Teacher: Jennifer Urich
School: Garnet Mesa Elementary
District: Delta County 50J
District Website: https://gmes.deltaschools.com/en-US
School Address: 600 A Street Delta CO 81416
Grade Level: K-5 English Language Learners
Region: Southwest
Project Title: Teaching ELLs with Technology
Category: Supporting Special Populations (English Language Learners, Special Needs Students, Gifted Education)
Amount Requested: $2000

Project Description:
I am hoping to be awarded this grant in order to fund new iPads for my classroom. I am an ELL teacher at a K-5 elementary school, where over the past few years we have had more and more students enter school with no English language. My school is located in a small town in western Colorado. The school is home to over 500 students, with 1/4 of the population of these students from a Hispanic background. Of those students, about half of them have started school with no English language. Our school is a low-income school with the entire student body receiving free lunch and breakfast. I am hoping to be awarded this money to purchase new iPads for my students to use as a way to break the language barrier. The iPads we had are no longer able to update and are no longer usable for my students. New iPads would allow my students the ability to succeed.

Project Justification:
Being the ELL teacher is a very rewarding job. I get to see how my kids not only advance in a year but all through their years in elementary school with both language acquisition and academic content. The past few years our school has seen an increase in the number of students who have immigrated to the United States and come to us with no English. This year alone I had 19 students that were added to my roster with very limited to no English language. I am only with these students for 30 minutes to an hour depending on my schedule and caseload, which means the rest of the day they are in their content classrooms where only English is spoken. This is a challenge for these non-English speaking students because they don't understand what they are supposed to do and aren't understanding how to do it. I would like to purchase iPads for my students that would allow them to not only translate their work but also break the language barrier with other students and their teachers. At this time, most of the iPads I have will not allow for the necessary applications or are too old to use. This grant money would allow me to purchase new iPads or tablets that would be able to accommodate my students and their needs.

Budget Breakdown:
The $2000 would allow me to purchase between 6-8 iPads for my classroom. Each iPad costs anywhere between $225-$299. This would spend almost the entire $2000 budget; any money left over I would use to purchase cases for the iPads.

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