Education Commons^™

Science Club, Danielle Gibson, Krista Andersen

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

Honors After School program for elementary age children to engage with scientific principles. Students performed hands-on experiments to explore various STEM fields. Each weekly lesson consisted of a different concept to be learned or explored by early elementary aged students.

Afterschool Club: German For K-5, Justin Solheim

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

The lessons found in this paper were designed for a group of 20-25 elementary schools students in downtown Lincoln, NE. The students were split into two groups: K-2 and 3-5. Through a variety of activities, the students learned the basics of the German language and culture. Many of the lessons are simple and do not require difficult thinking, as this was a summer club. Instead, they allow students to collaborate, move around, color, and solve puzzles.

World Tour Diversity Club, Katie Hawk, Lauren Hartman

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

In this club, students will travel to a different country with each lesson. They will learn about the different cultures around the world and see how our differences bring us together.

The Impact Of Elementary School Counseling Programs On Student Behavioral Outcomes In The First Year Of Middle School, Brenda Chaney Leggiadro

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

School counselors are uniquely positioned within the P-12 education system to ensure that all students meet developmental needs in academic, career, and social-emotional areas in order to become successful and contributing members of society. School counselors collaborate with other school staff and parents/caregivers to ensure that students finish high school and are well-equipped for the challenges of the future.

Because students who experience even one suspension as early as seventh grade show an increased likelihood of dropping out of high school, it is important to explore ways that schools can effectively decrease the chance that a student will receive behavior …

Relax And Recharge Club, Katherine Osmundson, Alec Miller

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

An afterschool club that focuses on providing calming and stress relieving activities that also help them build healthy coping mechanisms to stress at a young age.

Reinforcement In The Classroom: Reference Guide, Morgan Buehler, John Maag

Honors Theses

My initial research question was “how can I make information about appropriate reinforcement techniques easily available to elementary educators?” Upon beginning this endeavor, I realized the most efficient way to do so would be to condense a variety of information on this topic into an easy to read access guide. This brochure contains information educators can reference when trying to analyze behavior, create classroom environments or build individual or group behavior plans/goals. It was written with the purpose that anyone in the education world could have quick and easy access to valuable information without having to search through a textbook …

Elementary Student Engagement Through Stem Lessons, Leigh Blankenship

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects can be engaging for students and can help build real-world connections. Integration of STEM disciplines can also promote student engagement, as well as promote problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This action research study employed qualitative methods to investigate whether student participation in content areas changes when integrated STEM lessons are introduced in an elementary classroom. The participants of this study were nine students in a fourth-grade rural elementary classroom. Data sources included student surveys, a teacher journal, student work samples, and student interviews before and after each STEM lesson over a three-month …

The Impacts On Rural Families When Engaging In Stem Education, Kimberly Felton-Canfield

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Nights and Family STEM Backpacks are a way for schools to provide stakeholders the opportunity to work together in a hands-on, interactive environment to learn more about STEM subjects. Students, teachers, parents and community partners learn through various activities what career choices are available that engage STEM disciplines. Through action research, qualitative data was gathered to discover the community impact of attending a Family STEM night and participating in Family STEM Backpack Projects. Participants completed pre- and post- event surveys and open-ended interview questions. The whole community was invited to participate in Family …

How Vocabulary Notebooks Change Student Knowledge Of Science Concepts And Vocabulary, Justin Wheeler

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study was conducted to determine the effect that an explicit vocabulary strategy, the use of vocabulary notebooks, may have on students in an upper elementary science classroom. The study was conducted in a small mid-western town of approximately 14,000 people in an elementary school with approximately 415 students. The study was conducted in a science classroom of fifth-grade students in which the primary investigator was the teacher. The research question for this study was: How does student’s vocabulary knowledge of science concepts change when students create vocabulary notebook entries including definition, science concept, examples, and non-examples? Data sources collected …

Influence Of Stem Lessons On Critical Thinking, Brooke Waddell

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The study of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is leading educators into a new world of teaching. The classroom roles have been reversed and students are now in charge of their own learning. Students are learning how to engineer and solve real-world problems through critical thinking. Integrated STEM lessons are teaching students to use their prior knowledge across subject areas to prepare themselves for the workforce needed in the 21^st century. This study was conducted in a rural second grade classroom with the number of students ranging from 16 to 21. Throughout this study qualitative data was collected. …

Sliding Into An Equitable Lesson, Kelley E. Buchheister 6872059, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

A kindergarten teacher uses Gutierrez's four dimensions of equity to design and facilitate geometry instruction.

Equitable instruction is reflected in how students are positioned in the classroom and how their identities evolve through purposeful interactions that value and recognize the intellectual capacity of each student (Gutiérrez 2013; Lemons-Smith 2008). These integral interactions occur when teachers and students exchange problem-solving strategies, discuss relations among various mathematical representations, and listen to the viewpoints of others (NCTM 2000; 2014).

