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Reading Through Music: A Unit Of Study Designed For Secondary English Language Arts Students, Sean Adams
Reading Through Music: A Unit Of Study Designed For Secondary English Language Arts Students, Sean Adams
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown that music can positively impact brain function, improving areas such as memory, attention, and language skills, which are critical for reading comprehension. This capstone explores the intersection of music and literacy, attempting to answer the following question: How can music inspire reading while enhancing reading comprehension and memory retention of the content for secondary students? In the curriculum designed for this project, students engage in a dynamic learning process integrating singing, piano practice, digital music creation using GarageBand, and reading poetry and a short story to promote robust comprehension and retention of content. The unit plan spans …
Increasing Diversity In Advanced Placement Classrooms Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Megan Volgren
Increasing Diversity In Advanced Placement Classrooms Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Megan Volgren
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This thesis has been designed around the question: How can AP literature teachers use culturally relevant pedagogy to make changes to their curriculum to increase diversity in their classes? Most schools offer advanced classes for students, many of which offer opportunities for them to gain college credit while in school. Yet, these opportunities are not equitably distributed. Students of color are often absent from Advanced Placement (AP) classes. This thesis explores the reasons behind this inequality and considers some changes that can be made to promote equality in schools. The focus of the accompanying project is to create a unit …
Guide To Establishing A Classroom Library - With Racially Representative Considerations, Julie Sieben
Guide To Establishing A Classroom Library - With Racially Representative Considerations, Julie Sieben
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The capstone project came from the educational space of equity in literature. Within the scope of using a new English Language Arts curriculum and a growing classroom diversity, the research question sought was: How can teachers establish a classroom library representative of a racially diverse student population? In order to locate research and educator journal articles within the literature review portion of the capstone, three main topic areas were explored: racial representation, multicultural education, and social justice. Diving deeper into racial representation, these themes emerged: misrepresentation, under-represented and selective inclusion. Considering the research question, the exploration continued with multiculturalism often …
Social-Emotional Learning Skills Embedded Within Math And Reading During The Primary Years, Cassandra Sutherland
Social-Emotional Learning Skills Embedded Within Math And Reading During The Primary Years, Cassandra Sutherland
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question asked in this capstone project was: How can social-emotional learning skills be taught within academic lessons to promote academic progress in primary years? Just like it is necessary to teach reading and math concepts; students need to be explicitly taught social-emotional learning skills. Students should feel a sense of belonging, feel successful and treat others with respect. All of these skills should lead to encountering academic success. This capstone project explores research about the importance of teaching social skills during primary years. The project portion of this capstone is a supplemental curricular resource that includes math and …
Supporting Biliteracy In English Language Classrooms, Maria White
Supporting Biliteracy In English Language Classrooms, Maria White
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project was inspired by a large influx of Spanish-speaking students in the past year. This project is designed to answer the following research question: How can teachers support the Spanish literacy of their Spanish-speaking students in ways that will transfer to English and support their English literacy development? The literature review synthesizes research on different language models and their use of heritage language instruction, foundational literacy skills in English and in Spanish and a comparison of the two languages, followed by a review of the research on what literacy skills transfer across languages. The resulting project is a four-hour …
The Importance Of Black Authorship In Curriculum As A Way To Develop Literacy Skills In Black Students, Aleah Felton
The Importance Of Black Authorship In Curriculum As A Way To Develop Literacy Skills In Black Students, Aleah Felton
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Black students continue to lag behind in literacy scores across the United States. Amidst sweeping book bans and new legislation that seeks to rewrite America’s bloody history, the United States may see a swift return to canonical literature. However, studies demonstrate the need to incorporate multicultural literature in classrooms to increase engagement and develop critical literacy skills. Therefore, the presence of Black authoriship is essential for developing Black literacy–the pursuit of mastery in certain skills, especially reading and writing, amongst Black people. This project seeks to answer the central question: What does it mean to pursue Black Literacy, and how …
