RUNNING HEADER: GRANT PROPOSAL 1

SED 464 Signature Assignment

Chris Smudde

Allison Reestman

To create a new program in Mohave seventh Grade Social Studies classrooms to learn about the

Civil War and Reconstruction

Movie Grant Proposal

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Abstract

Mohave Middle School in Scottsdale, Arizona lacks resources to make interactive and

engaging lessons, especially in Social Studies, where funding is especially limited. Students need

more hands on lessons, for instance making a Civil War and Reconstruction movie for all

students to thrive and enjoy the classroom. The activities that go along with the documentary are

created to actively participate all students to learn in a way that is best for them and show their

learning in unique ways. In order to do something like this we need funding to buy supplies for

the project.
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Grant Proposal

School Environment Narrative

Introduction

My name is Allison Reestman and I am a seventh grade Social Studies teacher here at

Mohave Middle School in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona. At Mohave we have access to some

wonderful resources, but due to financial constraints, there are many things our school could use

to improve our learning environment. I hope that together we can improve this school and create

better classrooms.

District and Community Information

Mohave is located in Scottsdale Unified School District within the Saguaro Learning

community. They were founded in 1896 and have grown to include 30 schools (including one

online). SUSD Vision is A community that engages, educates, and empowers all to excel

(SUSD Annual Report). They also have many standout features including: $70 million in college

scholarships handed out to their class of 2017, a 90% graduation rate, 87 National Board

Certified teachers (which ranks them 82nd in all of Arizona) and much more. The surrounding

city, Scottsdale, has an average household income of $72,455.

School Information

Mohave Middle School is a 6-8th grade school located right on the edge of the city of

Scottsdale. In total, around 800 students go to this school with approximately 45 teachers. A

majority percentage of the school is Caucasian, while trailing almost 50% behind is Hispanic, the

second largest group. Around 11% of the school is of Asian, African American, and other racial

descent. Even with a high household income in Scottsdale, a third of the school is on free and

reduced lunch. Mohave is fortunate to have a wide variety of technology devices available for
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teachers to use. They have: SMART boards in all classrooms, desktops and laptops (for home or

school use) provided to all teachers, dot cameras, and amplification systems. There are sets of

textbooks, and the teacher chooses between an in-class set, or to have the students take books

home. Some teachers also have access to online books, particularly science teachers who tend to

use techbooks. Mohave has technological resources for its students which include: 2 computer

labs (even though many of the computers dont work), laptop carts for students in all science

rooms, and use of clickers in some science rooms. The school for the most part only allows the

use of personal technology devices in the case of students with special needs that have a

technology requirement in their IEPs. Students do use their own devices without need of an IEP

with teacher guidance if it is to enhance a learning opportunity, such as taking an online poll

before the start of class. Mohave has subscriptions to BrainPop, Discovery education, and a

library full of online and in person resources for students and teachers alike.

My Class Information

Mohave school had seven periods, and I teach five of those with two off periods for prep

and lunch. My class size ranges from 21 to 34 students, steadily increasing the number of

students throughout the day. All desks are seated facing the SMARTboard grouped in twos so

that students are easily able to partner share and interact with new people. I like to move students

around once a month to give them an opportunity to work with different groups of students.

Mohave classrooms all have an amplification system that allows the teacher to wear a

microphone and be better heard by students even in the back of the room. In my class, I try to

engage critical thinking and problem solving and I love to try to find new and inventive ways to

do this in my classroom from having my students enter a district constitutional essay

competition, to using mind maps to help streamline information.

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Needs

Many of the issues Mohave has with its technology includes: limited funding, network

problems, lack of devices, and school culture that does not promote technology integration. The

school has limited funding to purchase new technology tools and digital resources and little

support or resources to fix older devices that have broken. The network on campus is slow. It can

take a long time to get onto the Wi-Fi and even then, when too many people try to access it at

one time, it freezes up. The school has provided many resources, however there are not enough

for the amount of kids. When I had booked the computer lab one day, some students couldnt

even work on computers because they were broken. Mohave also doesnt give sufficient

explanation and training of the best ways to utilize them, so they arent being used to their fullest

potential.

