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SED 464 Middle School Curriculum and Management

Dr. Chris Smudde

Innovative Grant Proposal

Michaela A. DiCicco

Arizona State University

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Abstract

Summit Academy has laptops available for almost every classroom and further technology

support for its students in the computer lab. Despite this fact, these Lenovo ThinkPads found in the

classroom need applications to further enhance my students’ ability to learn. Having software such

as Adobe Animate, Autodesk Sketchbook, and Lightworks Pro can help students during the resume

writing and mock interview project I am proposing. With the added support of this software,

students will be properly prepared for their future job hunting and interviews with their employers.
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School Environment Narrative:

Description of the Classroom, School, District, and Community

Summit Academy is an International Baccalaureate school, an A+ School of Excellence, and

a Title 1 school of the Mesa Public School District. With over 1,000 students attending, Summit

Academy is coed with 50% female and 50% male. These students are predominately White (49%) or

Hispanic (34%), with a small percentage being Black (6%), Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (<1%),

American Indian/Alaskan Native (4%), and Asian (4%). 51% of Summit Academy’s students are

from low-income families. Students Kindergarten through 8 grade are accepted throughout
th

Phoenix’s greater metropolitan area. The student to teacher ratio is 20 students to one teacher. For

my three classes, the majority of students are female and the minority is male. In each of these three

classes, there are about 28-30 students in attendance.

Our mission statement can be found on the Summit Academy website and is “Developing

successful, contributing members of society. Always toward excellence” (mpsaz.org) and following

this mission statement on our website is our philosophy that reads “We believe that every student

deserves the opportunity to learn. Therefore, we will strive to provide an environment in which

students actively participate in their own learning--growing as a result of both their successes and

setbacks. Students will be encouraged to become lifelong learners through mastery of the learning

process, as well as by acquiring knowledge” (mpsaz.org).

The community that surrounds Summit Academy has the average household income of $72,

528, a majority of these households working in White Collar jobs. The Mesa Public School District,

in which Summit Academy is included, is a school district recognized nationally for its excellence in

things such as its teachers and the support services offered to students. This is highlighted with the

district’s motto “Unprecedented Excellence in Education” (mpsaz.org). Summit Academy has 96%
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of its teachers with three or more years teaching experience, which if above the state average of

85%. Summit Academy’s test scores are above the state average, showing 75% in science, >98% in

Geometry, 97% in Algebra I, 56% in math, and 60% in English. There are 83 schools that reside

within the Mesa Public School District.

Evaluation of Summit Academy’s Current Support

Almost every classroom at Summit Academy has laptop carts containing 40 computers for its

students to use. Although not every classroom may have a laptop cart, Summit Academy has a

computer lab on its second floor. The computer lab can be accessed before and after school, and

during lunch time. The library has a resource specialist whose office hours fit within the hours

students would be in school. The school’s library page has a resource tab in which students can

access different databases that are organized by different levels (High School, Junior High,

Elementary School, and Professional). Included in every classroom is a SMARTBoard.

Analysis of the Need for New Resources

I believe that Summit Academy lacks in other applications that can be put on the ThinkPad

laptops that are available in many of the classrooms. Google Classroom is utilized successfully in

my classes, however there are many more programs and applications in which students can

experience different ways to collaborate with others or access material. Google Drive, Google

Classroom, and searching the Internet is what these ThinkPads have been used for, but I believe

these laptops can do more for my students’ learning.

Requests of Technology and the Connection to Student Learning

The technology needed to further improve these Lenovo ThinkPads is art supplies such as

colored pencils, crayons, markers, glue, and poster board. These ThinkPads will need software such
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as Autodesk Sketchbook for drawing or concept sketching and Lightworks Pro, which will assist

students in editing videos for those who choose to make a trailer or skit for their final project.

Students who are interested in animating their final project will need computer program Adobe

Animate.

Applicant Bio

Michaela DiCicco has been teaching for 3 years at Summit Academy. She earned her

Bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University in Secondary Education. Michaela enjoys exposing

students to different types of writing that will help them further motivate themselves and shape her

students’ own writing.

Project Narrative:

Goals & Objectives

The goals and objectives of this project are that 1) Students will research the educational

requirements and other skills necessary to be hired in their dream jobs 2) Students will create a

resume through their choice of artwork, video, performance or any other presentation approved by

the teacher 3) Students will present their finished resumes to their peers, and 3) Students will

participate in a student-led mock interview.

