LaDawna Hamilton-Menjivar

In an effort to infuse academic vocabulary with visual representation, Hamilton-Menjivar's winning program, "Digital Image Vocabulary Enrichment," was developed to push students to expand their vocabulary through the creation of a school-wide digital image database. Teachers at the Will Rogers Learning Community will use teacher-directed instructional strategies to emphasize the importance of vocabulary for 90 fourth-grade students. Students will learn creative ways to represent key academic vocabulary words visually through digital or hand-drawn images. Using digital cameras and scanners, the images generated by the students will be placed on a school-wide server and used by the entire school for creating media projects, presentations, and presenting new material. The program will begin with an introduction to the student "Vocabulary Word Journal." Each student journal will include sections on subjects such as math, reading, writing, science, social studies, art, and technology. Students will keep and sort words that are specific to the respective content area. Hamilton-Menjivar hopes the program will guide students to learn how to make and seek out connections to what they learn in and outside of school. She lives in Inglewood.