Conclusion

Mohave has a need for more resources and needs funding to be able to achieve my goals.

My hope is to use this money to put more technology into Mohave Social Studies classrooms in

order to create more fun and interactive ways of learning for students. My goal as a teacher is to

engage students to think, not just memorize, and I know that creating a class documentary is a

way to allow my students to do this in an engaging, interactive way while also encouraging

learning and group work.

Introduction

My idea is to have students create a Civil War and Reconstruction documentary in order

to examine who really won the Civil War. This is a new and exciting way to learn about

important United States history that is still affecting us today. This project is needed to allow
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students to be able to learn in a way that best suits them, not just listening to me lecture. It also

allows for a deliverable that will best suit many students needs.

Personal Biography

My name is Allison Reestman, and I have been a middle school Social Studies Teacher at

Mohave for seven years. I found my passion for History when I was in college and strive to put

that passion into my classroom. I have always been trying to implement more interactive lessons

into my classroom but struggle due to lack of funding.

Project Narrative

Goals & Objectives

o Students will be able to name all major Civil War and Reconstruction events and explain how

they were important to United States history and today.

o Students will be able to work together in small groups to create a historically accurate movie

scene.

o Students will be able to use reliable internet sources to create their project.

o Students will be able to work as a whole class to create one cohesive movie.

o Students will be able to show how order of events affects outcomes.

o Students will be able to critically think about the affect reconstruction has had on present day

America.

o Students will be able to decide who they feel really won the Civil War and be able to back it

up with historical evidence.

Essential Questions

o What were the major events during the Civil War and Reconstruction and how did they affect

the outcome of the Civil War?

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o How can we work within small groups to create a historically accurate scene?

o How can we work in a whole class setting to create a cohesive movie?

o Who, in your opinion, won the Civil War? Use historical evidence to support your decision.

Standards

Arizona Social Studies Standards for Seventh Grade

Strand 1, Concept 1, PO 3: Construct timelines of the historical era being studied

Strand 1, Concept 6, PO 2: Determine the significance of the following events of the

Civil War:

A. Firing on Fort Sumter

B. Major battles Bull Run, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg

C. Enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation

D. Shermans March

E. Surrender at Appomattox

Strand 1, Concept 6, PO 5: Describe the impact of various events and movements that

influenced Reconstruction:

a. Lincolns Assassination

b. Klu Klux Klan and the development of Jim Crow Laws

c. Freedmen's Bureau

d. Civil War Constitutional amendments

e. industrialization

Strand 1, Concept 4, PO 4: Analyze the impact of the Civil War on the following

personal, social, and economic aspects of American life

A. Americans fighting Americans

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C. The widespread destruction of American property

D. Change in status of freed slaves

Arizona ISTE Standards for Students

3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital

tools to construct knowledge, produced creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning

experiences for themselves and others. Students:

A. Plan and employ research strategies to locate information and other resources

for their intellect or creative pursuits.

B. Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of

information, media, data or other sources.

C. Students curate information from digital sources using a variety of tools and

methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrates meaningful

conclusions.

Need for the Project

This project is a unique idea that combines many different moving parts. Many students,

especially in middle school, tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to interesting and

useful projects. This project could help with that. It allows students to take on roles that would be

best fitting for them. Someone who loves English could be the scriptwriter, while a more artistic

students can focus on the movie poster. It allows someone to take charge of a group and work on

overall leadership skills, and allows tech-savvy minds to work on video editing or graphic

design. These are things middle school students rarely have the opportunity to do, and I want to

allow them to thrive in their own unique ways. The need for this project comes from the need of

the students. Students need to find the best ways for them to learn and this allows all kinds of
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learners to be able to do just that. Many of the students in my classroom are apprehensive and

want to work and thrive on their own, but our lack of resources makes that difficult. I think with

this project we can have that ability for all of this to be possible. This project also impacts the

surrounding community. The film festival will be open to all parents and community members.