Health And Nutrition, Sydney Williams, Lauren Larson

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of this club was to inform and build upon the knowledge about health and nutrition of 4th and 5th graders. We did different activities to engage the children in a fun way of learning about health and nutrition so that it wouldn't feel like an extension of school.

The Future Is Now Science Club, Shane Stan

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

The Future is Now! What will our planet look like in 10, 20, 50, or even 100 years? Where will we live, what will we eat, how will we travel? Believe it or not, in the coming decades, many ideas that were once science fiction will come through to realization. With this, many of the discoveries and technologies making all of this happen are being developed right now as we go about our daily lives.

In this club, appropriately titled, The Future Is Now Science Club, students will be inspired to think larger about the present world they live in. …

Maths Games: A Universal Design Approach To Mathematical Reasoning, Kelley E. Buchheister, Christa Jackson, Cynthia E. Taylor

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

By incorporating math games into the classroom, through the principles of Universal Design teachers are able to address mathematical content, reasoning and problem solving, as well as tailoring games to address students' individual needs.

Community Partnerships In Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools: A Mixed-Methods Study, Jae L. Strickland

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify and describe community partnerships in Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools.

Fifty-one principals from the Southern and Midwestern regions of the United States completed a 19-question on-line survey designed to explore community partnerships in Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools. Of the 51 principals who completed the survey, 26 agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview.

The findings of the study suggest that community partnerships play an essential role in supporting Urban, Title 1 Elementary Schools. Finding community partners can be challenging. Principals who wish to engage community partners should identify the needs …

A Little Change Can Make A Big Difference, Kelley E. Buchheister

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The opportunity to teach mathematics through service learning projects provides a relevant and connected experience that encourages concept development and problem solving proficiency while also developing students’ feelings of generosity and altruism. In this article I describe a prior project that helped my students, many of whom struggled with mathematics, become engaged in mathematical thinking and reasoning. Additional specific connections are made toward extended projects surrounding current events, as well as state and national standards.

Turnaround Elementary Principals In Rural Missouri, Julie C. Delaney

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rural high poverty schools can often be invisible to those not living in rural areas. The number of students in rural areas is not far below the number of urban students, yet there has been little attention or research about rural school student achievement (Arnold et al., 2006; Pitchford 2011; Richard, 2005). The state of Missouri has established a program entitled Top Ten By Twenty. This initiative has been an impetus for change in rural high poverty schools. The program has led to increased student achievement in more than 60 rural high poverty schools. In this study, these schools were …

Rural Nebraska Elementary Students' Aspirations To Attend Institutions Of Higher Education, Brock T. Rezny

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous studies exist on college and career readiness in the middle and high school grades, but these studies often exclude the elementary grades. Even less research has been done regarding this topic in rural education. With more research indicating a need for college readiness beginning in elementary school, this study adds to the literature by seeing if rural elementary students in Nebraska have aspirations for continued education and who influences those aspirations. The sample population of this quantitative study were fourth graders in five rural schools in an athletic conference in Nebraska. The survey was created with collaboration from two …

Elementary Teacher Education Program- Vital Statistics, Guy Trainin, Mary Masur

Research and Evaluation in Education, Technology, Art, and Design

This inforgraphic presents data about the students in UNL's Elmentary Teacher Education Program based on data from Academic Year 2013-2014.

The Association Of Wellness Policy Quality And Percentage Of Obesity In Schools, Bryce M. Abbey

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Schools possess a unique opportunity to reach a large captive audience and are becoming one of the battlegrounds for childhood obesity. To address the school environment’s role on the influence of American children’s nutritional intake and participation in physical activity, the United States (US) Federal Government adopted the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, placing an emphasis on implementation of the local school wellness policy (LSW). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between LSW and percentage of obesity in school districts within Nebraska. Aggregate district-wide body mass index (BMI) percentile data were utilized from previously collected …

The Perceptions Of Elementary Principals About Their Role In The Establishment Of Collaborative Workplaces In Their School Buildings, Bradley Sullivan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this case study was to develop an understanding of the elementary principal’s perceived role in creating and sustaining a collaborative workplace environment within their school. Collaboration among education professionals, when used effectively, is one strategy that has demonstrated improvement of instruction and student learning. As such, in this context the role of the principal becomes more complex and challenging. This study examined the perception of the elementary principal’s role regarding the establishment and perpetuation of a collaborative workplace environment for teachers that is focused on improving student learning within their buildings.

In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 …

English Language Learners’ Connection To School And English Through The Digital Storytelling Process, Megan J. Mcelfresh

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Thanks to the developing technology of digital storytelling, English Language Learner teachers at Maple Elementary may have a potential answer to help 2nd grade students with their growth in English and connection to school. The questions that guided this inquiry into digital storytelling in the ELL classroom were the following: Are there particular benefits to ELLs in digital storytelling? Do ELL students see connections through the digital storytelling process to their growth as a writer and role in the school community? Research has previously shown the success of ELL students is strongly linked to the instruction they receive and sense …

Nf98-387 Children And Stress, Herbert G. Lingren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact offers some advice to help reduce stress in children's lives.