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– Innovative Instructional Initiatives

2009-2010 Grant Application Form

Please complete this cover sheet and the Initiative Description forms. The various boxes within the form will, if needed, expand to contain your information. However, the entire Initiative Description, excluding this cover sheet, must not exceed four printed pages.

IMPORTANT

: Since applications will be judged through a blind process, information in the InitiativeDescription (pp. 3-5) should not identify the teacher or the school by name.Applications are due

October 16, 2009.

Today’s date: School:October 11, 2009 Walker Upper Elementary SchoolFull Name of Applicants:Beth Gehle and Jennifer GaylordTeaching Assignment/Grade/Subject:Social Studies: 6

and 5

GradesTitle of Initiative:Building Background Knowledge Through “I” Events:Stepping Into History Using Role Play, Blogs, and Virtual Field TripsEmail Address of Applicants:elizabeth.gehle@ccs.k12.va.us, jennifer.gaylord@ccs.k12.va.usSignature of Applicant:Signature of Principal (indicates awareness of proposal and compliance with CCS mission):

Please submit signed cover sheet and three copies of the Initiative Description to:

Gertrude A. IvoryAssociate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction1562 Dairy Road

Charlottesville, VA 22903

Phone: 434-245-2400

Title of Initiative: Building Background Knowledge Through “I” Events:Stepping Into History Using Role Play, Blogs, and Virtual Field TripsINITIATIVE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of our initiative is to give our fifth- and sixth-grade Social Studies students theopportunity to step into history and to build historical background knowledge in a variety of ways:(1) role-playing historical characters and events, (2) blogging historical events from the perspective of a historical character, (3) having authentic research and questioning opportunities by maintaining anonline class discussion forum and participating in virtual field trips with museum experts, and(4) creating short videos to non-linguistically illustrate the meaning of new vocabulary terms.

Historical Character Blogging and Role-Play

We have found that the lack of academic background knowledge on the part of our studentsinhibits their learning of required Social Studies information. In his book,

Building Background Knowledge

, Robert Marzano states that background knowledge can be significantly improved byproviding students with “I” events, defined as events in which the student is directly involved by doing,feeling, and describing. By assigning the students to play real historical characters, either in adramatic production or in a blog article, we will increase the number of these “I” events that take placein our classroom on a regular basis, thus building background knowledge and personal connection tothe subject matter.Historical role-play will take several forms in our classrooms. Short, impromptu “act-it-outs” wherestudents “step into” a background image projected on the interactive whiteboard are an effective wayto check for understanding and personalize that day’s subject matter. This experience becomes evenmore effective when a student can film that day’s act-it-outs using a flip video camera so that allstudents can use the role-play later as a way to review that content.Another form of historical role-play is to guide students in creating scripts, selecting costumes, andacting out longer historical events, debates, or conversations between historical characters. By takingon a historical character’s point of view for an extended time, students experience a historical event or time period at a deeper, more personal level.Students can also experience historical role-play by blogging as a historical character. For example, students could be assigned different historical figures from the Constitutional Convention.As we learn about the decisions made by the actual convention participants, students could react astheir character would by writing a response on the class blog. A variation on this activity is for students to “video blog” in costumed character.

Research and Questioning Opportunities

Robert Marzano also recommends that students be allowed to identify topics of interest to themand reveal their thoughts, questions, and answers related to that topic in an “academic notebook.” Wewould like to use an online, collaborative model of this academic notebook by creating a class blog or discussion forum where students can identify questions, research answers, and share their newknowledge with other students. These questions may relate directly to a student’s understanding of an SOL or may be an enhancement or background piece of knowledge that could deepenunderstanding of an SOL.A key aspect of this question-and-answer blog is that students can access it at any time. We wouldlike to develop a natural, fluid way for students to use available technology by logging in to a computer to ask, research, or answer a question in a spontaneous way, when the interest or need strikes. Thisis only possible when computers are available for student use continually, not on a cart in another classroom.Increasingly, virtual field trips are available so that students can interact remotely with a museumcurator or other expert. Marzano found that the very best, most direct, way for schools to buildstudents’ background knowledge is by providing a variety of field trips and other out-of-classexperiences. Working within our budget and time constraints, these virtual field trip experiences will

provide some of the same benefits for our students.

Non-linguistic Vocabulary Representation

Using video cameras, students can film their own non-linguistic representations of new essentialvocabulary terms, thereby increasing their understanding of these new words. Using the computerspurchased for this initiative, short videos can be recorded and stored on computers that are present inthe classroom so that students can view the videos to review.With the above initiatives, we have created a multi-faceted approach to building the academicbackground knowledge that our students need to be successful. By engaging in more of these “I”events (role playing, blogging, and questioning), students will understand and retain Social Studiesconcepts more successfully.

Amount requested

: $7889.73

Target audience

and 6

Grade students (ages 10-13)

Number of teachers and/or students you expect to reach:

4 teachers and 140 students per year.

Goals and Objectives:

The objective of this initiative is that students gain historical background knowledge that theyotherwise lack. It is difficult for students to understand and retain the historical facts necessary tomaster the Social Studies SOLs without this background knowledge.Because this initiative involves student-driven role-play and questioning, this approach will workboth as an intervention and an enrichment model. It can serve as an intervention model for our students who struggle with the acquisition of Social Studies information, particularly those that strugglewith reading and writing and our English Language Learners. While we are the primary Social Studiesteachers for the ESL students in fifth and sixth grades, we also have a number of native students withbelow grade-level reading ability. However, this approach will also work as an enrichment model for those students who are ready to go beyond the Standards of Learning. By using a role-play andquestioning approach, students can go as far beyond the required material as they are capable.We are particularly excited by the possibility of a cross grade-level initiative. By continuing thisprocess for two years, students will ultimately reach a deeper content understanding. Additionally, wehave planned to implement these new initiatives into our own grade-level units that share commonthemes. For example, in January, both grade levels study the creation of the new nation following theRevolutionary War. Using recorded videos and blogs, students can share ideas and collaborate withstudents at other grade levels and in other classes that are discussing similar themes and historicalconcepts.Our expected outcome is that student scores on Social Studies unit test and SOL tests willincrease. Our goal is at least an 80% pass rate on unit tests when these new initiatives are used.Increased background knowledge and a heightened sense of historical curiosity will increase studentengagement levels and ability to understand and retain historical concepts.

Link to 21

Century Skills:

Historical role play, creating and editing videos, blogging, and acting out new vocabulary wordsprovide many links to 21

century skills. Students will practice learning and innovation skills, as takingpart in historical role-play and assuming another’s perspective requires students to think creativelyand reason effectively. The communication and collaboration aspect of 21

century skills will also beaddressed by this initiative. Student role-play and class blogging requires students to work creativelywith others, communicate clearly, and collaborate with others. Devising questions, researchinganswers, and communicating these answers with other students allows students to practiceinformation literacy, as they access and evaluate information. Students will enhance their medialiteracy by creating their own media products (class videos and blogs). Finally, students willexperience the life and career skills of initiative and self-direction. These class projects will requirestudents to be self-directed learners, as they will be going beyond the basic curriculum.

Alignment with the Virginia Standards of Learning: