Allen School (619-479-3662)

  • "The 'I Rock' Center: An Independent Reading Activity"

    • Carla J. Kriss, Sixth Grade Teacher

    A grant of $800 purchased the Comprehension and Vocabulary series of Spotlight Books, poster board, art supplies and three student chairs.

    Students received individual reading and comprehension activities at their own level to prepare them for middle school.

    An independent reading center for students to work independently helped them become self-sufficient and gain confidence in reading.

    The project took place daily for the entire school year. Each book corresponded to the weekly story assignment for the entire group.

Andrew Jackson Elementary School (619-582-3527)

  • "Sidewalk Library for Third Graders"

    • Joan Boyle, Third Grade Teacher

    A grant of $720.00 purchased 180 books.

    Students increased their access to books by checking out books during recess or after school. The Sidewalk Library has been very successful as students could select books of their choice. This new library area was very popular and became an extension of the classroom many times as students wanted to discuss the books they were reading.

Baker Montessori Elementary School (619-264-3139)

  • "Shared Reading Classroom Materials"

    • Sandi Davison-First, Second, and Third Grade Teacher

    A grant of $770.00 for Big Books and a stand to hold the big books. The school purchased the overhead projector.

    The students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in shared group reading on a weekly basis. The students read non-fiction books and they loved the big books with the big print and big pictures. Having enough books meant increased time doing "shared reading," a district literacy focus. Ms. Davison utilized an overhead projector and transparencies to display the text on the wall for all to see.

Chet F. Harritt School (619-258-2340)

  • "Literacy in the Arts"

    • Lilah Onners and Susan Walter, Fourth Grade Teachers

    A grant of $1,000 provided teacher manuals on artists, 15 sets of 10 each of the paperback, Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists, and Printbooks. A retired teacher provided lessons based on different artists.

    This project was designed to introduce 14-16 ethnically diverse artists through biographies, literature, and video to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The students produced interpretive paintings that were exhibited in a student show.

Doyle Elementary School (858-455-6230)

  • "Big Book Stands"

    • Alice M. Evans - Kindergarten through Second Grade Teacher

    A grant of $500.00 purchased the material for 20 Big Book Stands. A retired woodworker made the stands with his donated labor.

    To assist the teachers in their job of interactive shared reading with the students, Ms. Evans acquired stands sturdy enough to hold Big Books, which can be hard to hold and teach from at the same time. By placing the Big Books in these stands, students were much more able to see the books while the teacher read and instructed them.

Kit Carson Elementary School (858-496-8060)

  • "Millennium News"

    • Theresa Tran, Fourth and Fifth Grade Teacher

    A grant of $1,000 was used to purchase two scanners, one camera, one Microsoft Publisher 2000 software, and two ink cartridges.

    Student fundraisers and donations covered additional costs.

    Utilizing Microsoft Publisher software, cameras, a scanner, and printers, fourth and fifth grade students improved their reading, writing, research and interviewing skills during the process of publishing a newspaper.

Knob Hill School (760-743-6686)

  • " Biographies Collection for Literacy"

    • Carrie Geldard, First Grade Teacher

    A grant of $311.35 purchased the following:

    • Beginning Biographies on African Americans
    • Beginning Biographies on Hispanic Americans
    • Beginning Biographies on Native Americans
    • The Multicultural Collection for Primary Grades.

    Role models are important in every young student's life. Through the purchase of biographies, first grade students had access to important and famous people of ethnically diverse backgrounds. The biographies highlighted their accomplishments and their ideals. Students' reading proficiency was enhanced as well as writing skills and pride in their ethnicity.

Lief Ericson Elementary (858) 271-0505

  • "Literacy Links: A Reciprocal Approach to Literacy"

    • Christine Torres, Kindergarten Teacher

    A grant of $700.00 purchased Shared Reading, Independent Reading, and Read Aloud Big Books, and Guided Reading Books.

    This literacy project was designed to meet kindergarten reading standards by providing reading material to meet students' specific reading needs. Ms. Torres used four reciprocal reading event: shared reading, guided reading, familiar reading, and read-aloud. Through participation in each different reading event, children had opportunities to learn to read through a cognitive apprenticeship approach. This balanced literature-based research project took place daily.