This allows the surrounding community to show their support for their younger students and gets

them more involved with the school.

Project Impact

Students will be impacted by the various of choice they have. From choice over the

events the class period will focus on, to their main role in their groups, to what kind of poster

they make it is filled with choices to do what they feel they can do and learn best by. It may even

show kids they had interest where they didnt know they did. Possibly one of the students loved

acting the scenes, or editing the movie, and can look to that as a future endeavor. As a teacher, I

love to watch my students grow and develop in any ways they can. This project will show me

how my students learn best and what they find interesting. Many times, what the teacher finds

interesting, the class doesnt care about. When students have the choice in topics, I can see where

the interests of the student lie. As a final point, this project will impact the community by

allowing parents to come in and see all the hard work their students put into this project. I know

many times my parents never saw the final product of all my work and this would allow allow

my students opportunity. By bringing in a local film critic, it brings real world jobs in our

communities into the classroom. They could come in the day after the film festival and talk to the

kids about their movies, and also what they do and why they decided to get into being a film

critic.

Activities
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The project has been broken up into many smaller parts to make it easier for the students

to understand and for the teacher to grade. The first activity of the project will be independent

research by students. They will be asked in class to look at the Civil War and Reconstruction and

find five events that interest them and that they feel had an important impact on who they felt

won the Civil War. I will give them guidance and direction in finding places to find reliable

sources about the Civil War so that they can learn how to detect reliable websites for their later

research into their event. The class will take the lists from each class period and find the eight to

ten most popular topics in each individual class. This insures that all students get input into the

topics that will be researched. After that the students will be broken up into eight to ten groups

(depending on class size) of about four students. There will be four parts in each group (the

director, the editor, the script writer, and the poster artist) and the students can choose the part

they feel most comfortable taking on. The next assignment to be turned in would be scripts.

Scripts must be approved before filming can take place. As a class, after all scripts are turned in,

we will have a discussion about ways we can make sure the movie flows, and seems like it is one

person creating it. This group teamwork is a needed skill especially in todays work

environment. Once the script has been approved, the group may take a iPad and begin filming

their scene. The next assignment due would be a movie poster, which can be created online using

graphic design software, or drawn by hand. It must hold relevance to their individual scene and

will be hung on the walls on the night of the film festival. The final assignment will be their

edited scenes, which I will then compile into the complete movie for each period. I will not

change their scenes, just put them together to create a historically accurate timeline. The

conclusion will be the film festival, where the final movies will be premiered in an after-school

setting to students, parents, and community members. One special guest could be a local movie
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critic for the news, who would be able to give their input into all of the movies. My goal as a

teacher is throughout the project to provide feedback to make sure that all students are on track,

which is why there are four smaller assignments due throughout the length of the project.

Assessment

Formative Assessment

Throughout the project, I will be testing the kids to check for their understanding. The

first summative assessment will occur at the end of the first day. Their exit ticket will be to

answer the questions Who do you think won the Civil War? Use things you learned in class

today to support your answer. For this first assessment, I will be looking to make sure they

understood the events we talked about in class to make sure students understood the topics. I

would like to see 3/4ths of every class period to use two of the events from class to correctly

justify their opinion so I know that most of the class understood what was going on. My second

assessment would be the scripts each group must turn in before filming. This will allow me to

make sure all groups are correctly portraying the event they are in charge of creating a scene for.

All scripts must be historically accurate with five facts used and two reliable sources, detailed

and including staging, and be grammatically correct. If they are the script will be approved with

minor changes suggested. If the scripts do not meet this criteria, they will be returned with

changes suggested and must be turned in until approved in order start to filming. The final

formative assessment will be the movie posters turned in by each group based on the scene they

are making. The movie poster must have historical significance and a quote from a primary

source (secondary only if approved by me) that helps us understand the event and the poster

better.