Using Diverse Literature To Increase Empathy And Cultural Understanding In The Classroom, Joanna Sevre
Using Diverse Literature To Increase Empathy And Cultural Understanding In The Classroom, Joanna Sevre
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research demonstrates a direct connection between reading literature and building empathy, aiming to foster a more inclusive classroom. This capstone explores the pivotal role of diverse literature in nurturing empathy and cultural understanding within a classroom. The first part of this project will focus on personal and professional insights to understand the significance of this topic. Then, the research delves into the origins of empathy as well as the connection between curating empathy during key points of adolescent development as a way to positively impact relationships and social understanding. Research also emphasizes the critical need for educators to create inclusive …
Service Learning In The Secondary Classroom, Kristine Putz
Service Learning In The Secondary Classroom, Kristine Putz
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone project is entitled “Service Learning in the Secondary Classroom” and explores the question: How can service learning be integrated into high school units to strengthen the connection between the classroom and the community and to make instruction more relevant? This question is answered through the creation of a six to seven week length unit that integrates service learning into a research and writing unit within an upper-level writing course. Specifically, this project is intended for students taking a concurrent enrollment course at their high school through a local community college partnership. Key influences in the creation of this …
Student-Driven Oral Reading Fluency Curriculum, Emily Olson
Student-Driven Oral Reading Fluency Curriculum, Emily Olson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In recent years, the United States has seen a decline in literacy rates which was made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. This decline has reaching effects on all learners, but most intervention work is done at the elementary level leaving middle and high school struggling readers vulnerable to long term consequences. This capstone project’s creation was driven by the question in what ways might a student driven oral reading fluency (ORF) progress monitoring curriculum support student engagement, reading fluency, and reading comprehension for secondary learners? Oral Reading Fluency is the ability to read texts aloud with accuracy, in a smooth …
The Impact Of Teacher-Led Read Alouds On Middle School Students’ Reading Comprehension And Literacy Skills, Lauren Moberg
The Impact Of Teacher-Led Read Alouds On Middle School Students’ Reading Comprehension And Literacy Skills, Lauren Moberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone curriculum project seeks to answer the question: How will middle school students' literacy and reading comprehension be impacted when using the intervention of read alouds? Current research shows that the instructional practice of read alouds encourages students’ reading comprehension, literacy skills, and fosters a love of reading. Based on the resources found in the current literature, this unit was designed as a novel study of Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein that regularly applies read alouds into the curriculum. These lessons provide students with opportunities to apply their learning and includes assessments for teachers to measure comprehension. This unit could be …
The Disappearing Of The Hmong Language, Choua Yang
The Disappearing Of The Hmong Language, Choua Yang
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Within my personal and professional experience, I have observed that the Hmong oral language has declined since the Hmong people arrived in the United States. Over the past 50 years in the United States, there have been growing concerns regarding the decline in usage of the Hmong language within Hmong children. In my personal experience, my children who are second generation Hmong, only the five older children are bilingual while my three younger children only speak English. As for my seven grandchildren, who are third generation Hmong, they only speak English. They do not understand nor speak the Hmong language. …
A Need For Culturally Relevant Texts To Motivate K-2 Students In Reading, Thi Hoai Anh Nguyen
A Need For Culturally Relevant Texts To Motivate K-2 Students In Reading, Thi Hoai Anh Nguyen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can K-2 teachers boost student motivation in reading through interactive read-alouds using culturally relevant texts? After delving into the research on reading motivation, Culturally Relevant Texts, creating a Culturally Relevant Text set, developing student identity, promoting students’ appreciation of cultural diversity, and Interactive Read Alouds, the author created a "We Are All Different and That’s Beautiful” Text Set Unit which promotes students’ appreciation of cultural diversity by incorporating culturally relevant texts and interactive read-alouds. The text set unit with eight chosen culturally relevant texts and matching interactive read-aloud lesson plans …
Teaching Strategies For Low Literacy Adult Learners, Kelly Rynda
Teaching Strategies For Low Literacy Adult Learners, Kelly Rynda
