RUNNING HEAD: INNOVATION GRANT PROPOSAL

Innovation Grant Proposal

Sarah Harris

Arizona State University

2018
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Abstract

Imagine all high school students graduating and prepared for higher education. This grant will

provide much-needed mobile desks and replacement computers and software for the Chandler

High School International Baccalaureate World School and AP (Advanced Placement) students.

I am a 9th grade English Language Arts teacher. My classroom consists of 32 amazing students.

In my classroom I have 32 outdated mismatched desks, two whiteboards, posters of motivational

quotes and literary authors on the walls. My goal is to teach my students in a 21-century

classroom with the proper innovative equipment that will assist in making my students better

learners.
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School Environment

I am a 9th grade English Language Arts teacher at Chandler High School in Chandler

Unified School District. Chandler High School has 3200 students. Of those 3200 students, 52%

are male, 48% are female, and 64% are minorities. 49% of the students who attend the school are

considered economically disadvantaged. The makeup of the student body is 2% American

Indian/Alaskan Native, 6% Asian, 10% Black, 0.2% Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, 44%

Hispanic, 36% White and 1% two or more races. Although Chandler High School has a 91%

graduating rate, it has a noticeable readiness gap to prepare students of different ethnicities for

higher education.

Chandler High School is ranked 49th in the state of Arizona and has been the leading school

in academic, athletics, arts and career and technical Educational Programs. The community that

supports Chandler High School students believes that they can reach their goals, by preparing for

high academic learning which will make them successful and productive human beings in

society. The school has received many accolades which include:

• 2012 grade “A” from the Arizona Department of Education

• 2013 Senior Class was awarded over $24,000,000 in scholarships

• 2013 International Baccalaureate students were awarded over $5,000,000 in scholarships,

and nineteen earned IB Diplomas

• 2014 The Senior Class was awarded over $31.5 million in scholarships

• 2017 Football 6A State Champions

Chandler High School students demonstrate positive attitudes and self-discipline and

metacognitive strategies and high self-esteem. The instructional opportunities that they are
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provided will assist with helping them become successful and independent learners who are

prepared for their next step in the future. The projected grant will allow the students to be

successful and push for higher learning and development.

Our English department currently has the following technology devices available for 16

English teachers and 630 freshman students:

• 30 HP laptops from 2014

• Each teacher has a printer in their classrooms. My printer was purchased in 2014.

• Two computer on wheels lock boxes

Purpose of Project:

The purpose of this project is to assist my students in becoming better literary learners

and guide them with the proper practices of learning to convey complex ideas, concepts and

information accurately, using the proper resources for research purposes. My students will learn

how to create a formal unsent letter. This lesson plan will allow my students to develop letter

writing skills preparing them job interviews, and college readiness. My Students will learn how

to discuss current hot topics and collaborate with their peers and share their ideas in group setting

developing team building strategies. Chandler High School is a technology based school with the

ability to

Goal:

Students will learn how to create a formal letter addressed to their local Congressman or Senator.

They will gather relevant information using a digital source for reliable research. Student will

learn how to exercise their democratic rights as purpose to effectively inform

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Essential Questions:

• 1. Are you familiar with writing a formal letter to a Congressman?

2. What current hot topic have you seen in the media that interests you?

• 2. Have you written an unsent letter?

• 3. How can you use your voice to enact change?

Standards covered include:

AZCCRS

• 11-12.RI.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text

says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the

text leaves matters uncertain.

• 11-12.RI.2: Determine and analyze the development and interaction of two or more

central ideas over the course of a text to provide a complex analysis or objective

summary.

• 11-12.W.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,

concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection,

organization, and analysis of content. b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the

most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or

other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

• 11-12.W.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital

sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each

source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text
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selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one

source and following a standard format for citation.

• 11-12.RI.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,

including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses

and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text.

ISTE Standards:

1. Empowered Learner

1a. Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies

leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to

improve learning outcomes.

2. Computational Thinker

5b. Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze

them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and

decision-making.

3. Knowledge Constructor

3a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information

and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

3b. Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of

information, media, data or other resources.

3c. Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and

methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections

or conclusions.
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3d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and

problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

4. Global Collaborator
7d. Students explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to

work with others to investigate solutions.

Narrative

Our computers are used on a daily basis by our students. Unfortunately, our school

cannot afford to provide laptops for each student so we have to share. Some teachers have to

reserve the laptops for their classrooms at least a week in advance to ensure they will be

available. There are times when the schedule has conflicted and multiple teachers have reserved

the laptops for the same day and same time. This is an issue that needs to be resolved quickly

because it is interfering with the academic success of our students. Chandler High students

deserve to have the best digital resources for all their students. Having new computers will aid

our students in apply for scholarships and writing essays for potential college choices. They will

also allow our students to complete assignments in class and conduct the proper research for

final projects and reports.

Most importantly the new laptops will allow my students to complete the lesson plan that

I have prepared for them. Along with the new laptops the students will need new mobile desks.

These desks are great at allowing our students to be mobile in the classroom creating a working

environment that is sure to keep our students engaged. The use of new desks will allow our

student work in groups and move freely throughout the classroom. Student will also be able to

use these desks for team building projects and explore global issues while utilizing a digital

device.
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I would like to elaborate more on why our student’s needs are important me by sharing

my objective for the formal unsent letter lesson plan. You will see why our student deserve new

computers and desks. We are creating an environment for our students to be innovative learners

and with these new resources we can reach that goal.