Essential Questions

Some essential questions to this project are “How do I write a resume?” “What makes a good

resume?” “What makes a good employee?” “What educational requirements or skills are my future

employers looking for?” “How do I appear professional in an interview?” “What types of questions

are asked during an interview?”

Standards (AZCCRS and ISTE Standards)

The Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards that align with this project are 8.W.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self‐generated question), drawing
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on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple

avenues of exploration and 8.SL.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to

clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. The International Society for

Technology Education standards that align with this project are Empowered Learner (Students

leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in

their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences) Knowledge Constructor (Students critically

curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts

and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others) and Creative Communicator

(Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the

platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals).

Need for the Project

This project is essential for students to understand the requirements needed for the job they

are interested in. Students will also have a better understanding of what employers look for during

the hiring process, as well as receiving first-hand experience of job hunting. Writing a resume is not

only an essential skill for adolescents to possess, but for adults as well. The student-led mock

interview at the end of the project will expose students to the possible scenarios they may encounter

when interviewing with their future employers.

Project Impact

Students will attain the skills needed to write a resume as well gain some experience in job

hunting and interviewing. This project will impact me as a teacher by giving me insight into

students’ future dreams as well as test my abilities to implement and conduct an assignment on a

larger scale. This project could connect to the community by reaching out to the employers of these

jobs either through phone calls, email, or perhaps face-to-face meetings.

Activities
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Students will first begin researching their dream job, particularly what educational or skill

requirements are needed for their job. All students will be provided with a resume template to further

specify what content should be researched for their jobs. This template will be completed by all

students before they create their presentations. Students will then draft out their resumes and will

receive peer feedback and teacher feedback before finalizing their resume. Students’ presentations

will be done in many different ways, some of which can include movie trailers, skits, and comic

strips. These presentations must include specific information from their resumes such as educational

history, previous work history, and applicant biography. After these presentations, student will work

on drafting interview questions for the student-led mock interview at the end of the project. Students

will be split into employers and applicants for the interview process. These roles will be swapped to

allow all students to experience being the applicant and the employer. Students will be expected to

dress professionally during this mock interview.

Formative and Summative Assessments

For formative assessments, students will take part in is a draft of their resume as well as their

research that they compile onto a handout given to them at the beginning on the project. These two

formative assessments are essential in gauging where my students are at in the project, if they are

grasping the concepts aligned with the project, and whether or not their research and resume

formatting is accurate. The student presentations and student-led mock interviews will be the

summative assessments and the final product of this project.

Tools

The tools used for the formative assessments will either be paper or our Google Classroom

since students have an option to physically write out their research and drafted resume or to turn in

these materials electronically. The tools for the summative assessment will vary since students have
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a wide variety in how they can create their presentations. The student-led mock interviews will be

face-to-face with typed out or handwritten interview questions and students’ final drafted resume.

Technology Support

I believe that our principal Mark Andrews will be excellent support for the implementation of

these software and applications. I also think our student support secretary Patricia Wohlfed and out

Title I instructional specialist Camille Loudenbeck are necessary support. Summit Academy’s

computer technology and visual arts teacher Beth Tyrell-Prevost are another outlet of support.

Lastly, Chief Technology Officer David Sanders is essential in providing support for this project.

Sustaining the Project after the Proposal Period

The programs I am requesting have different packages in which they can be purchased. Some

of them can be purchased for one month or even a full year. Any art supplies left over from this

project can be donated to the art teacher or other teachers who may have an artistic project planned

for their students. Some videos require Adobe Flash to view, so having the program on the Lenovo

ThinkPads will make accessing these videos easier.

Innovation

My past classes and other English teachers have never taught resume writing to their

students. There is also no guarantee that this is a skill that will be taught in high school. Many people

are not aware of the necessity for a resume and only assume employers need an application from an

employee. These students will also not necessarily learn how to write a resume from their parents.

This project will not only better prepare my students in writing a resume, but it will also be exposed

to the interview process. Students may also not realize employers have an expectation for applicants
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to dress professionally. It is very likely that students may not even know what professional dress

looks like.

