2014-15 Seed Grant Awards

Projects and Abstracts

New Century Technology High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Kiley Soule
Mini Ecosystems
Mini Ecosystems is a project in which 9th grade Biology and Honors Biology students will translate information gleaned through reading of the textbook, class discussions, and internet investigations into a semi contained terrarium. Students will sort through a list of organisms to determine at least one producer, one primary consumer, and how to prevent their ecosystem from becoming unbalanced, in the future. Each class as a whole will develop a joint ecosystem, digital video production, and a poster to share their knowledge on ecosystems with 4th grade classes at several city schools.

Bridgeport Middle School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Ms. Shannon McClain
Robotics Rocks!
Middle school students are drawn to technology. These same students will jump headfirst into anything that involves creating an animated object, especially when they can control it with a playstation controller! By engaging students in a robotics curriculum, STEM enters the classroom in a truly inquiry based fashion. Robotics Rocks will serve our students two fold first, as a classroom curriculum involving the scientific method, programming, building, and CAD. This will be followed by a competition style robotics program which will incorporate many other aspects.

Grissom High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. John Wright
Digital STEAM: Using video technology to move science and math instruction into a digital platform
Our goal is to establish a mobile digital recording studio to create a variety of instructional and informational digital materials (podcasts, videos, interactive website, etc.) that any science or math teacher at Grissom High School can use to inform and instruct students. Teachers and students will use the equipment to record, edit and publish instructional and informational videos to support classroom instruction and general school functions.

Mill Creek Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Jackie Smith
Investigating Environmental Science Through the Use of Technology
Mill Creek Elementary School is in the process of creating an outdoor classroom as a major component of the environmental education curriculum. Investigating Environmental Science Through the Use of Technology is a project that is designed to elevate the outdoor classroom from a place observation to an authentic scientific learning environment. During the project, students will utilize a LabQuest 2 interface and a variety of probeware to collect and analyze data from the outdoor classroom. An integral part of the project will be a long-term water monitoring study of Mill Creek.

Discovery Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Julia West
STEM to the Extreme
STEM to the Extreme is a project designed to teach students how to use science, technology and mathematics with their extreme/school sports. Students will use a go pro camera to film their extreme sports and school sports by showing the complexity of skills and how mathematics and science can be used to determine successful outcomes.

Woodville High School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mr. Cody Kirby
Seeing Things for the First Time
The proposed project aims to develop the skills students need to further understand microscopic biology and organisms. By developing these skills early, the students will gain better understanding of the microbial world around us and what makes us unique beings. By understanding these concepts at an earlier state, the students will become more enthused about science and gain an insight in their future goals.

Hampton Cove Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Kathy Powell
Exploring Ecosystems and More
Seventh grade students will work in the STEM Outdoor Classroom conducting experiments such as hydroponics, growth and development of pond fish, pH levels of pond water, microscopic pond life, pH of soil in garden beds, study of aquatic plants and beneficial insects, and raising vegetables in raised beds. The seventh grade students will also work with the Hampton Cove Elementary School for two projects; microscopic life and ecosystems and dirt babies (growth of plants).

Chaffee Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lori Nelson
Measuring Success!
Attention to precision is key to any mathematical or scientific investigation. In order to gather and analyze data, students need opportunities to become proficient with measurement tools. Measuring Success! is a multi-faceted project with the objective of providing students with the tools needed to gather data through measurement.

Grissom High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Melinda C. Harrison BSN, RN
Best Health Practices and Disease Prevention: STEM Enabled Peer to Peer Education, Mentoring and Collaboration
Good Health decisions, disease prevention and personal development starts in the elementary years, yet research shows increased obesity, tobacco and drug use, alcohol use, etc., among youth to young adults. Research also demonstrates the most effective methods to reduce risky behaviors and disease prevention is through Peer-to-Peer demonstrations, mentoring and collaboration. Using STEM education, simulation and hands-on methods, we plan to use high school health science student created programs to educate K-12 students the science behind "how and why" the health problems and prevention.

Challenger Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Kaitlin Roland
Project Pollination
Project Pollination is a project in which teams of 3rd grade students will explore the world of plants, insects, and natural systems through a research-based curriculum. Students will put on a hat of an agricultural engineer in order to test materials and apply their knowledge to engineer their own technologies for pollinating plants by hand.

New Market School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Faith Gierhart
"Multiplicity: Teaching Math with Multiples of Me"
The purpose is to engage students in making the transition to math common core standards. In the past, I used technology for engagement, exploration, elaboration, and evaluation. The marriage of Edmodo and Educreation allows me to duplicate myself and meet with the individual student via the iPad to teach math concepts, such as problem solving skills, geometry, numbers and operations-fractions, operations and algebraic thinking, and number and operations in base ten. The iPad also allows me to flip instruction so students have background knowledge before the next day's lesson.