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has demonstrated that low-literacy adult learners have different needs than children or more proficient adult readers, but teaching strategies are not often aimed at these students. The professional development presentation developed for this project focuses on the characteristics of these learners, how low-literacy skills affect their lives, and which interventions educators can use in the classroom. Key interventions include Robinson’s suggestions around word recognition, Tighe and Binder’s recommendations about morphology and fluency, Mellard and Fall’s ideas around language comprehension, Park’s suggestions for critical literacy, and Rodrigo et al.’s recommendations around reading for pleasure. The project shares information about the …
An Effective Small Group Reading Intervention Scope And Sequence For Students In Grades Three To Five, Caitlin Phan
An Effective Small Group Reading Intervention Scope And Sequence For Students In Grades Three To Five, Caitlin Phan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The guiding question of this project is: What is the most effective scope and sequence for a reading academic support curriculum designed for small groups of students in grades three to five? The purpose of the project is to address the critical need for a well-defined scope and sequence for reading academic support teachers. Research that influenced the written scope and sequence includes reading intervention history, elementary students, struggling readers, types of approaches to teaching reading, and three schools of thought regarding teaching reading (Fountas and Pinnell, Orton-Gillingham, and Science of Reading). Integrating this research, the scope and sequence project …
English Language Arts Curricular Interventions And Achievement In Advanced First Grade Learners From Underserved Backgrounds, Nicole Mckenzie
English Language Arts Curricular Interventions And Achievement In Advanced First Grade Learners From Underserved Backgrounds, Nicole Mckenzie
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone curriculum project seeks to answer the question: How do English Language Arts (ELA), culturally responsive curricular resources impact academic achievement in our advanced first-grade learners from historically underserved populations? The connection between implementing an advanced English language arts (ELA) Jacob’s Ladder poetry unit utilizing the Integrated Curriculum Model (ICM) and learning outcomes of students from historically underserved backgrounds, including twice-exceptional (2e), and racially, culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (RCLED) learners are measured through growth from the preassessment to summative assessment. High-rigor curricula, culturally responsive teaching methods that tap into neuroscience, and differentiated instruction with entry points for all …
Elevating Student Voices Through Rigorous Academic Discussion: A Unit Of Study For The Middle School English Language Arts Classroom, Emily O’Brien
Elevating Student Voices Through Rigorous Academic Discussion: A Unit Of Study For The Middle School English Language Arts Classroom, Emily O’Brien
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Although speaking and listening skills are included in the Common Core State Standards, they are often underemphasized in English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms and across disciplines. Research shows the benefits of cooperative and discussion-based learning for students, yet students are often not provided with the instruction and practice necessary for success in these areas. Especially in middle school, students thrive when given opportunities to connect with others. This project, a unit of study designed for a middle school ELA classroom, was designed to provide students with the academic discussion tools necessary to deepen literacy skills. Written through a culturally responsive …
Utilizing Classical Literature In Kindergarten Classrooms: A Tool For Developing Social Emotional Skills And Reading Comprehension, Madeline Steinhoff
Utilizing Classical Literature In Kindergarten Classrooms: A Tool For Developing Social Emotional Skills And Reading Comprehension, Madeline Steinhoff
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone project seeks to answer the question, How can educators use pedagogical storytelling with classical literature to address the social-emotional needs of their students while also increasing reading comprehension in early years? For the purposes of this research, classical literature is defined mainly as fables, folk stories and fairy tales. In answering my research question, I explore the research that underpins the history of pedagogical storytelling, classical literature, best practices in reading comprehension and academic language instruction, and the foundations of social emotional learning. This Capstone Project includes a two week, ten lesson literature unit that weaves together these …
Creating A Generation Of Critical Information Consumers: Critical Literacy Strategies In An Upper Elementary Classroom, Maiah Cameron
Creating A Generation Of Critical Information Consumers: Critical Literacy Strategies In An Upper Elementary Classroom, Maiah Cameron
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Due to technology and social media, students now have access to an overwhelming amount of information at the tip of their fingers. It can be difficult for both children and adults to filter through this information and decipher facts from opinions. Elementary teachers should be working to teach their students how to view all media — books, articles, videos, photos, podcasts etc. — through a critical lens. This capstone delves into the research question: How can critical literacy strategies be implemented in an upper elementary classroom to create a generation of more informed citizens? The final website helps to define …
