iRead: Using iPads to Promote Literacy in Developing Readers ($8,259.00) 3rd grade - Jennifer Kohn, Michelle Williams, Lisa Kennedy)
15 iPads will give students an advantage in the areas of technology, scholastic advancement and literacy. Specifically, they will be used to 1) provide enriching word study and decoding skills, as well as vocabulary opportunities where students interact with words through apps. such as Clicktionary 2) build a model for, analyze and build student fluency by enabling students to record themselves reading and have the text read back to them in apps. like Sundry Notes or iBaldi 3) develop reading comprehension, allowing students to simultaneously take notes, draw visualizations, and record their own audio while reading a book in any of the notepad apps. like Penultimate, Notability or Chalkboard 4) give immediate feedback of student work through the eClicker app., which will allow teachers to take quick polls of the students in the group to see how they are progressing throughout the lesson.

 

LabQuest Learning: Linking Science and Mathematics ($7,825.17) (6th, 7th and 8th grades – Beth Topinka)
The nine LabQuest handheld computers and sensors will provide students with the ability to collect, display, graph, and analyze Earth, Life, and Physical Science data in lab, classroom, and fieldwork settings. LabQuest lessons address national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics initiatives, helping students prepare to compete for higher education and future careers where math and science literacy are essential.

Nonfiction Collection Development ($4,704.35) (Pre-K through 5th grades – Francine Kamen, District Librarian)
Collection of current and appealing non fiction books to supplement the primary and elementary schools libraries’ collections in support of the curriculum. Topics include biomes, solar system, energy/matter, presidents, dinosaurs, and Revolutionary War to name a few.

The Write Stuff Columbia University Writing Project (TCRWP) Summer Institute ($1,700) (3rd and 5th grades – Jennifer Kohn and Sara Stofik)  
Two teachers will attend TCRWP, an organization that is on the cutting edge of current trends in education. Their staff is committed to helping teachers turn their classrooms into richly literate writing and thinking workshops. The project’s mission is to enable young people to become avid writers and thinkers through research, curriculum development and by working with students, teachers, principals and superintendants.

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention ($1,130) (7th grade Language Arts - Kathryn McKenna and Rachael Moriarty)
Two teachers will attend workshops during the convention to provide them with additional continuing education from the foremost professional organization in literacy education, to bring the most timely and effective practices into Millstone Twp. classrooms.
 

Talkies Language Development Program ($417.95) (Pre-School through 2nd grade – Patricia Marzzullo)
Program of instruction for young children with severe weakness in oral vocabulary and language expression including students on the Autism spectrum. The goal of the instruction is to develop mental imagery (pictures in the mind) as a base for language comprehension and expression.