The grant I wrote for our math business

The following is the grant I wrote to receive funding for our math business. If we do not get the grant, we will still implement the project but the extra money will help.

1. Mini-Grant Title: Learning Real World Math Skills By Running A Business

2. Project Description: 
Students always learn better when they are motivated through something that is interesting to them and they can apply it to real life. When I was in school I remember sitting in math class thinking “When am I going to use this?” and my students ask the same question. Running a business can show them that the math skills they are learning can be applied in real life and are skills that they will need.  This project is aligned with our Math curriculum by involving students in making decisions about choosing a product, calculating costs and profit, budgeting money, surveying consumers, marketing the product, creating the product (using math skills), inventory, record keeping and selling their product. They will also personalize the experience by learning about earning wages, taxable income and budgeting their own money. Guest speakers will be brought in to talk with them about financial matters and setting up a bank account. English/Language Arts curriculum will be accessed through reading and research, reading to follow directions and writing in a journal about their learning. Character Education is addressed in a multitude of ways – through teaching character traits through teamwork, work ethic, responsibility, tolerance, honesty and service. The product students chose for their business also parallels one of our school-wide service learning projects related to recycling through repurposing t-shirts while supporting local charities through thrift store shopping. The students have researched different projects to make from t-shirts. Donations of t-shirts will be collected as well as purchasing low cost t-shirts from thrift stores and making them into new products (bracelets, grocery bags, baskets, dog toys, bibs, ornaments, scarves, quilts and rugs). The products that will be made will teach  measuring, geometry, algebra and basic math skills. 

(A) List proposed expenditures
The goal of the project is for the business to run self-sufficiently but some funds are being requested for start up and basic supplies. We will be donating 50% of all profits back to the community to a student-selected charity that aligns with our school-wide service learning program.
1. Supplies (scissors, sewing machine, thread) $300
2. moneyinstructor.com membership $30
3. Start-up supply of t-shirts from thrift stores (we will be asking for donations also) $400

(B) Total Amount Requested: $730
Would partial funding prohibit implementation of the project of program? Yes_____ No__X___ 
Will partial funding be refused by the applicant? Yes_______ No___X____ 

(C) Outline steps to implement the grant, including a schedule for using the funds: 
January 2013
We have already brainstormed an idea with the students and researched products to create.

May 2013 – 
Purchase a moneyinstructor.com membership to access lesson plans that align with the curriculum so that time can be spent during the summer planning lessons for the upcoming year.

August 2013
Preassessments given to students to determine prior knowledge and content that should be taught that is aligned to Common Core curriculum.
Develop and write a business plan for the year with the students. One day each week will be dedicated to this program. Collaboration with the English/Language Arts teacher and Title 1 teachers will occur to extend the learning outside of just the math classroom. 
Take a Community Based Instruction trip to the local Salvation Army to purchase t-shirts for the first business project.
Complete product research and price comparisons, read product reviews and decide as a group which sewing machine is the best choice given our budget and feedback from other purchasers. This teaches skills in consumer math.
Teach basic introductory vocabulary and concepts of business math
Survey consumers based on the products researched, choose the top 8 projects and assign a project for each month
Host a guest representative from a local financial institute to discuss financial issues with students and advocate for them to open a bank account

September 2013 – April 2014 - Each month we will feature a different product chosen by the students utilizing the CLS (Classroom Learning Systems) approach. The steps will be followed that were outlined in sections 2 & 5. 
1. Week 1: Calculate costs and profit, set a price and budget money
2. Week 2: Market the product, begin creating the product, receive a “paycheck” (not real money) to deposit into their account
3. Week 3: Finish creating the product, take inventory, complete record keeping 
4. Week 4: Sell their product, receive a “paycheck” to deposit into their account. Students participating in the program may “purchase” a product with their paycheck
5. Each month we will set up a visit from our guest representative affiliated with our local financial institute to discuss financial issues with students. This will take place during a math class period but not during our scheduled weekly “business math class”.
6. May 2014 – We will conclude the year-long project with a review and end of the year financial report.