Summative Assessment
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The summative assessment for this project will be each group's final scene and the class

periods entire movie. The scene each group makes must accurately reflect the script that was

approved by me, include five historical facts with two sources minimum, and make sense to

viewers who dont understand the topics in depth.

Tools

Specific tools will be used to measure learning goals and outcomes for all students. First

tool will be a rubric created by each class and I to better meet the needs of each period. Second

all groups will create a checklist in order to make sure all boxes can be check off for each part of

their project and the understand what is needed of them. The final tool will be a peer review

sheet turned in by individual members of each group. This will allow me to better understand

how each group worked together and who did what. It also helps prevent the free-riding

program seen in some group projects.

Technology Support

Mohave Middle School has a full time IT department to help with any technological

issues with the iPads or computers. They are extremely well versed in PCs and video

equipment.

Sustaining the Project After the Proposal Period

The goal for this project is to become an annual project and for it to spread to other

seventh grade Social Studies teachers at Mohave. Encompassing Arizona seventh grade Social

Studies standards that students learn about the Civil War and Reconstruction, it will be a good

project to continue throughout the years, and will only get better. With the iPads supplied to the

classroom we can do other assignments we wouldnt be able to do without these resources or

even other classes.

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Innovation

This project is innovative especially compared to what we are currently doing. To teach

about the Civil War now, we mostly rely on lectures, worksheets, and discussion. Just think of

the possibilities if we were able to make a movie about the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Students would be able to engage with the topic on multiple levels and learning in the

way that works best for them. It allows students more independence in their project with choice

of topics, groups, and the part they want to lead their group in. This project will not only change

the way Mohave seventh graders learn about the Civil War and Reconstruction, but show them

how much talent they have as individuals.

Budget Table and Narrative

Item Quantity Individual Item Cost Item Cost

iPads 128GB Eight $429.00 $3,432.00

Charging Station One $249.95 $249.95

Warranty: AppleCare Eight (one per iPad) $99.00 $792.00

White Poster Boards Fifty $0.79 $39.50

11x 14 by Creatology

Crayola Ultraclean Ten $6.49 $64.90

Broad Line Classic

Color Markers, 10

Count
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Crafty Dab Assorted Two $45.99 $91.98

Colors Poster Paint

Sales Tax/Delivery: Total Cost:

$524.09 $5,194.42

The budget breaks up into two categories: items for the movie and items for the posters.

The Items for the movie include eight iPads, one for each group in a class. They will use these to

record and edit their movies using iMovie, a free service on apple products. All iPads will need

AppleCare on them for the school to support them. The charging cabinet will keep them locked

up and charging when not in use, all iPads come with one original charger. The items for the

posters include poster boards, one for each group, sets of markers and paints so students may

choose if they would like to paint for draw. Students will also be able to use their iPads to create

posters in Pages (a free Apple program) if they so wish.

Example Lesson Plan for First Part of the Project

Teachers: Allison Reestman Subject: Social Studies 7th Grade - Civil War

Standard:

Arizona Social Studies Standards for Seventh Grade

Strand 1, Concept 1, PO 3: Construct timelines of the historical era being studied
Strand 1, Concept 6, PO 2: Determine the significance of the following events of the Civil War:
A. Firing on Fort Sumter
B. Major battles Bull Run, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg
C. Enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation
D. Shermans March
E. Surrender at Appomattox
Strand 1, Concept 6, PO 5: Describe the impact of various events and movements that influenced
Reconstruction:
a. Lincolns Assassination
b. Klu Klux Klan and the development of Jim Crow Laws
c. Freedmen's Bureau
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d. Civil War Constitutional amendments

e. industrialization
Arizona ISTE Standards for Students
3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to
construct knowledge, produced creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for
themselves and others. Students:
A. Planned employ research strategies to locate information and other resources for their
intellect or creative pursuits.
B. Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility, and relevance of information,
media, data or other sources.
C. Students curate information from digital sources using a variety of tools and methods to
create collections of artifacts that demonstrates meaningful conclusions.

