2009 National Teacher Award Winners
We proudly salute the winners of the 2009 Time Warner Cable 20th Annual National Teacher Awards. With these awards, we honor all teachers and hope the winners will encourage others to follow their lead, bringing enrichment and innovation to our nation's classrooms. Our judges reviewed each submission carefully and selected the top 15 exemplary K-12 projects. Congratulations!
Paul LaRue
Washington Senior High School
Washington C.H., OH
Archaeological Technology Preserves a Story of Freedom
From the study of archaeological technology and the help of cable resources, students in 12th grade learned the importance of preserving a historic African American site, The Gist Settlement. An HBO documentary on slave narratives was viewed by the students and gave important information on construction of log cabins in the 19th century. The use of archaeological technology helped them discover the locations of various artifacts associated with log cabins of emancipated slaves. Time Warner Cable high-speed Internet connectivity also played a key role by allowing students to view a National Teach-In on Lincoln. Students also created a website and blog to educate others about their projects.
Leslie Flores
Star View School
Midway City, CA
Journey to the Moon - Pathway to Discovery
Through cross-curricular lessons in Science, Math, Technology, Social Studies, Geography and Language Arts, 4th grade students experienced hands-on learning, relating classroom activities to NASA's earlier space missions. Cable programs including the Discovery Channel and Internet web sites were used by the students, who tracked the Space Station's location globally, virtually journeyed through space, tested various means of propulsion, designed mission patches, created bottle rockets and more.
Cathy Swartz and Carol Whitehead
St. Patrick School
Lincoln, NE
The “Right” Thing To Do for Our Community
After taking a walking tour of the Lincoln Havelock Business District and speaking with proprietors, students in grades 1 and 3 chose one or two businesses to focus on as "their own." Students researched the businesses in their community and communities around the world using Road Runner. They also researched proper etiquette and responsible behavior for owning a business. To culminate the project, the students built 3D models of their communities that were displayed. Cable/technology resources included Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Road Runner, Google Earth, Discovery United Streaming, i-safe and Magic School Bus Series.
Lenore Marchese
P.S. 31 William T. Davis School
Staten Island, NY
Hatch Into Learning 101
Using technology, cable programming, and the school library, 3rd to 5th grade inner-city students researched how to properly care for a dozen pre-incubated chick eggs, which they carefully tended to hatch. Technology learning was an ongoing process as the students e-mailed Quiver Farms to confirm the arrival of the eggs and learned how to use temperature probes. Fifth graders wrote reflective blogs and used digital photography to capture special moments. All grades went on a virtual farm tour via the Internet. Smartboards were used by 3rd and 4th graders to brainstorm ideas; 4th graders also wrote editorial letters to the New York Daily News in response to an article on pet therapy. Finally, their learning culminated in the development of an inter-grade game, Jeopardy-Chick Edition, which is now a permanent instructional resource for grades 3-5. Technology used: Road Runner, Discovery United Streaming and Discovery Channel.
Stephen DeShazo
Wylie High School
Wylie, TX
Pirate Cove Café
The art and business of fine dining became the focus for students in 11th and 12th grade when they developed and operated a full-service restaurant and catering business. During the school year, the student restaurant offered breakfast and lunch three days a week. The Food Network, Travel Channel, Hell's Kitchen, Bravo's Top Chef, PBS's America's Test Kitchen, the Internet and e-mail technology were all used to support the students' learning. This real-world learning laboratory approach to culinary and food management training is designed to equip students with job skills that will make them highly sought after in the restaurant industry.
Laurie Cichocki
Main Street Elementary School
East Aurora, NY
Appetite for African American History - Dinner in the State Dining Room
In this project, 5th grade students used the Internet to research and organize information about the important achievements of African American individuals. They used their research findings and decision-making skills in a fictitious, situational White House scenario that highlighted the accomplishments of African Americans and also celebrated the election of the first African American President in U.S. history. Their assignment was to help the First Lady determine a state dinner seating arrangement of 10 famous African Americans.
Megan Power
Del Sur Elementary School
San Diego, CA
Endangered Animals Need YOUR Help!
Cable programming and the Internet helped Kindergarten students research and take responsibility for assisting an endangered animal. Groups of students worked together researching and then created Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The students became lobbyists for their animal, creating posters and campaigning around the school. Cable/Technology used: Animal Planet, Discovery United Streaming, Discovery's Planet Earth, National Geographic, Google image searches, Skype for distance learning sessions, websites and live webcams.
Barbara James
Riverview East Academy
Cincinnati, OH
Mammals, and Birds, and Fish, Oh My!
Using computers and multimedia technology, students in grades K through 8 investigated habitats of animals and how we interact with living things in the environment in ways that promote respect. The language arts objectives were for students to write and illustrate writing for display and deliver PowerPoint presentations. Math, Social Studies, and Music objectives also were met during this project. Students from grades 5 and 7 helped the younger grades in their research and helped them build bird houses. The project culminated in their first Science Fair for the entire school community. Cable resources: National Geographic,” The Dog Whisperer” and the Cincinnati Zoo website.