How To Design And Implement A Maker Space In The K-3 Classroom, Elizabeth Nelson
How To Design And Implement A Maker Space In The K-3 Classroom, Elizabeth Nelson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
A maker space is an area designated to be used by participants to make a product through a hands-on experience. While the term maker space is relatively new to education, ‘making’ is embedded into human history. The research on these spaces relies on the importance of the maker space for a student's social-emotional well-being. Creative hands-on work specifically for children from low-income backgrounds supports the student in their primary years. At the same time, there needs to be more evidence in the research that proves how effective these spaces are in supporting students' academics. The topics explored in the literature …
Key Components And Best Practices Of Early Decoding Instruction, Erika Fruetel
Key Components And Best Practices Of Early Decoding Instruction, Erika Fruetel
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The question that guided the research and project development was: What are key components and best practices in early decoding instruction? Throughout recent history, students in the United States have been taught to read based on two main theories: one that approaches literacy learning as natural development that should be supported by surrounding the child with rich and engaging literature, and the other that focuses more intently on teaching the student the patterns of spelling in order to decode words. Although educators have debated which is the most effective approach for decades, research consistently points to the importance of instructing …
Incorporating Opportunities For Diverse Literature Into The Early Elementary Classroom, Mary Cline
Incorporating Opportunities For Diverse Literature Into The Early Elementary Classroom, Mary Cline
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research shows that student engagement is positively impacted by literature that contains mirrors to their own lives and experiences. This is a set of lessons that are created to be incorporated into the school’s literacy curriculum for 1st and 2nd grade. Through reading and discussing various books, these lessons strive to add places for multicultural students to see their lives mirrored back to them as well as to give all students a chance to see another way of life by looking through a window into someone else’s world. The lesson plans focus on creating space for students to engage …
Curriculum Design That Supports Multilingual Learners' Literacy Development: Pairing The Science Of Reading And Oral Language Development Utilizing Read-Alouds, Eleanor Christman
Curriculum Design That Supports Multilingual Learners' Literacy Development: Pairing The Science Of Reading And Oral Language Development Utilizing Read-Alouds, Eleanor Christman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The curriculum designed for this project focuses on combining the science of reading with oral language development through read-alouds, with a focus on understanding text structure. The purpose of this study is to determine best practices for teaching multilingual learners how to read and to give teachers concrete materials to use in the classroom. Research suggests that phonics-based instruction supports the reading development of multilingual learners more than whole language instruction. Researchers also recommend teachers focus on more than just decoding, especially for multilingual learners as it connects to comprehension. Additionally, research emphasizes the importance of developing oral language in …
Informal Education Builds Deeper Knowledge And Connections With Elasmobranchs To Develop An Understanding For Environmental Conservation, Lacie Ownbey
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Zoos and aquariums provide essential tools and opportunities to help get school aged children out of the classroom for informal education and learning. Using facilities that offer programs where the focus is on both entertainment and education, learning can be maximized to obtain literacy of a subject. That level of understanding can be then used to promote conservation and pro-environmental thinking for animals that could most benefit from a more focused setting, such as a non-charismatic megafauna: elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). Using Backward Design, where the goals of the program were determined first, a two-day Shark Researcher Camp was created …
Teaching Trauma-Informed Pedagogy And Critical Literacy In A Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Katherine Chambers
Teaching Trauma-Informed Pedagogy And Critical Literacy In A Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Katherine Chambers
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Trauma is an innate human experience. People from every walk of life can experience trauma at any time, in a variety of ways. The awareness of trauma is seeping into the forefront of our society. In particular, education has seen trauma in varying ways. Many educators are tasked with navigating trauma’s tricky waters. This capstone explores the possibility of how trauma-informed pedagogy and critical literacy impact student engagement in a middle school language arts classroom? Much of the literature reviewed in this capstone examines trauma’s complexities, trauma’s manifestation in schools and suggests several strategies that can be implemented to impact …
