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2015

Selected Works

Articles

Anna H Hall

Articles 1 - 16 of 16

Full-Text Articles in Education

Making Spelling Meaningful: Using Explicit Instruction And Individual Conferencing, Anna H. Hall Mar 2015

Making Spelling Meaningful: Using Explicit Instruction And Individual Conferencing, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

This article challenges traditional modes of spelling instruction by offering theoretically based suggestions for effectively assessing and instructing students’ spelling progress. The importance of explicit spelling instruction is presented along with differentiated strategies for students along the developmental spelling continuum and an individualized way to monitor spelling progress for elementary school students. Furthermore, the article seeks to provide teachers with strategies that help students develop an understanding of orthographic patterns and phonemic awareness skills while simultaneously avoiding the traditional “Friday Spelling Test” that so often dominates the elementary spelling curriculum.


Exploring Interactive Writing As An Effective Practice For Increasing Head Start Students' Alphabet Knowledge Skills, Anna H. Hall, Michael D. Toland, Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Steve Graham Mar 2015

Exploring Interactive Writing As An Effective Practice For Increasing Head Start Students' Alphabet Knowledge Skills, Anna H. Hall, Michael D. Toland, Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Steve Graham

Anna H Hall

The current study used a pretest–posttest randomized control group design with 73 Head Start students, ages 3–5 years. The researcher served as the interactive writing teacher for the treatment group, rotating to five different classrooms in one Head Start center 3–4 days a week for 13 weeks. Children in the treatment group received a 10–15 min interactive writing lesson each day in small groups within their own classroom settings. Children in the control group received standard literacy instruction in small groups with their own classroom teachers. Child outcome data on upper case, lower case, and letter sound identification were collected …


Beyond The Author's Chair: Expanding Sharing Opportunities In Writing, Anna H. Hall Mar 2015

Beyond The Author's Chair: Expanding Sharing Opportunities In Writing, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Providing children with opportunities to share their writing with others is a vital part of establishing a successful writing community. Although sharing is most often viewed as a beneficial experience for children, it is important to acknowledge that sharing can also be uncomfortable and intimidating for many young authors. This article provides tips for establishing a respectful writing community, including strategies for whole-group sharing, as well as alternative experiences for children who are reluctant to share.


Taking Care: Understanding The Roles Of Caregiver And Being Cared For In A Kindergarten Classroom, Cassie Quigley, Anna H. Hall Mar 2015

Taking Care: Understanding The Roles Of Caregiver And Being Cared For In A Kindergarten Classroom, Cassie Quigley, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Despite concerns about the importance of teachers learning to care for their students, most teacher education programs do not utilize relational pedagogy and place little emphasis on caring. In the current study, the authors used conversational interviews with one kindergarten teacher and photo-elicitation interviews with her 22 kindergarten students to explore ways in which this teacher in a public, all-girls’ school employed caring and how her students viewed being cared for. The authors utilized Noddings’ work on the ethic of care to guide our project and the methodological approach is feministic. In this study, we discovered the ways this teacher …


“I Am Kind Of A Good Writer And Kind Of Not”: Examining Students’ Writing Attitudes, Anna H. Hall, Ysaaca Axelrod Mar 2015

“I Am Kind Of A Good Writer And Kind Of Not”: Examining Students’ Writing Attitudes, Anna H. Hall, Ysaaca Axelrod

Anna H Hall

Since writing ability has been found to be an important predictor of school success and college readiness, it is important for teachers to understand the connections between students’ attitudes toward writing, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement. This article describes the findings from focus groups conducted with 81 students in grades K-5 during which participants discussed their attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs about writing. Focusing on the power of students’ voices, this study adds a unique perspective not often found in the affective domain of writing research. Five broad themes emerged related to students’ writing attitudes including: (1) feelings about writing, (2) …


Involving Families In The Assessment Process, Julie Rutland, Anna H. Hall Mar 2015

Involving Families In The Assessment Process, Julie Rutland, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Although grounded in theory and philosophy, and mandated by federal legislation, there is often a gap in research to practice when it comes to involving families in the assessment process. As family involvement through the continuum of early childhood education is recognized as “best practice”in the field, the assessment process must not be excluded. However, teachers in early childhood programs may need additional strategies to invite families to join in the process. Strategies for parent participation as consumers,informants, team members, and advocates are discussed as well as outcomes for children and families.


Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro Mar 2015

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro

Anna H Hall

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of inquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic and autonomous ways, exhibiting complex literacy practices of inquiry and communication. Focusing on the kindergarten student participants’ experiences, the authors highlight three themes in their dance literacy practices: (a) artistic autonomy, (b) embodied knowledge, and (c) multimodality. As embodied knowledge, dance innately allowed for integrative literacy possibilities in the dance residency. The dance …


Examining The Effects Of Preschool Writing Instruction On Emergent Literacy Skills: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Anna H. Hall, Amber Simpson, Ying Guo, Shanshan Wang Mar 2015

Examining The Effects Of Preschool Writing Instruction On Emergent Literacy Skills: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Anna H. Hall, Amber Simpson, Ying Guo, Shanshan Wang

Anna H Hall

This article presents the results of a systematic review of the literature involving writing interventions in the preschool setting. The information presented is timely considering the current expectations for young children to write. Framing the empirical literature within different philosophical approaches, trends were analyzed to identify instructional strategies related to increases in emergent literacy outcomes and where gaps in the literature existed. The results from 22 intervention conditions from 1990 to 2013 indicated the overall effect size was g = .44, 95% CIs [.27, .60], suggesting that preschool writing interventions enhanced children’s early literacy outcomes. The findings also highlighted the …


Writing Development Over Time: Examining Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Writing, Anna H. Hall, Jennifer Grisham-Brown Mar 2015

Writing Development Over Time: Examining Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Writing, Anna H. Hall, Jennifer Grisham-Brown

Anna H Hall

Since writing ability has been found to be a key indicator of school success and successful participation in the workplace, it is important for preservice teachers to receive effective preparation in the area of writing. Reflecting on personal writing experiences allows preservice teachers to examine their own attitudes and beliefs about writing and the effects their attitudes and beliefs may have on their pedagogical decisions in the future. This article describes the findings from two focus groups conducted with preschool and elementary preservice teachers during which participants examined their attitudes towards writing that have developed over time and their plans …


Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro Mar 2015

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children’S And Teachers’ Literacy Repertoires Through Embodied Knowing, Allison Leonard, Anna H. Hall, Danielle Herro

Anna H Hall

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of inquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic and autonomous ways, exhibiting complex literacy practices of inquiry and communication. Focusing on the kindergarten student participants’ experiences, the authors highlight three themes in their dance literacy practices: (a) artistic autonomy, (b) embodied knowledge, and (c) multimodality. As embodied knowledge, dance innately allowed for integrative literacy possibilities in the dance residency. The dance …


Test Review: J. L. Wiederholt & B. R. Bryant. (2012). Gray Oral Reading Tests—Fifth Edition (Gort-5). Austin, Tx: Pro-Ed., Anna H. Hall, Rory P. Tannebaum Mar 2015

Test Review: J. L. Wiederholt & B. R. Bryant. (2012). Gray Oral Reading Tests—Fifth Edition (Gort-5). Austin, Tx: Pro-Ed., Anna H. Hall, Rory P. Tannebaum

Anna H Hall

The first edition of the Gray Oral Reading Tests (GORT, 1963) was written by Dr. William S. Gray, a founding member and the first president of the International Reading Association. The GORT was designed to measure oral reading abilities (i.e., Rate, Accuracy, Fluency, and Comprehension) of students in Grades 2 through 12 due to the noteworthy advantages this type of assessment has over silent reading assessments (e.g., ability for the examiner to analyze miscues and identify an individual’s ability to make letter–sound correspondences). Through the years, revisions of the GORT were published in 1986 (GORT-R), 1992 (GORT-3), and 2001 (GORT-4). …