    This was an English language-learning class, where 75% of the students were minority students with nearly half of them receiving free or reduced lunches. At the end of the school year, each student scored above grade-level in reading. According to the developmental reading assessment, all students were reading at a first-grade level.

Mead Elementary (619) 262-7526

  • "/wi ken rid/ - We Can Read in the Phonetic Alphabet"

    • Aimee Rand, First Grade Teacher

    A grant of $1,000.00 purchased a color printer, a board-maker, books and story-telling aids such as puppets.

    This literacy project was designed to address language skills for students receiving services from a speech pathologist. Students made books, told stories and created puppet shows. Working within the district's literacy guidelines, it was possible to facilitate vocabulary growth as well as enhance articulation and grammar proficiency.

Rosebank Elementary School (619-422-8329)

  • "Poetry Takes You Places"

    • Debbie Travers, First Grade Teacher

    A grant of $1,000.00 provided funding to purchase bookmaking material, ink jet printer, copy costs, printer ribbons and toner, poets and poetry books and illustration materials.

    The students wrote poetry for publication in individual bound books, the school newspaper, and on posters displayed at Open House. One hundred young writers, with a variety of different backgrounds, participated in this project by studying a variety of poetry and writing their own creative works. Students learned that creativity takes a variety of forms and structures within the context of writing.

Rosebank Elementary School (619-422-8329)

  • Junior Journalism

    • Kathy Borden, Third Grade Teacher

    A grant of $1,000.00 covered the costs of a color printer, one scanner, paper, keyboarding software, ribbon/toner, and film.

    Students increased their writing fluency by using sophisticated software, a scanner, and color printer to write, edit, and publish a monthly newspaper. The newspaper was disseminated to the student body and many of the articles were featured on the school's website. What started as a single class project expanded into a grade level event involving over 60 students.

  • "The Literacy Garden Project"

    • Melanie Sepe, First Grade Teacher

    A grant of $1,000.00 provided molds and concrete for 20-30 pavers, stone benches, paint and sealer, a water fountain, native plants, poetry anthologies and emergent readers.

    This collaborative effort resulted in the creation of a garden where volunteers could tutor children with reading. A lovely setting was created using native plants, stepping-stones, benches, and a birdbath. Students were instructed to write poetry on pavers, which served as the garden's stepping-stones. The garden took literacy a step further. It was a quiet and beautiful location to value and celebrate reading.

  • "Every Child an Author"

    • Sue Mulroy, Fifth and Sixth Grade Teacher

    A grant of $560.00 purchased CD recorder technology, paper for story production, and bookbinding materials.

    Fourth, fifth and sixth graders honed their writing skills by each writing, editing and creating a fictional story that they bound in individual books. Students' work was presented at the annual "Author's Fair" at the San Diego County Office of Education. With access to enough computer technology, students were eager to write, edit and publish their work.

Silver Strand Elementary School (619-522-8934)

  • "Traveling United States Geography Journals"

    • Jackie O'Keefe, Second Grade Teacher

    A grant of $350.00 provided Atlas, Encyclopedias, History of the U.S. and Road Adventures USA CD-ROMS, geography books, journals, film postcards, and U.S. maps.

    Second grade students sent journals containing brief autobiographies to second grade classrooms in other states. The recipients sent postcards, wrote in journals, and forwarded them elsewhere. Extended communication between students was an important part of this project, which integrated social studies into a language arts program.

Stephen C. Foster Elementary School (619-582-2728)

  • "Mini Lending Library"

    • Linda Pohlenz, Kindergarten Teacher

    A grant of $970.00 provided 216 Benchmark Education Early Connections emergent readers levels A and B.

    To reinforce and extend emergent reading skills, kindergartners took home leveled reading, non-fiction books with photograph illustrations from a classroom lending library and read them to their families. The leveled emergent readers enabled students to use phonics, context, and picture clues to become proficient readers.

Vista Grande Elementary (858-496-8290)

  • "Walkman into Literacy"

    • Robbie Turner, Kindergarten Teacher

    A grant of $1,000.00 provided seven walkman units, books and tapes.

    Kindergarten students listened to stories on tape by using a walkman. This increased oral reading that matched text in particular books, increased students' vocabulary and attention span during the literacy block of the curriculum. Kindergarteners became independent readers who introduced their learning materials to their parents, also.