Objective (Explicit):

Decipher reliable internet or book sources to create their events list.

Name major Civil War events and explain how they were important in contributing to the end of the war.
Name major Reconstruction events and explain how they impacted the post-war era.
Explain each event and who benefited from that event to see who won the overall ideal Civil War, not just the
fighting.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable): For this lesson I want students to be able to understand some of the Civil War and
Reconstruction events and use those events to argue their opinion. Students exit tickets must outline one event talked
about or researched in class for the American Civil War and Reconstruction and decide who they felt really won the
Civil War. Must use 2 facts learned in class. in order for me to know that this goal has been met I would like to see
of the class provide a well written and fact based exit ticket so I know they understood the questions and the concepts
from class.

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

Understand 10 events that will be made into the class period movie.
Identify which event they would like to make their scene about.
Discuss and conclude in small groups and as a class to narrow down Civil War/Reconstruction events into the
10 most important and most interesting.
Key vocabulary: Materials/Technology Resources to be used:

Secession from the Union: withdrawing from the Computers

United States of America Civil War books
Emancipation: the act of legally being set free; Printed primary source documents
liberation Pen
Siege: military operation where one group surrounds a Paper
town, bowat, city etc. and cut off supplies in order for
those inside to surrender
Reconstruction: The period after the Civil War in
which the states formerly part of the Confederacy were
brought back into the United States.
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Engage (Make content and learning relevant to real life and connect to student interest): As a class we will have
already looked into the basic outline of the Civil War. Now we must go more in depth. On the whiteboard when they
walk in have written Who really won the Civil War? Give students about 3-5 minutes to respond to the questions on
a half sheet of paper. This activity will be done to allow them to start thinking about

Explore Teacher Will: Provide resources such as Student Will: Explore resources about the American
computers, books, primary sources etc. for the Civil War and Reconstruction and pick 5 events
about 10 students to be able to research they feel has an important impact of who won the
minutes Civil War or who was really in control during
reconstruction. They must write why they chose the
event both factually and personally.

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: Only allow some websites to be looked at in order for students
to be more directed and focused. Allow additional resources for students - rewordify.com

Explain Teacher Will: Walk around the room and ask Student Will: Get into groups and they will all talk
meaningful questions to groups as they discuss. about their events. Each group of about 4 must take
about 15 Try to encourage them to think deeper about their 20 events and narrow it down into just 5 events
minutes their reasoning factually and personally for total with reasoning behind how each event had an
choosing each event. impact.

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: layout (template) for them to follow, outline for what I want
them to look for or present their ideas; structure groups appropriately - more successful students with
weaker students; provide more specific feedback; some work in partners or smaller groups. All of these
would be done to make sure all students succeed.

Elaborate Teacher Will: Facilitate a class discussion in Student Will: Share out their group's ideas and how
order to solidify the 10 events that will be each one impacted the overall winner of the Civil
about 20 placed into each class periods movie. As the War/Reconstruction. Then as a class they will all
minutes teacher I will help the discussion but it will be decide on which events they want in their final
student based. The teacher's job is as a mediator movie. Students must be respectful of each other's
more than a leader. ideas and opinions in order to decide on a final 10
events for the movie. When giving rational for an
event they must state: the event, the importance of
that event in the timeline of Civil War and
Reconstruction, and which side benefited from that
event.

Co-Teaching Strategy/Differentiation: layout (template) for them to follow, outline for what I want
them to look for or present their ideas - one for ways to word their counter arguments to an event they
may not feel is as important. Choose students to talk randomly so that all students are able to have a
voice, not just the loudest kids. All of this would be done to increase students success and allow all
students to be able to speak appropriately.

Evaluate: On the back of the sheet of paper from the engaging part of the lesson, ask Now who do you think won the
Civil War? Could you say that we are still fighting the Civil War today? Use information you have learned from
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today's class to support your answer. Give students about 3-5 minutes to respond before turning the paper in.
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References

About. (2017). Retrieved September 12, 2017, from https://susd.org/index.php/about