Education Commons^™

Differentiating Instruction Through One-On-One Literacy Conferences, Rebecca Sue Klenk

Culminating Experience Projects

Today's classroom has a wide range of diversity. To meet these needs, students need individualized instruction. Many classrooms today still present instruction through whole-group. However, research has found this does not benefit students the way differentiated instruction can. Differentiated instruction has two significant misunderstandings. One, teachers see it as they must provide different lessons plans for each student's needs. Secondly, teachers think differentiated instruction is only needed for students working below proficiency. However, with the use of one-on-one reading conferences, teachers can meet all their students' diverse needs and provide differentiated instruction.

Conferring is tailoring instruction to meet students' strengths …

Incorporating Systematic Phonics Instruction Into Daily Reading Curriculum, Rachel Pennock

Culminating Experience Projects

Research reiterates how instilling a strong reading foundation in young students is vital to their growth in the future. Today, students in early elementary need continuous support in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In order to meet the needs of students, teachers must incorporate a systematic phonics program into their daily reading instruction.

A systematic phonics program uses a scope and sequence to teach reading skills to students. It begins with phonemic awareness and evolves into basic decoding skills, as well as word recognition. Teachers teach new skills through whole group instruction, and alongside students through intentional small …

Carrying The Stories Of Las Mariposas: Literacy As Collective And Transformative, Deborah Vriend Van Duinen

Michigan Reading Journal

Literacy is often understood as the acquisition of individual skills and knowledge. In this essay, I explore different approaches to understanding literacy that focus on social meaning-making and action. Drawing on historical examples of literacy learning and my recent experiences in a community-wide reading program focused on Julia Alvarez’s (1994) In the Time of the Butterflies, I use the concept of “carrying stories” to reflect on how literacy learning can be collective and transformative for self and society.

A Summer Reading Program For Joy And Growth: Using Free Books, Videos, And Little Free Libraries To Empower Students And Parents To Make The Most Of The Summer Months For Reading Growth, Allison Nieboer

Culminating Experience Projects

The summer months provide a prime opportunity for elementary children to grow in their reading skills and reading lives. This project investigates successful summer reading programs that leverage the expertise of parents to mediate the effects of summer slide and encourage summer reading growth. The project culminates in a summer reading program that supports both students and parents. Schools can support students by providing free texts and allowing students to choose these books for themselves. Schools can support parents by providing summer reading tips in the form of short, helpful and practical videos. Both students and parents can be supported …