Education Commons^™

Little Girl In The Country: A Children's Book, Holly Mcginnis

Honors Theses

A Work of Children’s Literature to Address Realities of Childhood in the Southern United States

This thesis investigated the intersection of life’s realities and children’s literature. Representation is an oft-talked-about area of children’s literature. It is coming to light that many groups are underrepresented in writings for children, and recent works are attempting to broaden the types and backgrounds of characters to represent the diversity of readers and authors. This thesis is the author’s attempt to accurately represent the types of students she encountered in student teaching experiences in the Oxford-area. Using inspiration from her own childhood and knowledge of …

Parent Knowledge Regarding The Relationship Between Literacy And Language Development, Emily Pankiewicz

Honors Theses

Countless research articles support the connection between literacy and language development. This project explores the knowledge parents have about this connection. The paper first summarizes key findings and provides background information about the relationship between literacy and language development. Then, it discusses the results of a survey performed by the researcher. The first section of the survey collected demographic information and the second section contained 16 statements about the relationship between literacy and language development. Survey participants indicated the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with each statement, based on their previous knowledge.

Three main questions were addressed in …

Reading Between The Lines: Exploring Literacy, The Science Of Reading, And The R.I.S.E. Initiative, Ashly Stracener

Honors Theses

I am passionate about the topic of literacy and believe it is a fundamental human right. Through my thesis, I explore why literacy is so important for individuals and society as a whole by exploring the history of how reading has been taught, how the science of reading has impacted how reading is now taught, such as with Arkansas's new Reading Initiative for Student Excellence reading initiative. Ultimately, by exploring the process of reading and the new initiative, I want to provide a new and deeper appreciation for the value of literacy.

Les Femmes Capables: A Supplementary Curriculum Teaching Survival English To Female Senegalese Ells, Abigail Morse

Honors Theses

My thesis examines the contrast between a Muslim man’s opportunity to learn English versus his wife's, who, in a traditional context, would be limited by social obligations to her home and family's welfare. I look specifically at the roles of Muslim Senegalese women. I provide basic cultural context and teaching methods to ESL teachers. I also provide basic vocabulary lists and lesson plans about important situations such as "going to the doctor." The language needed to complete daily tasks is not taught in general language classes, and my goal is to change that.

Teaching Language For Proficiency: Learning Descriptions In Spanish 1, Anna Helzer

Honors Theses

For this creative project, I have designed a 15-day unit plan for a Spanish 1 (novice level) language class, teaching the vocabulary and skills needed to understand and produce descriptions of people in students’ second language (L2) of Spanish. Throughout the creation of this unit plan, I have combined my own experience in practicums and student teaching with the most cited research in the fields of language acquisition and pedagogy in order to create lessons which will best facilitate novice language learners’ acquisition of the Spanish language and culture.

The unit plan includes overall content and language objectives as well …

Creating Dynamic Spaces: Exploring Student-Empowered Self-Expression Through Art, Meghan E. Charest

Honors Theses

Research suggests that students living in rural areas may be more likely to face adversity and stress due to intersecting challenges present in their communities including poverty, substance abuse, addiction, poor health, reduced economic opportunity, and geographic isolation. I conducted an engaged scholarship project in partnership with students and staff at JES to explore ways that open-ended art activities that provide students with self-directed creative spaces can cultivate a student-centered environment built around strong relationships. This type of environment can mitigate the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences potentially affecting rural Maine students and improve a culture of emotional wellness …