“I Am Kind Of A Good Writer And Kind Of Not”: Examining Students’ Writing Attitudes, Anna H. Hall, Ysaaca Axelrod Mar 2015

“I Am Kind Of A Good Writer And Kind Of Not”: Examining Students’ Writing Attitudes, Anna H. Hall, Ysaaca Axelrod

Anna H Hall

Since writing ability has been found to be an important predictor of school success and college readiness, it is important for teachers to understand the connections between students’ attitudes toward writing, writing self-efficacy, and writing achievement. This article describes the findings from focus groups conducted with 81 students in grades K-5 during which participants discussed their attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs about writing. Focusing on the power of students’ voices, this study adds a unique perspective not often found in the affective domain of writing research. Five broad themes emerged related to students’ writing attitudes including: (1) feelings about writing, (2) …


Exploring Interactive Writing As An Effective Practice For Increasing Head Start Students' Alphabet Knowledge Skills, Anna H. Hall, Michael D. Toland, Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Steve Graham Feb 2015

Exploring Interactive Writing As An Effective Practice For Increasing Head Start Students' Alphabet Knowledge Skills, Anna H. Hall, Michael D. Toland, Jennifer Grisham-Brown, Steve Graham

Anna H Hall

The current study used a pretest–posttest randomized control group design with 73 Head Start students, ages 3–5 years. The researcher served as the interactive writing teacher for the treatment group, rotating to five different classrooms in one Head Start center 3–4 days a week for 13 weeks. Children in the treatment group received a 10–15 min interactive writing lesson each day in small groups within their own classroom settings. Children in the control group received standard literacy instruction in small groups with their own classroom teachers. Child outcome data on upper case, lower case, and letter sound identification were collected …


Making Spelling Meaningful: Using Explicit Instruction And Individual Conferencing, Anna H. Hall Feb 2015

Making Spelling Meaningful: Using Explicit Instruction And Individual Conferencing, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

This article challenges traditional modes of spelling instruction by offering theoretically based suggestions for effectively assessing and instructing students’ spelling progress. The importance of explicit spelling instruction is presented along with differentiated strategies for students along the developmental spelling continuum and an individualized way to monitor spelling progress for elementary school students. Furthermore, the article seeks to provide teachers with strategies that help students develop an understanding of orthographic patterns and phonemic awareness skills while simultaneously avoiding the traditional “Friday Spelling Test” that so often dominates the elementary spelling curriculum.


Taking Care: Understanding The Roles Of Caregiver And Being Cared For In A Kindergarten Classroom, Cassie Quigley, Anna H. Hall Feb 2015

Taking Care: Understanding The Roles Of Caregiver And Being Cared For In A Kindergarten Classroom, Cassie Quigley, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Despite concerns about the importance of teachers learning to care for their students, most teacher education programs do not utilize relational pedagogy and place little emphasis on caring. In the current study, the authors used conversational interviews with one kindergarten teacher and photo-elicitation interviews with her 22 kindergarten students to explore ways in which this teacher in a public, all-girls’ school employed caring and how her students viewed being cared for. The authors utilized Noddings’ work on the ethic of care to guide our project and the methodological approach is feministic. In this study, we discovered the ways this teacher …


Involving Families In The Assessment Process, Julie Rutland, Anna H. Hall Feb 2015

Involving Families In The Assessment Process, Julie Rutland, Anna H. Hall

Anna H Hall

Although grounded in theory and philosophy, and mandated by federal legislation, there is often a gap in research to practice when it comes to involving families in the assessment process. As family involvement through the continuum of early childhood education is recognized as “best practice”in the field, the assessment process must not be excluded. However, teachers in early childhood programs may need additional strategies to invite families to join in the process. Strategies for parent participation as consumers,informants, team members, and advocates are discussed as well as outcomes for children and families.