2018-19 Seed Grant Awards

Buckhorn Middle School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Gina Henshaw
PLTW Supplies for AR and MD
Project Lead the Way is a course where students will learn the engineering design process through investigation, real-life problem solving, and unique hands-on experiences. It will facilitate growth in math and science as well as advance our students in the field of STEM. The addition of these extra supplies will enable more students to create hands on engineering projects within smaller groups. The reality is that we have had to add more students into our PLTW program classes which in turn results in the need for more supplies.

Boaz Elementary School (Marshall County, Alabama)
Mrs. Cynthia Lancaster
Lil' Monthly Makers
Each month students will have the opportunity to systematically explore a new hands-on STEM activity in the library. The recent STEM and Maker Movement go hand in hand with the natural inclinations of young children and the power of learning by doing. This early exposure will begin students on a path of discovery, exploration, and reflection. Students will be challenged to expand their imaginations and reasoning skills while preparing them for their future education and ultimately a profession in a world of expanding technology and research.

Providence Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Michelle Barnett
Robotics Revolution
Robotics Revolution seeks to revolutionize Providence students' knowledge of basic programming of simple robots. Our goal is to teach students, beginning in first grade the basics of algorithms and computer programming working up to participation in the First Lego League's robotics competition by the 4th and 5th grade.

Mill Creek Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Jackie Smith
Engineering Design Project Lab 4: Using Weather Balloons, CO2 Metric Dragsters, and Drones to Explore the Engineering Design Process
Engineering Design Lab 4 is an ongoing effort at Mill Creek to create a STEM Lab curriculum that correlates to the Next Generation Science Standards. It will provide students with a variety of hands-on, engineering based projects that will challenge them to utilize critical and analytical thinking skills. 4th and 5th grade students will work in collaborative groups to design, construct, and test weather balloons, CO2 metric dragsters, and drones. These activities will foster the concept of teamwork and strengthen student understanding of the engineering design process.

Greengate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Brandi Sterling
Novel Engineering
Novel Engineering is a scientifically supported approach to integrating problem-solving, design process, and STEM into English Language Arts classes. This program shows increased engagement, motivation, and comprehension in novel studies while proving opportunities to practice the crucial 21st-century thinking and problem-solving skills students will need for success in the future.

Columbia Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Alisha Mayfield
FLL Lego Robotics
First Lego League is a competitive program that provides participants an opportunity to participate in project-based learning through identifying a problem within a given challenge, collaborating with professionals, and developing a solution to that problem. They must then share their solution with others. Students also build and program a robot to complete certain tasks within the challenge, and they work together to develop presentations on their project, robot design, and collaborative skills. This grant will help fund the robot and other supplies for our Columbia Elementary team.

Limestone County Career Technical Center (Limestone County, Alabama)
Mrs. Pam Fowler
SKYROCKETS FLL Robotics
The SKYROCKETS FLL team are hoping to elevate the interest in robotics in area schools. By using the Lego Kit building materials and kits and references to increase knowledge, the Skyrockets plan to enter competitions and offer demonstrations to show other teachers and students the possibilities in learning and future career opportunities through STEM and JLL Robotics.

Columbia High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Jennifer Formby
PLTW Human Body Systems: Unit 3 (Power)
This project takes a hands-on approach to learning about the human body. Instead of memorizing bones and muscles, student groups design a skeleton themselves, utilizing Anatomy in Clay Manikens. Students are given the opportunity to perform hands-on activities in every lesson which promotes long-term memory retention and exposes students to challenges and obstacles they might not encounter. This program also fosters higher level learning by actively engaging students in the learning process through a case study approach allowing students to apply knowledge acquired to solve problems.

SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary (Limestone County, Alabama)
Mrs. Jennifer Kennedy
Buzzing About Robotics and Dashing Into Coding
SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary, a STEM-focused elementary school, is excited to expand our robotics and coding instruction beyond the virtual world and into the physical world. The project Buzzing About Robotics and Dashing Into Coding brings robotics and coding into the kindergarten and first grade classrooms, integrating robotics with grade-level content and providing opportunities for our youngest students to become mentors and leaders.

James Clemens High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Dave Frederick
Hands-on Engineering
Students experience hands-on engineering by constructing a variety of devices and mechanisms, e.g. golf ball launcher, concrete sailboat, tower, airplane, wooden pendulum clock, etc. In this extracurricular activity, they build seven projects in the school year. A project spans one month and involves two hours of academics in physical principles and five hours of hands-on construction, adjustment, and testing of the device or mechanism. The goal of the program is to promote knowledge and understanding of physics, construction skills, planning and execution, and time management.

Walnut Grove Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Holly Whitt
Computational and Design Thinking in 3D
Students will develop skills in decomposition, algorithmic thinking and computational thinking through 3D design instruction and modeling. Progressing through the use of hands-on materials from Play-Doh to the 3Doodler pen, students will design solutions by decomposing an object and creating a sub-solution for each of the parts. They will also write subroutines, procedures, functions, and methods to document their project and submit it for other students to test. Finally, students will work in teams across grade levels to design and build a city using math, map skills, and circuit technology.

Roger B. Chaffee Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Lori Nelson
Growing Engineers with Greenpower!
Greenpower USA is an engineering program for students which provides opportunities for students to collaborate to build and race a battery operated car. Chaffee Elementary School has been involved in Greenpower USA for the past four years. This grant proposal seeks to obtain funding to purchase a new car kit for our students so that we can build and race two cars, allowing more students to participate in the Greenpower program at Chaffee.

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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