about+the+grant



"I’m a little boy with glasses, the one they call a geek,” begins the Peter Yarrow song , Don’t Laugh at Me . This song is part of a school-based character education program established by the singer in an effort to help teachers bring respect and compassion to children in all schools. We Make Mouse Calls, a successful interdistrict grant program, adapts segments from this social and emotional learning program as it focuses on reducing racial isolation and enhancing educational experiences.   Once a summer program, this grant brings new and meaningful activities to the students during the entire school year as it added new districts and more than doubled the number of students. This program partners schools in urban-suburban/rural teams. Partnered classes from Grades 5 and 6 meet face-to-face during the academic year and participate in a variety of activities that emphasize celebrating diversity; caring, cooperation, and compassion; and resolving conflict creatively. Teams of students collaborate to create digital videos, as they role-play strategies they developed to overcome a real-life problem. A strong component of this program is the infusion of technology into the lessons, from blogging, Wiki spaces (online community encyclopedias) video production and podcasting. High school students act as mentors as they teach the students the sign language component of the program and assist in other activities. This important element enriches the program by increasing the students’ exposure to respectful, diverse young adults as high schools students develop rapport and trust with the younger students. While the focus of the program is to reduce racial isolation and enhance educational experiences, We Make Mouse Calls addresses these concepts through a multidisciplinary, differentiated instructional approach. Language arts skills improve as a result of narrative, expository or persuasive writing activities as student teams outline solutions to solve real-life problems, develop a script for a video production and collaborate throughout the year on a monitored blog and online community encyclopedia space devoted to this project. Character education is addressed on a continuous basis throughout the numerous teambuilding, cooperative learning, and problem-solving activities. Students also improve technology skills through the use of computers and related equipment that provide the vehicle for communicating their strategies. Parents are invited to attend any or all of the sessions and a celebratory event showcasing the students’ projects is scheduled for the end of the year.