Flippin Fourth Grade Reading Project Receives South Shore Foundation Grants
March 2005

Fourth grade classrooms at Flippin Elementary School have received additional books for their in-room literature collections, financed by a grant of $2,945 from the South Shore Foundation. The 268 new books are part of the "Reading to Excel" project, designed by the fourth grade teachers at Flippin. The grant also includes computerized student quizzes.

An additional $3,603 grant from South Shore Foundation will finance a field trip in May for fourth graders to the State Capitol, Old State House Museum, and camp-in at the Arkansas Children’s Museum of Discovery. Fourth grade is the first year students study Arkansas history in social studies, said Shannon King, fourth grade teacher who applied to South Shore Foundation for the grants. "The visit to Little Rock May 4-5 will give students a chance to witness first hand many of the topics and places they are studying about during this nine-week unit," Mrs. King said.

Teachers of the Flippin fourth grade also plan to incorporate the existing Accelerated Reading technology into the daily school routine to raise reading scores. The Accelerated Reading program includes quizzes on computers for students to test their understanding of the books they read, and keeps track of a wide variety of diagnostic information that helps teachers understand how to better serve the student individually, said Mrs. King.

Joining South Shore Foundation in supporting this Reading to Excel project is the Wal-Mart Good Works Foundation ($3,000), Arkansas Humanities Council ($3,000), and the Flippin School District ($3,568 in-kind and cash).