Arab High School (Marshall County, Alabama)
Mr. Lawrence Whisenant
FIRST LEGO League Kits
Arab High School has a veteran FIRST Robotics Competition Team (538) and would like to extend STEM opportunities to students in the elementary grades through FIRST LEGO League and gifted education. The biggest expense for this program is the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit which can be reused year after year. Since teams are limited to a size of 10, we would like to support at least three teams, which requires at least three kits. During the summer, the kits would also be used at summer camps in the district and city to expose more students to STEM education outside of FIRST LEGO League.

Virgil I. Grissom High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Christine Sutton
Building A Unix Server
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. Grissom's Cyber Security course and CyberPatriot team encourage students to try to understand how computers work. To appreciate the hardware and software that make computers function, and see how their interests could be applied to careers in information technology. Toward this end, I would like to purchase components and challenge students to build and bring to life a Unix computer server.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Cindy Marsh
Science As We See It!
This planned project is designed to give my 4th grade students the ability to create "Science As We See It." My students will have the opportunity to take introduced science standards and show conceptual understanding by creating an iMovie to share their knowledge with classmates and students throughout our school.

Tanner High School (Limestone County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lydia La Grone
Phylum by Phylum
This project will engage students for the entire year. They will study the biological systems of each phylum as they dissect a representative of each of the phyla that they are studying. This will allow the students to have hands on learn with respect the respiratory, vascular, nerve, and other systems that are associated with each phyla.

Excalibur Christian School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Tracy Wimberley
Science at the Amusement Park!
Science at the Amusement Park! In Science at the Amusement Park, students will learn physical science concepts by modeling, testing, evaluating, and modifying their favorite amusement park rides.

James Clemens High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Carol Bohatch
Cartoon Chemistry
In accordance with the Alabama Literacy Standards, I would like to use cartoons as a means for students to apply or be introduced to chemistry topics. I have used cartoons before as an assessment. I have found cartoons that apply to a topic taught and I ask students to explain the cartoon using their newly acquired chemistry skills. I would also have students create cartoons using their knew chemistry knowledge. I think this is a great way to enhance students literacy skills.

Stevenson Middle School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mr. Terry Williamson
Robotics and Energy
Robotics and Energy is a project that the 8th grade students will use to learn about various types of energy resources and lessons in robotics. In the classroom, the students will learn about energy resources and technology. During the labs, the students will work as individuals and as groups to build models that illustrate different types of energy resources and their advantages and disadvantages. They will also work as groups to build working robots that use various types of energy to move.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lisa Bruton
Taking Your Tablet From Toy to Tool
Many students use the tablets in their possession for entertainment and possibly reading. Sadly some of their teachers and parents share the same view. Unaware of how to do more with the tablets, they say, "I bet you could do that on a tablet." Through this grant, students and teachers will learn to say, "Can the tablet do this in a way that will work for me?" They will systematically explore different applications in the reference and productivity categories,using the areas of application, synthesis, comprehension, analysis and evaluation to produce individual or group project presentations.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Robin McGehee
Dancing on the Ceiling: Using Technology to Turn Language Arts Instruction on its Head
This project highlights various technology resources to encourage a blended classroom environment. Students explore tools used to create investigations for productive struggle, mini-lessons, and study tools. Along with instructional strategies, a plethora of student-centered materials equip students with the ability to construct technology-based products for quick, corrective feedback. This project appeals and prepares students diving into a flipped classroom, blended classroom, or assessmentcentered classroom setting in high school.

Paint Rock Valley High School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Ms. Janet Watts
Promoting Literacy Through Scientific Inquiry
Most teachers would agree that proficiency with reading and writing is imperative to preparing good scientists. Literacy and scientific practices are beneficial when sources of information are available for investigating, predicting, and communicating results. Trade books are a wonderful way to encourage both science inquiry and literacy practices. This grant will be used to meet new common core standards in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S.T.E.M.) with nonfiction literacy texts that will meet that challenge in these core subjects in today's world.

Pope John Paul 11 Catholic High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Barbara Murphy
Falcon Rocketeers
Our projects aims to inspire and attract the next generation of engineers and technicians in aerospace. An extra-curricular hands-on project-based learning program, the TARC competition is modeled around the aerospace industry's design, fabrication and testing processes. All students participate in a team of 3-10 students to design, build, and fly a rocket. Like aerospace companies work within specific design parameters, every year the challenge requires teams to achieve the same basic mission-oriented goals of hitting a precise altitude, and landing within a specific flight time window.

Madison County Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Pam Berry
Science and Literacy Connects through Fourth Grade Science Fair Projects
Alabama College and Career Ready Standards website states the goal is that all students achieve scientific literacy. A scientifically literate person is one who has a sound basis in scientific knowledge, the ability to use scientific processes and technology to understand science-related decisions and problems, and the ability to apply science to the increas- ing challenges of an ever changing world. Fourth grade students will research and create a science project using informational text and internet resources. They'll create multimedia presentations to document research methods and findings.

Providence Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Diana Harrison
Hands-On Science Laboratory
The Hands-On Science Lab project would create a student-centered, direct-instruction science laboratory appropriate for elementary-aged students. With the establishment of a basic science laboratory, all Providence students and staff would have access to science equipment and materials throughout the school year. Additionally, the materials and equipment sought with this grant would establish a science lab that would be used from year-to-year. This lab would provide students with an applied approach to learning the scientific method.

