with building models and simple machines. Because of the fun appeal of LEGO, our learners will also increase skills in the areas of receptive/expressive language, math, and science. They will increase vocabulary, problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, design skills, predicting, testing, observing, concluding, comparing, counting, creating, develop storytelling about the model, and independent thinking. As students progress from simple to complex models, they are available to help other students as needed.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Susan Walker
Design Outside the Box: Using Robotics to Leverage Spatial Awareness Strengths of Dyslexic Students
Dyslexics often have an increased spatial awareness, and good mechanical aptitude. Robotics activities provide hands-on tactile learning experiences that most benefit dyslexic minds. Our students have been involved with FLL Robotics for two years under a Sci-Quest coach. We now have two Lego Mindstorms NXT Kits and are ready to expand the program and manage it in-house as a year round robotics after school experience. With the addition of two laptop computers and the Lego Mindstorm Education Resource Kit, we can build a program to benefit more students with an exciting STEM experience.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Tami Mitchell
From Characters to Concepts
The Characters to Concepts grant utilizes colorful and interesting children's picture books to present mathematical concepts on a first grade level. It will be a reference point to build a math lesson in a way that is age-appropriate and engaging. By first capturing the student's interest with the colorful books, learning continues with math aids for the children to investigate and manipulate. The first grade class will join with the middle school-age students on a literature-based math and science project during the second term.

Grissom High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Melinda Harrison
Phlebotomy Training and Certification
Phlebotomy Training and Certification--Students will receive Phlebotomy training through practice and demonstration using Advanced Venipuncture Arms. After successful demonstration of skills competency and knowledge testing students will receive certification. This certification will allows students to progress into further studies in medicine as well as be employable as a phlebotomist/medical assistant post-secondary. All students interested in post secondary healthcare related fields will be eligible to participate.

Hampton Cove Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Kathy Powell
"Go Fish"
Seventh Grade students from Hampton Cove Middle School will team with kindergarten students from Hampton Cove Elementary School to explore science in our school's Outdoor Stem Learning Lab. The students will study living habitats, learn about sustainable gardening, explore and study organisms inside and outside of water and investigate how the water cycle works to help things grow.

Highland Rim School (Lincoln County, Tennessee)
Mrs. Tracy Davis
We Do Lego Peer Tutoring Program
We Do Lego Peer Tutoring Program is a project in which teams of 7th and 8th grade students will become proficient users of the LEGO Education WeDO Program, and then they will Peer Tutor the intermediate grade level students in an afterschool program. Students will problem solve and create devices with Lego Kits and then program the device to perform assigned commands.

Huntsville Center For Technology (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Michael Evans
HCT Electric Car "After the Race --- tell the USA"
The Huntsville Center for Technology is participating in racing in the GreenPower race in the United Kingdom as the only USA team. More information can be found at: http://www.greenpower.co.uk/ For the school year 2013-2014 we want to refine areas of the car that need refining to make it run better in the up coming races and we need to start promoting the race in the US after final GreenPower approval. We hope to get other schools involved in building and racing their cars here in the US. Then the US national champion would go to the UK to race for the International Championship.

Huntsville Center For Technology (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Stingel
GreenPower Car Data Project
We are part of the HCT GreenPower Team that will race in the UK. After the car races we wish to start analyzing the data from the race and on the existing cars. The idea is to improve the existing electronics on the car.

Lincoln County High School (Lincoln County, Tennessee)
Ms. Alyssa Simmons
LCHS Falcon Engineering and Robotics
The robotics team is an extra curricular activity that gets students involved in engineering and design. They work on tool usage, strategy, design, fabrication, programming, and implementation.

Madison Cross Roads Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Barbara West
Scan. Learn. Grow.
When students visit stations in the science and technology courtyard, they will participate in a hands-on activity related to their classroom study, then scan QR codes with ipads which will take them to additional activities to complete on the same subject. These grade level appropriate tasks will include (but not be limited to) scavenger hunts, reading related articles, examining pictures, or watching a video to learn more about the topics.

Mill Creek Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Jackie Smith
Near Space: The Next Frontier
Near Space: The Next Frontier is a project in which 5th grade students will design, construct, launch, and retrieve a near spacecraft. Students will also design a series of experiments that will be placed aboard the near spacecraft. After retrieving the craft, students will analyze data collected during the flight and present their conclusions in a PowerPoint presentation. In addition, students will create and maintain a website that allows viewers to track the progress of the Near Space Project and to observe pictures and videos from each launch attempt.

New Market School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Leslie Cross
"Technology Adds-up: iPads in the Mathematics Classroom"
This project establishes a classroom setting rich in mathematical discourse. "Essential Questions" drive investigations creating experiences of verifying mathematical arguments while continuously questioning the concept in order to arrive at mathematical discovery. Classroom format designs an environment of small cooperative groups, small, teacher-led groups, and stations to bridge together the higher order investigation with basic computation skills to create authentic, real-world math.