Implementing Authentic Literacy Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom, Isabella Haeger
Implementing Authentic Literacy Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom, Isabella Haeger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Cultivating a literacy-rich and engaging classroom community from the beginning of the kindergarten year is an important step to provide students with a positive experience with learning. Authentic literacy centers are a way for primary learners to interact with targeted literacy skills in a meaningful way. Teachers can plan intentional reading, writing, word work, and listening skills that are differentiated and hands-on. This capstone evaluates the question: What are the most impactful ways to establish authentic and engaging literacy work stations for kindergarten students that promote voice and choice? The summarizing website showcases authentic literacy tasks for each center and …
Improving Early Literacy Outcomes Through Play, Kimberly Bice
Improving Early Literacy Outcomes Through Play, Kimberly Bice
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question asked in this capstone project is: how might incorporating playful learning into a literacy framework help improve early literacy outcomes? There is a growing body of evidence that playful learning, a mix of free and guided play, has a slew of benefits to school-aged children including: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. The foundational research for this project explores the intersections of educational neuroscience, Culturally Responsive Practices, and foundational literacy skills and practices. In particular the scholarship of Eric Jensen, Drs. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Zaretta Hammond, and Hollis Scarbourough were foundational in the conception and development of this project. …
Understanding Effective Literacy Instruction For Primary Grade Teachers, Erika Hotchkiss
Understanding Effective Literacy Instruction For Primary Grade Teachers, Erika Hotchkiss
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research on the topic of literacy instruction, and the best practices for effective literacy instruction, has been around for decades, but not all educators are aware of this research. This capstone project was designed to provide support for educators as they strengthen their understanding of how skilled reading develops and the best instructional practices to use with beginning readers. As a part of this research, six self-paced professional development modules were designed to address the question: How can a deeper understanding of the science of reading support primary grade teachers to be more effective with literacy instruction for beginning readers? …
Shared Literacy Adventures Program, Jennifer C. Cashman
Shared Literacy Adventures Program, Jennifer C. Cashman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research demonstrates that engaging in shared literacy experiences impact a reader’s literacy skills, their reading self concept and their reading motivation creating long term literacy gains and lifelong readers. There is value in both diverse home literacy experiences and in the literacy curriculum practices that occur in the classroom. However, the gap between the two settings creates disconnects in the overall literacy education of a student. This project is designed to bridge that gap in a positive culturally sustainable way. Each module, which the student self selects from a pool of picture books representing diverse characters, authors, illustrations and literary …
Multisensory Literacy Instruction: Efficacy For Struggling Multilingual Learners, Stephanie Sowma
Multisensory Literacy Instruction: Efficacy For Struggling Multilingual Learners, Stephanie Sowma
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
By the year 2025, approximately 25% of U.S. public school students will be multilingual learners. However, many mainstream teachers have not received any development in supporting this particular group of students. This capstone explores best literacy practices for multilingual learners, multisensory learning, and teacher professional development to answer the focus question: how can multisensory instruction be utilized to add engagement and rigor in order to improve the literacy skills of multilingual learners between 5 - 8 years old who score between a 1.0 - 2.9 on the WIDA Access Assessment and are struggling with basic reading skills? Multisensory literacy instruction …
Supporting Social-Emotional Learning With Diversely Representative Children’S Literature: Toolbox Supplementary Read Aloud Lesson Plans, Taylor Rose
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Read aloud texts play an essential role in shaping social-emotional learning skills, implementing routines, and bolstering early literacy skills in the early elementary classroom. Yet, despite the increasing racial and cultural diversity of the United States student population, children’s literature often lacks meaningful, intersectional representations of diversity. This capstone project pairs diverse children’s literature with the Toolbox social-emotional learning curriculum to explore the question, How can early elementary students' social-emotional skills develop through the intentional reading and conversation about children's literature featuring characters, authors, and themes of diverse and intersectional identities? The research concludes that the representational children’s literature can …