Bilingual Books on Tape – a Successful Grant

1. Proposal Synopsis:

Overview:
Students in Spanish I and Spanish II will be writing their own short stories in Spanish. They will then be creating storybooks, as well as making audiotapes of their stories. The final product will be a book on tape. These books will be donated to various county organizations.

Students in Spanish I and II will be working throughout the year on vocabulary and grammar structure, and speaking in the target language. Throughout the year many children’s books are used in class, and students will be working in pairs to develop a story of their own. They will then translate the story into Spanish, and create a book with both the Spanish and English sentences, as well as illustrations that depict their story. The final step of their project will be to make an audiotape of their story in the target language, complete with directions in Spanish and sounds indicating to turn the page. This project touches on all four areas of LOTE (Language Other Than English) education: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
The books will be donated to our Elementary School Library, our English as a Second Language instructor/Migrant Tutor and the County Migrant HeadStart where teachers and parents will be able to use them as a teaching tool to improve English vocabulary recognition, as well as allow teachers the opportunity to discuss the similarities and differences to improve students’ understanding of cultural diversity. While 8th and 9th and 10th graders will create this project, it will be utilized by students of many ages.

2. Project Description:

In class, students in Spanish I and Spanish II (8th, 9th and 10th graders) will develop a children’s story and translate it into the target language. Emphasis will be on grammar and structure for the written section, and the NYS LOTE Proficiency rubric and writing checklist will be used. This will help familiarize students with the expectations for polished writing in Spanish. Students will be evaluated on the audiotape corresponding with their story according to the NYS LOTE Proficiency rubrics for both Informal and Formal Speaking, with emphasis on pronunciation and flow.

Standards and Performance Indicators:
Standard 1: Students will be able to use a language other than English for
communication.
Standard 2: Students will develop cross-cultural skills and understandings.

Standard 1 will be the focus for evaluation and addressed throughout the project, with all four areas (speaking, writing, listening and reading) being addressed. At the end of the project all students will participate in a read-along, and questions will be asked to ensure listening comprehension is strengthened.

When the project is completed in the classroom, Standard 2 will be addressed, but will not impact students’ evaluations. By donating these books on tape students will become more aware of the Spanish-speaking community around them. Some students will have the opportunity to read their books in Spanish in various elementary classrooms while elementary children involved in ESL classes read the English. In addition, select students will be visiting the county’s migrant HeadStart program and reading aloud in both Spanish and English.

3. Impact on Students:
Seventy Spanish I (8th and 9th grade) students will be involved, as well as eighty Spanish II (9th and 10th grade) students. By using the NYS LOTE rubrics and checklists, students will become aware of the level of writing and speaking expected on the proficiency and final exams. This project has the potential to make a lasting impact on students, as they realize the world around them is far more diverse than they may have realized. By understanding the usefulness of learning a LOTE, they will become more successful in the study of that language as well.

4. Sharing With Colleagues:
Elementary classrooms with ESL students will witness the final product, as well as inviting other faculty and staff to come and enjoy the final readings. The art department will be involved, as students will be illustrating their own books and designing “j-cards,” which are the labels for their cassettes. As the students will put a great deal of work into this project, I will contact the local paper to visit, especially when dealing with the trip to our county’s Migrant HeadStart.

5. Means of Evaluation:
As this project is focused on NYS LOTE Standard 1, with Standard 2 being a bonus achievement, this will focus also on Standard 1: Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication. The standard, when focused on Checkpoint A (level of both Spanish 8 and Spanish I) and Checkpoint B (level of Spanish II) has many performance indicators, which will help gage how effective this project is for students.
According to NYS, the key idea for Modern Languages Standard 1 is as follows: “LISTENING & SPEAKING are primary communicative goals in modern language learning. These skills are used for the purposes of socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.” Students will be evaluated on their speaking, writing, listening, and reading abilities, which are the four pillars of LOTE education. NYS provided rubrics will be used for Checkpoint A and Checkpoint B for writing, however the newly created (and attached) rubrics will be used for evaluating speaking, reading and listening.
Students will have the opportunity to earn points not only on their writing ability, but also their pronunciation and presentation of their projects. Students in the audience will fill out a rubric for each presentation (also attached), and even receive credit based on their ability to listen to each presentation. Each group of presenters will also pass out a 3 question “quiz” based on their book after their presentation.