4. Describe the student population(s) which will benefit from this project: 
The students in our who access the general education curriculum at Northview have been diagnosed with a disability (Emotional Disturbance, Learning Disability, Autism or Other Health Impairment). Northview is the least restrictive environment for them as they have not been successful in their home school. We provide small class sizes, with the a teacher ratio of 1:1 to 1:5 (at most). Students get differentiated instruction in all acadmeic areas and individualized educational plans (IEPs) are followed for all students. This particular project will include 10 students in the trial program, both male and female.

5. Explain the preparations that were involved in developing the project: 
This past December I involved my math classes in completing a month long real world business math unit through service learning.The students researched and read about homelessness then devised a plan to raise money for one of our schools non-profit charity partners who serves the homeless population in our community (St. Patrick's Center). They came up with a project that incorporated reading, math and business skills and executed it with success. The students brainstormed a list of things they could make and sell and then voted on one – Cookie Recipe Jars. They chose recipes and conducted a survey to see which recipes would be the most popular and the top five were chosen. Students then had to calculate the cost to make each jar. They did this by looking up prices for each ingredient and used algebra to calculate how much each ingredient for each jar would cost. For example, if a 10 pound bag of sugar cost $12, they had to calculate how many cups were in 10 pound bag of sugar and compare the cost to the amount of sugar each recipe called for to arrive at the cost of sugar for each recipe. They then repeated that process for each ingredient and added all of the ingredients together for each jar to come up with a final cost. The jars were donated as well as a few other supplies so there was no cost for those items. After the cost was calculated, they decided on a price they could charge that would produce a sizeable profit, but wouldn't be too expensive to deter possible customers from buying. The students marketed their product and took orders. The learning had just begun though; after all of the orders were collected, they had to add up the number of jars ordered and figure out how much of each ingredient to purchase. One of the math classes took a Community Based Instruction Trip to the grocery store to purchase the ingredients. Then the best part of the entire project came when it was time to assemble the jars. Each student chose an ingredient and an assembly line was set up. This was a learning process in itself as very few students had any prior knowledge of what an assembly line is. After the students were at their chosen ingredient station, they practiced measuring their ingredient. Some students needed extensive coaching through this and most did not understand how to measure an ingredient. Once this skill was taught and mastered, it was time to assemble. The students worked together throughout this week like I have rarely seen and we had no behavior issues. A student who had rarely ever participated in any class assignment, took his role very seriously and worked hard each day. There was evidence of teamwork, tolerance of each other, strong work ethic and responsibility to get their job done. They encouraged and helped each other. The jars were completed in 3 days and delivered with much enthusiasm. The students were so proud of their end product and their customers were pleased as well. The last activity consisted of counting the money earned, subtracting the cost and arriving at the total profit. Their vocabulary was enhanced by learning important words like profit, cost, marketing and  assembly line among others. I was so pleased with their hard work, effort and amount of skills they learned and mastered, I decided that this could be a year long project and many more real-world math skills could be addressed. I have already talked with the students and they came up with a product for our business.

6. List the methods you have included in your plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the project: 
Preassessments will be given on vocabulary, basic math skills and real-world math application at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. Throughout the year, assessments will be given, teachers will take anecdotal notes and students will reflect on their learning through journaling. Since the same process will be repeated every month, students will be able to build on what they have learned and relearn what they may have forgotten or gain more practice in an area that they were not strong in before.

7. Illustrate how this project relates to current trends in special or technical education: 
Project Based Learning has very positive effects on student learning and is suggested by Special School District as a method of high-quality instruction. This also meets all of the Common Core standards in a multitude of disciplines and is aligned with our school-wide and Character Education initiative. Service learning is also addressed as well. 

8. If the project can be replicated at other sites, please explain how this can be accomplished: 
I would like to replicate this program in more classes in the future, but in order to create a successful implementation and carry out the project with fidelity, I am starting small. I believe that the same type of project can be carried out in many classrooms in a variety of settings. It is important to get student buy-in so the students must be involved in the decision making of the type of business and how it will be carried out. There should be a teacher-student partnership in this process, therefore the idea can be replicated but it is strongly suggested that they students are given voice and choice in the decision making.

9. Have you been the recipient of a Special Education Foundation grant in previous years? ___X___ If yes, did you complete and return the feedback forms? Yes_____X______ No ____________ 

Introduction

In order to teach real life math skills as well as financial and business matter, a co/teacher/friend and I will be starting a business with our students in 2013.