New Market School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Mary Lee
"Flipping the Classroom 20 Degrees at a Time": Creating a Virtual, Educational Experience
Flipping the classroom makes the ultimate educational dream a reality; it allows teachers to be in multiple places at one time. Online, teacher-created lessons engage students in virtual, real-world opportunities relevant for the professionals of tomorrow. Along with the classroom teacher, Edmodo, a Web 2.0 tool, fosters an environment conducive to meeting all students' needs. Using "strategic thinking" models with student-centered investigations, the teacher facilitates discovery situations promoting STEM skills in language arts and American History.

Nova Academy (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lyn Crawford
Teaching Math with Techonolgy
The Nova Academy is a division of the Mental Health Center of Madison County. Teaching Math with Technology is a teaching approach that will help children who attend the Nova Academy develop mathematical thinking. The students who attend the Nova Academy are ones who have difficulty with problem solving. All of the students at the Nova Academy have either a behavioral, emotional, or cognitive disorder. At the Nova Center certified teachers along with master's level therapist provide education and treatment for children with a variety of learning and mental health difficulties.

Pope John Paul ll Catholic High School, Butler High School, Hampton Cove MS (Madison, Alabama)
Mrs. Barbara A. Murphy
Student Teams for Team America Rocketry Challenge
Students from JPll, Butler HS and one middle schools will have students form three teams of boys and girls to learn about designing and building model rockets to compete in the Team America Rocketry Competition sponsored by AIAA. Teams will design rockets using SpaceCAD4, build rockets and fly them in an attempt to qualify for a national fly off.

Roger B. Chaffee Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Colleen Laymon
Science and Literature Connections
Huntsville City Schools has lower achievement scores in nonfiction reading. This impacts students' science ability. They don't have a good background in science gained from reading and they have difficulty gaining knowledge through reading in the sciences due to poor comprehension skills. This project will provide students with the highest level literature in the sciences. Each book will have an accompanying set of comprehension questions and/or a set of creative thinking activities.

Roger B. Chaffee Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lori Nelson
Crime Scene Investigation: It's Elementary
Everyone loves to solve a mystery, especially children. When students are engaged in an interesting problem solving scenario, learning becomes a fascinating experience and the students' motivation soars. Crime Scene Investigation: It's Elementary is a project that integrates many different math, science, and literacy components to provide students with an interesting, real world experiences as they use observation and investigation skills to solve problems.

Rolling Hills Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Sue Zupko
Measuring Force and Motion
Our students are very kinesthetic learners. I found that by providing hands-on activities they all stay very engaged in their learning. We do not have a lot of supplies in our classroom at Rolling Hills and want to ensure we have what we need. We will be studying force and motion and graphing the results of our activities. My students will then apply what they have learned to an experiment of their own design.

Stevenson Elementary School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mrs. Natalie Beaird
All Creatures Great and Small
All Creatures Great and Small is an effort to provide opportunities to observe live animals in their habitats. The butterflies, fish, snails, and starfish will be used to supplement the reading, writing, science, and math curriculum. Students will be able to write sentences and descriptive paragraphs of their observations of the organisms, and observe the live animals that they read about in their reading lessons. In addition, the dinosaur dig items will enhance the science curriculum as students participate as scientists in excavating for fossils of plants and animals that live long ago.

Tanner High School (Limestone County, Alabama)
Mrs. Sarah Lowman
Project WET
Water covers about 70% of the earth and 96% of our water is contained in salty oceans. Only about 4% of earth's water is fresh water and much of it is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. Project "WET" helps students in grades 9-12 understand the importance of water conservation and how they can take an active role in protecting our water resources. Using turbidity tubes with secchi-disks along with water quality test kits, students will investigate factors that affect water quality. Students will form ideas on water conservation and present their findings and ideas to their peers.

Virgil I. Grissom High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Christine Sutton
Security+ Enhancements for Cyber Security
The shortage of computer security professionals continues and the government is hoping to create thousands of new cyber security jobs within the next few years . CompTIA's Security+ is included in the approved list of certifications to meet DoD Directive 8570.1 requirements. The value of this class to students and future employers would be greatly enhanced by the inclusion of Security+ focused lessons and labs. An excellent resource is available which includes an electronic version of labs and Security+ practice exams: CompTIA Security+ Boxed Set by Glen Clark.

Weatherly Heights Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Sue Zupko
It's a Small World After All
The purpose of It's a Small World After All is to acquaint students in grades 3-5 in how to use a dissecting microscope and do additional research on a topic of their choosing related to it. Students will then develop a means to teach about their topic to other students and show them how to use the dissecting microscope.

Whitesburg P8 School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lisa Champion
Digital Cameras in the Classroom
My plan is to have students use digital cameras and videos to integrate technology into the Common Core Standards classroom as they complete authentic writing and use critical thinking skills in a variety of projects. Students are currently creating presentations using glogster.edu, prezi.com and PowerPoint and students are using common stock photos from the Internet. Having classroom cameras will allow not only allow students to personalize presentations but document and write about classroom activities and assignments.

Seed Grants for Previous Years

The following documents provide abstracts for the Seed Grant proposals that have been funded over the past several years.

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About Proposals Grants Donors Committee Contacts Search