Objective:

An exploratory writing strategy allows students to write about a topic, issue or concern

that affects society or their community. This activity requires students to become active learners

in a flexible classroom setting by discovering, processing and applying new information and

making connections to what they already know. Students will enter the classroom and answer the

question of the day written on the whiteboard (Example: Media Monday What Local,

Nationwide, or International news topics have you watched or read about?) Students will take

five-minutes and write their answers in their journals.

Utilizing the Talk-Aloud Strategy the teacher and students will read an article about

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/us/dacadreamers-shutdown.html and the students are able

to pause, ask questions and discover new vocabulary words. After completing the reading

students, will participate in the Talk Moves Strategy moving their Nodes mobile desks:

https://www.steelcase.com/products/collaborative-chairs/node/ to break into small groups of 3-4.

In this Situated Learning Community students will share and write down 3 main points from the

article on the three sticky notes provided. This also gives students an opportunity to share what

they wrote in their journals within the group as well. This will challenge students to engage in

interpretive, evaluative thinking and group discussions. This technique can be used for
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nonfiction and fiction pieces of work. Students will then place the sticky notes on the white

board and as a whole class share what was discovered in their groups.

Students will then return their nodes mobile desks to its original set up. Students will rise to the

occasion and create a 2 paragraph, 2 sources MLA format formal letter to their local

Congressman/State Representative addressing a real-world issue.

They have been previously taught how to create a formal letter. Students will use a

graphic organizer and graphic organizer guideline, and their surface laptop computer to help

them with researching their topic. This Cooperative Learning strategy motivates students to think

critically, research important information from sources, develop formal letter writing techniques

and expand better communication skills meeting the needs of a 21st century learner. Students

will create a letter reflecting the students’ understanding of the content being researched.

Project Impact/Activities:

During this project students will understand the process of creating a formal letter, and

how to conduct informational and exploratory information for a specific topic conveying their

ideas. They will learn how discuss real world topics in group and whole class environment

respecting others opinions and ideas. While conducting their research students will learn how to

keep track of their information by completing the graphic organizer to create an outline for their

unsent letter. Providing two reliable resources and works cited. This allows students to practice

how to cite information in proper MLA format. Once students complete the project they

demonstrate their understanding by creating a hashtag on Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat or

Instagram about their topic of choice. Student will also be able to read their letters in class or

earn extra credit points by sending their formal letter.

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Expected Impact:

Receiving this grant will have a positive impact on our school staff, students as well as

our community. It will encourage our student to continue to strive to do their best academically

creating new and exciting opportunities for them. Our community will witness the impact when

we present our new resources during our public open house. The community will witness the

positive change be encourage to continue support Chandler High school. Below are some other

ways that these new resources will impact our school.

 The new computers and mobile desks will provide students with fast-paced learning and

up to date software applications.

 The mobile desks will allow students to move freely throughout the classroom while

conducting group discussion and working collaboratively on group projects.

 Provide daily access to useful new pedagogy technology in education.

 Opportunities to perform research on project-based learning skills.

 Technology that will assist with classroom instruction, test preparation, and specific
computer application that will focus on student literacy skills.
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Budget:

I have conducted the proper research and price list for items that we will need to move our

students into a proper 21-century classroom in the budget below. We are asking for $9888.03 in

total cost of the material that will help our students become more academically successful. If we

are awarded the grant we will process the order to not delay our students. Once the items are

received our Chandler School District will assign our school a technician to connect the

computers to the schools internet service and virus protection plan that will cover our computers

for three years. We will also have them assemble the new node mobile chairs and clear out the

old desks and donating them to a school in Africa or Peru through the www.SmileforSchools.org

foundation. The will pay for the shipping of our old desks and they will utilized in a school that

they are building in a country in Africa or Peru.

Thank you for your time and for allowing me to propose my grant idea to you and your

staff.

Sincerely,

Sarah Harris

English Language Arts Teacher

Chandler High School

350 N. Arizona Ave Chandler, AZ. 85225

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Budget Table:

Item and Quantity Individual Item Cost Quantity Item Cost

HP Chromebook, Intel 199.00 5 995.00
Celeron N3060, 4GB
RAM, 16GB eMMC
with Chrome OS
(11v010nr)
3 Year SquareTrade 36.31 5 181.55
Laptop Accident
Protection Plan
ECR4Kids 30 Bay 709.14 1 709.14
Locking Laptop/Tablet
Charging Station Cart
with Keypad Entry,
Black
Desks and chairs 307.15 20 6143.00
classroom equipment
HP 202X (CF500X) 96.98 1 96.98
Black High Yield
Original Toner Cartridge
HP Printer Paper, 39.20 1 39.20
Multipurpose20, 8.5 x 11,
Letter, 20lb
47.99 1 47.99
McAfee 2018 Total
Protection - 10 Devices
HP LaserJet Pro 329.99 1 329.99
M281fdw All in One
Wireless Color Laser
Printer (T6B82A)
26.44 1 26.44
Square Trade 3-year
Office Protection Plan
Items (36): $8,569.29
Shipping & handling: $694.18
Total before tax: $9,263.47
Estimated tax to be collected:* $624.56
Order total: $9,888.03
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Work Cited

Arizona Department of Education Standards

http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/

Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/buy/spc/handlers/display.html?hasWorkingJavascript=1