Amy Steward and Annette Tickner
Coronado Village Elementary School
Coronado, CA
We Can Save Our Oceans
A year-long study of oceanography culminated with 5th grade students researching, writing and producing an original musical production focused on educating the school and the community on the plight of the oceans. Supporting projects complemented the production and integrated the "saving our oceans" theme into all curriculum areas. Students sold reusable grocery bags and donated the proceeds to an environmental organization to purchase a turtle-birthing beach in Mexico. They also created and posted educational interpretive signage at local tide pools. Cable resources include Cable in the Classroom website, Discovery Channel, and the Internet. The student play also aired on Time Warner Cable's San Diego On Demand Channel.
Aimee Young
Loudonville High School
Loudonville, OH
Jewish Life Before the Holocaust: A Parallel Photo Project
Students in grades 11 through 12 developed an understanding of pre-WWII Jewish religious, cultural, and communal life in Europe before and after Nazi occupation. Internet websites of online Holocaust museums, their libraries, archives and other resources were used to research the history of the towns and cities in Europe affected by Nazi occupation. Students then compared those photos with a similar photo from their own family life and related the two lives - all while learning valuable life lessons.
Tom Gregory
Gahanna Lincoln High School
Gahanna, OH
GLHS Honor Flight
Honor Flight is a national program that flies WWII Veterans to Washington D.C. for a day to visit the WWII Memorial as well as other memorials and Arlington Cemetery. This program trains Guardians to assist the veterans on the flight. Two Gahanna students received training to become Guardians and participated on a flight. They interviewed veterans and obtained video footage of the day’s events. The entire Advanced TV class then created a documentary of the Honor Flight program in order to raise awareness and raise funds to sponsor their own Gahanna Honor Flight. The 11th and 12th grade students viewed programs on cable including “Dear Home: Letters from WWII” and “Coming Home: the Veteran Experience in America,” C-SPAN and the History Channel.
Debra Sharp, Elizabeth Sherbeck and Colleen McBride
Pound Middle School
Lincoln, NE
“You’re On the Air”
In this 7th grade English class, 100 students read the novel, "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse, which viewed the Dust Bowl years through the eyes of a child. Students then created their own family stories and shared excerpts from Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression, which motivated them to send letters of concern to the current First Lady. The students researched and performed their own 1930s radio show for 250 parents, faculty, students, and senior citizens. A can of food was the price of admission, which benefited the Food Bank of Lincoln. Numerous Cable programs were viewed and technology included: Cable in the Classroom, e-mail, Garage Band, iPhoto, iTunes, iMovie, iDVD, Computer Lab, and more.
Brenda Gillespie and Donna Bownds
Clear Creek Elementary
Ft. Hood, TX
Abe of Cakes: Sweet Rewards of Learning
The project began with a book study of "The Great Cake Bake" by Helen Ketterman. Inspired by the events in the book, 3rd grade students brainstormed historical figures and chose Abraham Lincoln for the focus of the project. The students used the Internet and the Lincoln segment of History Channel's "The Presidents" series to research the impact he had on our country. Students also viewed Food Network's Ace of Cakes to gain an understanding of cake design. After getting pointers from a local cake artist, the students designed, drew, and created their cake models based on symbols of Lincoln’s life and also created a presentation to go along with the models. The project culminated with a local chef creating a cake that look liked one of the student’s creations. And then they ate it!
Brian Bownds
Temple High School
Temple, TX
Fueling the Future
Students from grades 9 through 12 watched Discovery Channel's Future Car and then designed their own automobile for use in the world of 2030. They researched new and emerging technology to shape their designs and used their imagination to determine their direction. Keeping an eye on the past, students also watched a Discovery Channel episode of “Mythbusters” to learn about the Huygens gunpowder engine. Looking to the future, students studied where technology is headed by experimenting with a working fuel cell car model. In addition, students prepared a small internal combustion engine and experimented with the use of alternative fuels. Students also experimented with a working model of a steam engine and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
Dawn Bigalk, Carol Hanney and Jackie Pollman
James Fenimore Cooper Elementary School
Milwaukee, WI
Washington Through Obama - Hail to the Chiefs!
This project was cross-curricular and encompassed the 2008 presidential election as well as presidential history. Approximately 90 students in the 5th through 8th grades lived the life of a president from his candidacy to his election and inauguration, and concluded with his place in history. They organized and participated in an all-school election activity similar to a convention. They studied the issues, tracked the election night results and finally, as historians, the students created a living, interactive presidential museum that consisted of three wings, each portraying the historical lives of our 44 presidents. Using cable programming and technology, all students of diverse learning styles were able to research, grasp, process, and understand the information. Cable networks used were CNN, FOX News, History, MSNBC, Biography, Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel.
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