6. Proposed Budget:
This budget is based upon a total of 180 students participating (70 8th graders, 25 9th graders and 80 10th graders) in 90 pairs.

Cassettes are necessary for the audio-taped portion of each project, and 90 minute tapes were selected for economic reasons, as 30 minute cassettes did not include the protective plastic case. This will also allow Spanish alone to be on side A and Spanish and English to be together on side B.

J-Cards are being proposed so students will be able to design cover art for the cassette to match the books they created. It will also allow students to list authors, speakers, and illustrators for their project.

Blank books are central to the project, and the ones selected are hard covered, fully-bound books containing 28 blank pages (14 sheets). All books are constructed with quality white paper and are suitable for crayons, watercolor markers, colored pencils and other writing and coloring materials. They are bound in a portrait orientation and measure 8 and 1/8 inches high by 6 and 3/8 inches wide. These will allow students to create a polished final project that will last for years to come. There is a 6% discount on the order as it is over $50, as well as free shipping on orders over $25.

The cassette recorder was selected because it has a built in microphone and headphone jack, which will allow students to listen to their own stories, as well as check for pronunciation before completing the project. I am requesting a total of five so students will be able to work without waiting in a line to practice their story on tape. It will also be beneficial for students to use them with headphones as a listening center. This will allow for students to make audiotapes for years to come, be it to practice for the speaking portion of the proficiency, or as potion of other projects.

180 students / 2 (working in pairs) = 90 groups

Item description SKU Item # Company Quantity Price each Total requested
* Maxell audio cassettes A0-014F DUP-45 Total Media, Inc. 20/pack x 5 packs = 100 total cassettes $0.48 x 20 = $9.60/pk $48.00
* Cassette inserts (“J-cards”)Clear Audio Cassette Boxes A5-020DA5-025D 18700AVA20 Total Media, Inc.Total Media, Inc. 20/pack x 5 packs = 100 total100/pack $0.30 x 20 = $6.00/pk$.14/each x 100 = $14.00/pk $30.00$14.00
* Blank books w/ various cover designs N/A 2701, 2702, 2703, 2704, 2705, 2706, 2708, 2710, 2711, 2712, 2713, 1214 Treetop Publishing 5 of 2701 – 2704, 2708 and 2712; 6 of 2711; 8 of 2706, 2710 and 2713; 30 of 2705 = 100 total $1.50 $150.00
* Durabrand CD/Cassette Recorder CD-203 N/A Model # CD-203, Item # 000564926 Walmart.com 8 $25.47 $203.76

Shipping and handling:
Total Media, Inc. = $9.19
Treetop Publishing = free shipping on orders >$25, 6% discount
WalMart = $53.12

Total Requested:

Total Media, Inc.
Items: $48.00 + $30.00 + $14.00 = $92.00
Shipping: $9.19
Treetop Publishing
Items: $150.00 – 6% discount = $141.00
Shipping: $0.00
WalMart
Item: $203.76
Shipping: $53.12
GRAND TOTAL: $499.07

Partial funding would be accepted by eliminating the j-cards and recorders as necessary from the request.

Company information:
Total Media, Inc.
www.totalmedia.com
71 Schrieffer St.
So. Hackensack, NJ 07606
1-800-355-4400 or 1-800-848-4118
Fax: 201-489-7322

Treetop Publishing
www.barebooks.com
P.O. Box 085567
Racine, WI 53408-5567
1-800-255-9228
Fax: 1-262-884-0700

Walmart
www.walmart.com
7000 Marina Blvd.
Brisband, CA 94005
650-837-5000