New Market School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Leslie D. Cross
NMS Internet Cafe: 21st Centry learning environment
This project extends the research based classroom setting allowing students to investigate STEM "Essential Questions" pertaining to real-world situations and produce products valid to the 21st Century workplace. Students will maximize school time and resources in a cooperative, technology-rich environment of an Internet Caf.

Providence Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lisa Champion
Digital Cameras in the Classroom
Students will use cameras to supply graphics with written reports and presentations,take photos during field trips and other classroom activities to aid in written compositions,produce and publicize classroom plays,use images as writing prompts for narrative writings and descriptions,and illustrate steps in a procedural or how to paragraphs.The printer will allow us to create classroom books displays,and printed material.Digital cameras will give my students unlimited opportunities to connect the Common Core Standards in meaningful ways to prepare them to enter the 21st Century workforce.

Paint Rock Valley High School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Ms. Ashley Edwards
Second grade SciTT kits
This project will promote a love of science in the first and second grade classroom by providing kits that involve learning about the following areas of science: states of matter, seed growth, landforms, magnetism, wind energy, and water cycle for first grade. For second grade the areas of: bouyancy, light energy, scientific method, sound energy, constellation, and static electricity.

Woodville High School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mrs. April Kennamer
Keeping Science in Kindergarten
This project will be using science kits to incorporate science into the kindergarten classroom. All materials will be available for students to use. It will incorporate 13 different science standards including germination, simple machines, life cycle, and senses.

Hampton Cove Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Brittany Beck
Science on the move!
All students from the eighth grade will be able to learn hands-on about speed, acceleration, and how to understand the data from several experiments. Physics becomes easy to understand doing simple activities that show them the meaning of difficult information. Students will be able to use motion sensors and graphing software to understand constant velocity, acceleration and more. After learning the basics, students will work as groups to create and complete their own science experiments dealing with physics.

Williams Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Karen Colvin-Ryan
The Show Must Go On!
Multimedia projects are useful in so many ways in a school! We would like to improve our existing multimedia room to create a more updated broadcasting room. With our new equipment, the lead teacher will train a crew of approximately 10 students who will then mentor other students in how to use the equipment. Teachers will be able to use the equipment for class presentations, school events such as the Spelling Bee, and to encourage character education through the morning broadcast show.

Riverton Intermediate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Mary Lee
"Express Yourself": Using Technology to Enhance Product-based Learning
A classroom environment conducive to learning considers emotional and intellectual domains of our current children of the 21st Learning Society. This project attends to student needs by providing opportunities for students to struggle productively with content using appropriate problem solving techniques which work for one's own strategic thinking methods in a student-centered setting with the classroom teacher merely serving as a facilitator. Students present one's findings using technology-based tools to express one's thought.

Challenger Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Vicki Smith
Just Passing Through: Designing Model Membranes
The Designing Model Membranes kit would enable our school to move forward with project based learning as we incorporate STEAM into our 21st Century classrooms. Working together in groups of five, 5th grade students would have an opportunity to apply their knowledge of the basic needs of organisms through hands-on activities. The kit provides grade-level appropriate literature to engage students followed by the challenger to think like bioengineers to research, share, and collaborate to solve a problem. The kit, teacher's guide, and refill would be shared among the fifth grade team.

Roger B. Chaffee Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Gayle Dodson
Eye on the Sky: Chaffee Community Weather Center
Eye on the Sky: Chaffee Community Weather Center is an indepth project which supports the Alabama College and Career Readiness standards for grades PreK-5, as well as providing a service to our community. The project includes a weather station and hands-on weather related activities in our science room to support learning with the weather station. In addition, Chaffee will be building a garden with the Deep Roots organization this year, and information gathered from the weather station will support student learning about the water cycle and weather's effect on plant growth.

Woodville School (Jackson County, Alabama)
Mrs. Melissa Evans
Panther Power: Electric Car Initiative
This project offers young students an opportunity to design and build a real electric racing car while learning key aspects such as electronics, friction and forces. This will allow our students to take part in a real world engineering project.

Discovery Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Kelly Archer
Discovering Digital @ Discovery
Our students are considered to be 'digital natives', having been raised during the remarkable evolution which has led to the digital devices these students use constantly. Really? 'Digital natives?' For the most part there is an absolute disconnect between our students and knowledge about how 'digital' is so important and, for that matter, what it means! At Discovery M.S. we have found that this lack of understanding is certainly not preparing our students for the global economy which is our focus. To date we have made initial efforts to overcome this technology gap. The kids need more.

Goldsmith-Schiffman Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Heather Hall
Robot Rangers
Robot Rangers is a cross curricular project designed for elementary students in second through fifth grades, Lego WeDo is a STEM based learning tool that challenges students to build LEGO robots and models with the ability to use working motors and sensors, connectivity to a computer, and use a simple programming tool to program behavior. Students will be working through a series of theme-based activities,developing skills within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as language and literacy.

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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