Education Commons^™

Hangul Zoo: Alphabet Book On Korean Consonants, Alice Kang

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study is focused around the development of an original alphabet picture book (Hangul Zoo) that aims to support Native English Speakers with their learning of Korean as a second language. Those who have prior experience and knowledge of the English alphabet will benefit from using this book as a tool for bilingual learning. This book will help bilinguals be able to differentiate the two unique alphabets (English and Korean), while still making cross connections. While most alphabet books are catered towards children of ages birth through 5 and are often used in early childhood settings (daycares and preschools) …

Indigo Letters: Supporting Children Navigating Endings Through Letter Writing, Maggie Brummer

Graduate Student Independent Studies

In the realm of children’s literature, substantial resources are missing as it pertains to supporting students through the universal experience of navigating change, specifically something ending. Indigo Letters was inspired by Blue School’s closure at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. In conducting my own research, I quickly learned resources regarding this type of ending are nonexistent. Stories touching school closures are missing on Early Childhood bookshelves because prior to COVID-19, that was rarely a reality of private institutions. According to the Center For Educational Freedom, as of April 2021, there were “132 private schools that announced closures due …

What Makes A Best Book?, Zach Libresco

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Stories affect how people see the world and themselves. Stories matter. This is a study of what makes a “best” book. This study considers conversations that discussed and evaluated whether a book should be on a “best of the year” list, how evaluators thought about selecting books for children, and how the lens of looking at children’s literature has changed over time. The researcher conducted six interviews with members of the Children’s Book Committee, observed over fifty hours of Children’s Book Committee meetings, eight hours of awards committee meetings, and reviewed relevant literature. Three topics emerged as central to the …

The Name Curriculum: Exploring Names, Naming, And Identity, Isabel Taswell

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The act of naming, or using and respecting one’s name, is a humanizing act: it is foundational to one’s sense of identity and belonging. Conversely, the act of ‘de-naming,’ or changing, forgetting, or erasing one’s name, is an act of dehumanization: it denies one’s sense of identity and belonging. The Name Curriculum provides an opportunity for third grade students to explore the role of names and naming as they relate to one’s sense of self and community. It draws on the role of developmental psychology, the urgency of historical context, and the power of children’s literature. Specifically, it explores how …

A Reason To Read: Discovering A Purpose For Books Through Play, Sara Russell Dewey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Children need desire and motivation to learn. This study examines the responsive, child- centered teaching practices of a reading and literacy specialist as she helps a student, with low motivation for reading, find a reason to want to read. Although her student is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and aspects of autism come up in this study, the focus here is not on teaching children with autism. Since no two children with a diagnosis present similarly, teaching to a diagnosis is not individualized or sensitive enough to meet the educational and emotional needs of a student. Instead, teachers must …

Teaching Students With Language-Based Learning Differences (Lbld) To Write: Examination Of The Explicit Approach Versus Embedding Authentic Writing Into The Curricula, Jane Moskowitz

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Writing is, arguably, the most difficult skill for students to master and is particularly challenging for children who have language-based learning variations. There are different schools of thought about effective writing instruction; some, like Judy Hochman, believe that writing should be taught in a systematic and explicit manner, with heavy focus on the sentence-level and building on mastery of sentence skills to move students to paragraph and compositions writing. There are others, like Ralph Fletcher, who lean more heavily on mentor texts, student choice, and embedding rich literature into the curricula, as a means to cultivate authentic writers in the …

Exploring Learning Differences: A Social Emotional Curriculum For Second Grade, Sophie Paci

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Exploring Learning Differences is a four-week social emotional learning curriculum designed for second grade students by Sophie Paci. The purpose of the curriculum is to encourage students to reflect on themselves as learners and to promote awareness about different learning needs in a community. Students explore this theme through class discussions, interactive read-alouds, group activities, art projects, and independent writing. As a literature-based curriculum, each lesson utilizes a children’s book to engage students in dialogue about learning differences. The literature collection features eight “core books” that are used in interactive read-alouds and ten supporting books students can read independently. The …

Using Theater To Promote The Development Of Literacy And Reading Comprehension, Alexandra B. Harrington

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper explores using theater to develop literacy and deepen the comprehension of literature for elementary aged students. Using Louise Rosenblatt’s (1994) framework for aesthetic reading, it discusses the ways in which theater facilitates the reader’s selection, interpretations, and analysis of plots, settings, and characters. This transactional relationship between the reader and text is explored with particular focus on the multi-sensory experiences in theater which support students’ perspective taking. In particular, it explores the visual and kinesthetic opportunities that theater offers to differentiate instruction for diverse learners. In addition, when children engage with theater as participants, they practice expression, building …

Sharing Our Stories: A Personal Narrative Literacy Curriculum For Grades 3-5, Casey Adler

