RI Foundation awards grants to seven Pawtucket schools for innovative learning activities
Varieur Elementary students rehearse an original play they created with help from actors from the Gamm Theatre. Varieur is one of seven Pawtucket schools to win funding for innovation learning activities from the Carter Spark Grants program at the Rhode Island Foundation.
PAWTUCKET, RI — Varieur Elementary School students are performing an original play as part of an innovative program designed use acting to inspire a love of reading.
About 40 third-graders are working on the play with the help of actors from the Gamm Theatre, who wrote the script and staged the action with the help of the students. The rehearsals are a lead-up to a performance for families and the school community.
Third-grade teachers Amy Dufault-Thompson and Marie Quinn won funding from the Rhode Island Foundation to take the unconventional approach to engaging their students.
“Our goal is to bring reading to life. When students make the connection between the academics and the ‘fun’ project, they will build a love of learning, reading and drama,” said Dufault-Thompson.
Students read through the script several times to enhance their imagery skills and made suggestions for improvements. The Gamm staff taught acting warm-up activities that enhanced body and voice control. The script has a speaking role for every child.
“This supports the learning and teaching of the Common Core State Standards, including literary text comprehension, vocabulary development, speaking skills and listening skills. Students use imagery and visualization to improve their understanding of the story through acting out the events in the story,” said Dufault-Thompson.
Varieur is one of seven Pawtucket elementary schools that are sharing more than $34,500 from the Foundation’s Carter Spark Grants program.
Funded by philanthropists Letitia and the late John Carter, the program offered third- and fourth-grade teachers across Rhode Island grants of up to $1,000 for activities that would engage students through unique experiences and creative learning methods.
“Once again, the Carter family is promoting change through leadership. Thanks to their foresight, teachers all over Rhode Island have an exceptional opportunity to be innovative,” said Neil D. Steinberg, president and CEO of the Foundation.
In addition to Varieur’s grant, Baldwin Elementary received more than $11,000, Curvin McCabe Elementary School was awarded $1,000, Winters Elementary won nearly $3,000, Cunningham Elementary was awarded nearly $6,000, Green Elementary received $1,850 and Potter-Burns Elementary won nearly $10,000.
Statewide, the Foundation awarded more than $134,000 in grants. Schools in Cumberland, East Providence, Lincoln and Woonsocket also received funding.
The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $114 million and awarded $52 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2018. Through leadership, fundraising and grant making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential.
For more information, visit rifoundation.org.