Teaching Grants

Battle of the Books consists of students reading as many books throughout the school year as possible with a goal of deep discussion and understanding of the material. Students meet regularly throughout the year to talk about each month’s book. At the end of the year, each school team faces off against the other six elementary school teams in Lakewood. The teams buzz in to answer questions in an Academic Challenge type of face off. The two teams with the most points participate in the final battle to determine a winner.

A notable portion of our student body in Lakewood are practicing Muslims. Spirit wear in the form of the hijab is not something that could be purchased in the Ranger Shop. In order to include our young Muslim women and excite them about Ranger spirit wear, the Girls Leadership Group at LHS designed and purchased unique Ranger fabric. Then students learned basic sewing skills in the consumer science classroom and created hijbs to be sold for all in the Ranger Shop at LHS.

Garfield Middle School’s eigth grade class attended an Underground Railroad and Suffrage Movement Experience through the Lorain County Metroparks. The experience included an interactive encounter with actors portraying slaves and slave owners as well as a performance from the Women in History Ohio group with a dramatic re-creation of the Women’s Suffrage movement. The Experience helps students make a connection between their study of history and their real lives.

Fidgets are small toys that students can use to help work on breath, reduce stress, manage anxiety, and focus and calm their bodies. The Kindergarten team at Emerson Elementary purchased fidgets for their classrooms. Every student used the fidgets during transitions to help navigate and self-regulate their emotions as well as focus and calm themselves down. As a result, the teachers were able to set students up for a successful day and saw a decrease in negative behavior after transitions.

CREATURES in the Classroom allows for students with significant cognitive disabilities in the Moving to Independent Learning for Employment and Success (MILES) Unit at LHS to interact with a variety of animals and provides them with diverse opportunities to explore nature. The students learn about and care for animals within the classroom setting. Their knowledge gives them the opportunity to become teachers themselves as they share what they have learned with other students. Cory Streets, a moderate -intensive intervention specialist at LHS and implementer of the program says, “CREATURES in the Classroom has ignited the passion of all of the students who have worked with or cared for the animals.”

Over 40 students in grades 10-12 participated in the Stock Market Game during the 2021-2022 school year. The Game consists of a simulation where teams of students invest $100,000 into the stock market over a 10-week period. The students then compete with teams from other schools to make the best investments. While participating in the game, students learn about the stock market and investing while also working towards a common goal. Together, they commiserate losses and celebrate their gains.

According to 8th grade teacher, Alina Sandoval, “Getting to experience the natural beauty our state has to offer in this hands-on learning environment is one of the best ways for our students to grasp the curriculum.” The Nelson Ledges Filed trip offered all 8th grade students at Garfield Middle School the opportunity to witness constructive and destructive processes, erosion and deposition, as well as a chance to use rock layers as a tool for determining age, while supporting things like evolutionary theory, heredity, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. The Nelson Ledges Field Trip is an opportunity for students to see and learn about Ohio’s natural creations while also broadening their life experiences.

Pre-K and elementary school librarians created weekly kits that consisted of a hands-on activity that focused on a specific book. Every week the librarians led a 30-minute library lesson with all preschoolers, including STARS and BRIDGES classrooms. Students enjoyed lots of sensory and STEAM activities all centered around books. Librarians carefully chose diverse books that support the learning standards. Topics ranged from the first African-American woman to go to space to sharing with our friends.

The addition of block printing on textiles has significantly expanded the LHS Art Education curriculum. The inclusion of block printing engaged students not only in the unique creative experience of textile printing, but it also exposed them to a variety of art-centered careers including surface pattern design, graphics illustration, book illustration and textile design. The project created a sense of enthusiasm and motivation among students, including those who are usually more withdrawn. During the 2022 Annual Senior Art Show, three students were awarded cash prizes for their block printing projects.

This extracurricular club provided 20 middle school students in grades 6-8 with a STEM learning opportunity to set the stage for future interest in science and engineering careers. This club also served as a bridge to the existing STEM courses available at the middle schools. Through rocket building and launching, students discussed the principles of flight and learned hands-on measuring, cutting, gluing and design principles while focusing on precision.

The Pause, Breathe, & Reset program created calming spaces within classroom and learning environments for students throughout Grant Elementary. This was built on the research that in order for students to learn to be self-aware and self-regulate they needed to know that emotions change and that we can use tools both intrinsic and extrinsic to support this process. The RECESS RESET portion of the program provided students the opportunity to practice breathing exercises, movement, and rest for 20-25 minutes on their grade level designated day during recess. Foundation, fun, structure, and silliness were a part of this program and allowed students to to check in with their feelings, each other, and have a safe space at school to learn how to help themselves feel stronger in mental and physical health.

The two-liter ecosystem project showed how energy flows throughout an ecosystem and how biotic and abiotic factors in an environment interact to make a successful ecosystem. Students worked in pairs and used the materials provided to construct an ecosystem that included an upper terrarium section and a lower aquarium section. Once constructed, students assembled an ecosystem journal in which they addressed different elements of the system, made observations, and drew pictures of their progress. The project engaged the students and created a sense of excitement and enthusiasm in the classroom.

The Super Powered Support Group at Harding Middle School was created to address mental health concerns among students that increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Each participant received Super Powered, by Renee Jain and Dr. Shefali Tsabary as a resource to reduce anxiety by learning appropriate and healthy strategies to avoid and address triggers. The program provided students resources and a safe environment to share challenges and discuss possible solutions.

The Harding Traditions program focuses on Lakewood’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The program aims to give every in-coming sixth grader a three-year common and inclusive experience ending on their last day of eighth grade regardless of grades, popularity, socio-economic status, extra-curricular activities, etc. Harding Traditions pairs each sixth grader with an eight grade mentor to help them navigate their first year of middle school. It also includes the creation of reflections in art and writing for individual time capsules and participation in community engagement, social gatherings, field trips, and an eighth grade “right of passage”.

The Eureka! STEM Activities & Stories is a collection of children’s trade books with accompanying activities that are directly related to the 5th grade course of study. Through this project, students met scientists of diverse races, identities, genders and backgrounds, critically examined the essential character traits of scientists, and conducted hands-on activities, while sharing in collaborative reading and STEM work in the classrooms at Lincoln Elementary. The Eureka! project helped make mathematics and science more relevant to the lives’ of children, possibly inspiring them to choose pathways leading to careers in science, engineering, technology and mathematics in which they can see themselves succeeding.

More than 30 middle school students met weekly after school to participate in the Garfield Yoga Club from September through May. The students were guided in breathing techniques, mindfulness, and yoga poses by a certified Yoga Instructor. The club offered a safe space for students to be still, reflect, breathe, move, and feel supported. New yoga mats, blocks, lotions, snacks, and other supplies were purchased to create equity and inclusion among the groups participants.