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis began out of my curiosity about the ways to set up a classroom to best support growing readers and writers. As my exploration into literacy continued, I decided to create a personal narrative unit with several foundational literacy skills, strategies, and practices for students to develop. With variety, authenticity, and modeling as the key pillars in planning, alignment to skills and standards will be embedded in genuine literacy experiences. The choice to engage in a genre study of personal narrative was due to its developmental appropriateness, potential for community building, and opportunity to share a range of stories. …

And Then They Talked Back And Took Over: One Teacher’S Journey Towards Creating A Meaningful Read Aloud Practice, Alix Greenberger

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Read alouds are an important component of a balanced literacy curriculum, namely because of the opportunities they present for students to practice comprehension strategies such as making text to self connections, as well as finessing their speaking and listening skills while other students are voicing those connections. Despite this, read alouds were not occurring within my classroom. For this site based inquiry research, I delved into how I, as the teacher, could establish an effective read aloud practice within a busy classroom. I explored the teacher moves during read alouds, and monitored the students’ responses to gage how they were …

Cowboy City: An Original Children’S Book, Erica Lynch

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Cowboy City is an original children’s book written for eight to ten year olds that touches on themes of race and representation. Too often the stories of Black cowboys go untold. The book was created to provide children with an accurate portrayal of who the cowboys of the Wild West were, as well as who they are now, while also providing teachers with a tool to introduce the concepts of racial representation throughout history. Told through the voice of nine-year-old Jayden, an African American boy living in the city, Cowboy City follows Jayden’s normal school day, interrupted by an extraordinary …

Pizza Bagel Sundays, Kate D'Auria

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Kate D’Auria worked on an independent study where she created her own children’s book. The book is called Pizza Bagel Sundays and was illustrated by Yan Gabriella Peropat. Pizza Bagel Sundays is a memoir about her childhood and how she grew up in a single parent household. Though single parenting is one of the focuses of the book, it does have other themes such as family, love and how we spend time together. Research was done to see what other types of children’s literature is out there and see where the book fit in. Look at the literature that was …

An Unconventional Once Upon A Time: A Need For A Children's Book Describing The Challenges Of A Deployed Spouse, Rachel Adams

Graduate Student Independent Studies

There are many texts that focus on a child’s experiences and difficulties when a parent is away in the army or at war. Currently, there are no books that provide the perspective of a parent or spouse's struggles in dealing with their loved one who is away, and taking care of what is left at home. This independent study had a purpose of not only providing another resource for children to cope, but to allow for them to gain perspective of someone else’s experience as well. The story written speaks not from a child’s perspective, but from one of an …

Voicing Diversity: Creating Space To Listen In The Healthcare System, Margaret Foster

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Throughout the United States over 20 million people do not speak English as their primary language. As part of legislation and The Joint Commission, health care organizations are required to provide interpreter and translation services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Through the provision of language services health care professionals can provide quality care that is patient centered and culturally sensitive to the needs of families. As communities continue to be transformed and become multicultural so too the healthcare system needs to transform, growing resources that empower and educate patients helping them navigate the healthcare system.

Using Wordless Picture Books With The Language Experience Approach: A Method For Teaching Pre-Emergent And At-Risk Readers, Rachel Luczkowski

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Proposes using wordless picture books in conjunction with Roach Van Allen's Language Experience Approach as a method for teaching pre-emergent and at-risk readers. The original work that comprises the bulk of this study is a wordless picture book of Aesop's fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper. The author describes the developmental and artistic considerations taken during the creation of the book as well as potential classroom applications for its use.

The Gendered Image : An Art And Literature Based Curriculum For High School Audiences, Emily Erwin-Mcguire

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This curriculum uses images, artwork, literature and media to facilitate conversations to build knowledge and understanding about feminism and self-identity. It is designed to be used by educators of high school students in school, museum or after school settings.

Engaging Readers, Engaging Families : How Can Current Research And Thinking About Reading Engagement And Motivation Translate To The Family Context?, Erin Gordon

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper will provide a review of the research that pertains to reading engagement and motivation in general and offer some ways of considering the research through the lens of the family as a part of the larger educational community. The author also introduces readers to a website for families called "Engaging Readers." This website aims to empower families with resources, information, and opportunities for conversation and collaboration so that they can support their young readers with enthusiasm, confidence, and heart.

An Exploration Into The Gender-Based Achievement Gap In Literacy: Deficiency, Difference, And Teacher, Researcher And Measurement Bias, Theresa Orlandi

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper provides a review of the research pertaining to various explanations and causes for boys' underachievement in literacy.

Towards A Constructivist Grammar Curriculum For The United States, Tyler Crafts Jennings

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The author argues that educators must forge an alternative method to teaching grammar: the explicit, constructivist teaching of grammar within the meaningful context of a writing curriculum.

Promoting Language Development In Prekindergarten And Kindergarten Classrooms Through Basic Materials : A Tool For Early Childhood Teachers In New Orleans, Jennifer Durkin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Offers prekindergarten and kindergarten educators in New Orleans a tool for better understanding why it is important and how to offer language rich opportunities in their classrooms.

