The Operation Round Up Board of Directors initiated a program offering small, $500 grants to teachers. Grants were available to K-12 teachers in math or language arts for the 2019-2020 school year. The funds are made available by South Plains Electric Cooperative members contributing to Operation Round Up. Their monthly bill is rounded up to the next dollar, and the extra change, averaging only $6 per year, funds projects like the teacher mini-grants, scholarships and much more.
Lisa Scott is a second grade teacher at Shallowater Intermediate School and is a 2019-2020 Operation Round Up Mini-Grant recipient. Scott purchased books to help improve student comprehension in science and social studies lessons.
One effective way to engage children is with stories. Students were immediately more engaged in learning when purposefully selected literature was chosen. The books provided background knowledge for all the students. Activating that background knowledge is key to understanding concepts.
“It is so important for students to make connections,” Scott said. “In September, we were focusing on setting. Through our text, students learned that setting is not only where a story takes place, but also when the story takes place. During other lessons, students were immediately raising their hands and making connections with the other text. Teachers love this because it means they are thinking.”
“The kids loved it when I would pull out a new book at science or social studies time,” Scott said. “They knew we would be learning about something new, and they really looked forward to it.”
Thank you so much, South Plains Electric Co-op!