Budget Table and Narrative

Item and Quantity Individual Item Cost

Item Cost

(10) Autodesk Sketchbook $10.00 $100

(10) Lightworks Pro $24.99 $249.90

(10) Adobe Animate $29.99 $299.90

(2) Crayola Crayons- 120 count $6.99 $13.98

(3) Crayola Markers- 8 Count $1.25 $3.75

(1) Elmer’s All Purpose School Glue Sticks $6.04 $6.04

30 Pack
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(15) Presentation Board White 28in 20in $2.99 $44.85

Elmer’s

(3) Crayola Colored Pencils- 12 count $1.79 $5.37

Total Cost =

$786.04

Teachers: Michaela DiCicco Subject: 8th grade

Common Core State Standards:

· 8.W.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a
self‐generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused
questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration

Objective (Explicit):
· Students will be able to research their dream jobs, including essential information
such as educational requirements or other skills and experience for the job.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):

75% of students will have all sections of the dream job worksheet/template completed and
turned in by the end of the class hour.
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Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

 Students will be able to list the major components of a resume

 Students will be able to explain the significance of these components
 Students will be able to identify these major components when researching their dream job
 Students will compare their research findings with a shoulder partner
 Students will be able to determine what information from their research is important for their
resumes
 Students will be able to compose a resume based off of their research of these components

Key vocabulary: Materials:

 Experience (including jobs, internships,
relevant class projects)
 Skills/Qualifications
 Community Involvement/Leadership
· Lenovo Thinkpad
· Resource for students:
https://eoss.asu.edu/cs/students/resumes
· http://www.tempe.gov/city-
hall/community-services
· Google Classroom
· Research handout/graphic organizer

Engage
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Teacher Will: Student Will:

 Present this video:  Watch video
http://time.com/money/4621066/free-  Take notes Answer key questions asked by
resume-word-template-2017/ teacher
 After the video, teacher will ask questions
regarding resumes
o “What is a resume or have you
heard the word before?”
o “Why do you think we need
resumes with our job applications?”
o “What do you think is included in a
resume?”
o “What other tips do you think could
have been included in the video?”

Explore

Teacher Will: Student Will:

 Provide definitions of the key vocabulary
as well as examples
 An example resume will also be provided
for students to access during the whole
project (found on the Google classroom or
a physical copy can be provided)
 Walk-through how to search for
educational requirements etc. with the
example resume/job
 Take notes on these essential components
of a resume
 During the walk-through of the example
resume, students will class discuss on how
the essential information on the example
job was incorporated into the resume
 Begin researching the educational
requirements etc. for their dream jobs
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Differentiation Strategy
· Resource will be given https://eoss.asu.edu/cs/students/resumes
· http://www.tempe.gov/city-hall/community-services
· Students may type out and submit electronically the worksheet to the Google Classroom
OR write on printed out worksheets that will be available
· Students who may have difficulty writing/typing/surfing the Internet can pair up with
another student who may have the same dream job as them

Explain

Teacher Will: Student Will:

 Ask students to turn to their shoulder  Students will discuss with their shoulder
partner and share their research findings partners what they have found during their
research

Differentiation Strategy
· The examples given can be printed out if necessary
·
· Examples can also be made available in the Google Classroom
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Elaborate

Teacher Will: Student Will:

 Model for students how to explain the
significance of their research using the
example resume that is utilized throughout
the lesson
 Handout/graphic organizer will have a
section where students will explain how or
why they think the research they have
collected is important/relevant to their their
employer

Differentiation Strategy
· Sentence stems can be provided for students if necessary
·
· Handout can be typed on or handwritten
·
· If necessary, students can volunteer to be a “scribe” for students who need assistance
with this portion of the handout

Evaluate

Teacher Will:
 Walk around during student independent
work time and answer any questions
Differentiation Strategy
Student individual work time would be the perfect time for the teacher to focus individually
on students who may be struggling still
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Student Will:
 Complete the dream job research
handout/graphic organizer and hand in
physically or electronically before the end
of the class hour
 Mastery: Every section of the handout will
be completed
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Works Cited

“Mesa Public Schools” – Mesa, Arizona. Mesa Public Schools – Mesa, Arizona,

www.mpsaz.org/

“Summit Academy Grades 7-8.” Summit 7-8, www.mpsaz.org/summitclimb.