Etymology + Animation = Etymation : The History Of Spelling Via Animations, Gladys Aponte

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Etymation is a series of 4-7 minute long animated cartoons. The seven cartoons provide a child-friendly overview of the history of American English spelling. Each cartoon explains one reason American English spelling often seems so irrational. The Etymation cartoons and accompanying activities are designed to supplement an investigative spelling curriculum. The rationale discusses the importance of such an investigative spelling curriculum, and outlines how Etymation is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

Passion And Compassion : Teaching First Graders Reading Comprehension Through Kindness And The Works Of Kevin Henkes, Salvi Muzio

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A literature review in the field of reading comprehension combined with a research-based curriculum created based on the experts and the author's personal experiences both in the classroom as a teacher and a student.

Where The Wild Things Are And Why They Will Endure: An Analysis Of The Longevity Of Maurice Sendak's Work, Ana Appel

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study looks to explain why Maurice Sendak's works have achieved a place in the classic cannon of children's literature. It starts by discussing children's literary theory and looks at the era of children's literature within which Sendak wrote, his illustrations, and his writing. The study then looks at psychoanalytic themes in his work. It analyzes the use of the conscious, unconscious, id, and ego. It further describes the use of archetypes of the collective unconscious in Sendak's work and why this connects to many readers. Then, the study describes bibliotherapy, books as therapeutic aids, and discusses how Sendak's books …

Recuerda Que Yo Estoy Aqui Tambien : A Bilingual Picture Book, Liliana Ivette Funes

Graduate Student Independent Studies

My independent study for my Integrative Masters consists of a bilingual (Spanish/English) picture book that is based on personal experience, and endeavors to describe the emotional distress and anxiety children can experience as second language learners entering a monolingual classroom for the first time. The book addresses not only the emotional and academic struggles of the child, but also the ways in which peers and teachers can intervene to ease the child's transition into English. Thus the book can serve as a resource to support monolingual classrooms. The study also includes a personal reflection of the process and journey, I …

Strategies To Support Children's Reading Progress At Home: Tools For Parents Of Bilingual Children, Esperanza Gomez-Gribben

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The idea of gathering tools for parents of bilingual children to utilize at home to support their children's reading progress emerged from the combination of different factors. My placements during my studies at Bank Street College of Education provided me with the opportunity to learn reading strategies and utilize them with young children in the classroom.

As a parent of bilingual children, these strategies had been valuable in furthering my children's reading skills in both English and Spanish. While talking to other parents of bilingual children, I have learned about their frustrations of not knowing how to support their children's …

Fueling Small Explosions Of Conversation: A Reading Curriculum For Fourth Grade, Rebecca Blake Eisenberg

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this fourth-grade reading curriculum is to teach students to become active readers who can articulate and communicate their thoughts about reading. By communicating about text, readers construct meaning and develop a rich understanding and appreciation of their reading. The curriculum uses the reading workshop framework (Atwell, 1998; Calkins, 2001; Rief, 1992) and the literature circle structure (Daniels, 2002). Process- and content-based mini-lessons provide explicit instruction for literature circle discussions. Comprehension strategy mini-lessons are provided to complement the literature circle instruction and provide support for students as needed.

Building Literacy Through Literature, Elvina Tong

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A study of literacy and literature in the early and middle childhood years. Models of teaching literacy are examined and cooperative learning, in place of ability grouping, is recommended.

The Silver Scarab : An Epic Of Ancient Egypt : An Original Book For Children In Their Middle Years, Adam Gidwitz

Graduate Student Independent Studies

An original historical-adventure novel for children on Ancient Egypt. It tells the tale of two children, the son of a great military figure and the daughter of the Pharaoh. The protagonists encounter kidnappers, assassins, and gods; but their greatest challenge is to forge their own identities in the shadow of their own powerful parents. Includes a discussion of how the novel was written.

A Retelling Of An Ancient Indian Epic: The Ramayana, Supriya Himatsingka

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The goal of this thesis is to address the dearth of sub-continental Indian literature in mainstream North American materials for children. The work includes a retelling of sections of The Ramayana, with historical and cultural background, as well as current research on the significance of learning through stories. Transcription and discussion of responses from 4th grade students in a New York City public school are also included.

When Mom Or Dad Has A Mental Illness: General Information And Memories Of A Girl Whose Father Has Bi-Polar Disorder, Lisa RenéE Levesque

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This original material answers common questions that children in middle childhood (8-12 years) may have about parental mental illness. When Mom or Dad has a mental illness: General information and memories of a girl whose father has Bi-polar Disorder defines mental illness, addresses symptoms, causes and treatments, provides definitions of related terms, and shares personal stories about having a parent with mental illness. A review of current literature shows the lack of similar work, and the developmental theories of Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Erikson, and Vygotsky confirm the importance and validity of the project. The motivation behind this work is to …