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Exploring How Elementary Esl Teachers Experience Learning And Change Related To A Genre-Based Approach To Language Instruction, Angela Froemming
Exploring How Elementary Esl Teachers Experience Learning And Change Related To A Genre-Based Approach To Language Instruction, Angela Froemming
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study explored how elementary ESL teachers describe their experience learning about genre-based pedagogy, and how they describe change that resulted from learning about this instructional approach. Multilingual learners represent a rising student demographic across the United States (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2021), however, most teachers and administrators have not been adequately trained in language development, so language remains an abstract concept and professional learning experiences related to language development are scarce (He & Bagwell, 2021; Ranney, 2012). Without language-based resources or frameworks, ESL teachers are often underutilized professionals in their schools (Harper & de Jong, 2009). A genre-based …
The Disappearing Of The Hmong Language, Choua Yang
The Disappearing Of The Hmong Language, Choua Yang
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Within my personal and professional experience, I have observed that the Hmong oral language has declined since the Hmong people arrived in the United States. Over the past 50 years in the United States, there have been growing concerns regarding the decline in usage of the Hmong language within Hmong children. In my personal experience, my children who are second generation Hmong, only the five older children are bilingual while my three younger children only speak English. As for my seven grandchildren, who are third generation Hmong, they only speak English. They do not understand nor speak the Hmong language. …
Supporting Dual-Identified Learners’ English Expressive Language Development, Sara Hommes
Supporting Dual-Identified Learners’ English Expressive Language Development, Sara Hommes
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project seeks to answer the questions: How can educators support ELL and dual-identified learners’ English language development in the modalities of writing and speaking? What is the intersectionality between language acquisition and SLD issues? This project was born out of the author’s own experience in supporting dual-identified learners as well as from a desire to better support expressive language production in her class, with the goal of helping students exit the EL program. The author consulted research that offered information on the diverse identities and various labels of ELL learners, the issues in identifying SLD in ELLs, various perspectives …
Implementing Authentic Literacy Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom, Isabella Haeger
Implementing Authentic Literacy Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom, Isabella Haeger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Cultivating a literacy-rich and engaging classroom community from the beginning of the kindergarten year is an important step to provide students with a positive experience with learning. Authentic literacy centers are a way for primary learners to interact with targeted literacy skills in a meaningful way. Teachers can plan intentional reading, writing, word work, and listening skills that are differentiated and hands-on. This capstone evaluates the question: What are the most impactful ways to establish authentic and engaging literacy work stations for kindergarten students that promote voice and choice? The summarizing website showcases authentic literacy tasks for each center and …
This Could Have Been An Email: Adapting English Language Arts Curriculum To Better Suit Modern Communication Needs, Emily Millin
This Could Have Been An Email: Adapting English Language Arts Curriculum To Better Suit Modern Communication Needs, Emily Millin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
As technology and society evolve, so do the modes and practices of communication. The teacher resources and classroom activities presented within this capstone project focus on the combination of Minnesota’s English Language Arts (ELA) and College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards to develop future-ready classroom curricula and activities. Through the creation of an asynchronous professional resource for educators, this project works to highlight key tenets of modern communication, skills students will need in their futures, and showcase how these skills can look in the classroom. With research focusing on academic standards, employability skills, and classroom curriculum and instruction, the goal …
Helping High School English Learners Self-Regulate Their Writing Development Through Formative Assessments, Pamela Madsen
Helping High School English Learners Self-Regulate Their Writing Development Through Formative Assessments, Pamela Madsen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The goal of many educators is to prepare students for lifelong learning, yet something about the U.S. school system is having the opposite effect; while students begin their educational journey with curiosity and excitement, somewhere along the way, their thirst for knowledge is extinguished and replaced with the goal of just getting by. This is especially true for English learners who are often overwhelmed with the simultaneous learning of language and content and whose diverse backgrounds create diverse needs. Through exploring the theory of self-regulated learning, characteristics of effective formative assessment, and how best to meet the cultural and …
Linguistic Justice In Peer Tutoring, Emily Livingston
Linguistic Justice In Peer Tutoring, Emily Livingston
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Academic standards in higher education often require students to conform to Standard American English language practices—a linguistically unsound approach to language use that can be harmful to multilingual and multidialectal learners. Peer tutors in Writing and Tutoring Centers often find themselves enforcing these standards without reflection. This capstone project addressed the following questions: How have the monolingual language policies of the U.S. education system encouraged linguistic biases? How might linguistic biases lead to inequitable outcomes for multilingual students? What training and education can be provided to peer tutors to critically reflect on and begin to address these inequities while tutoring …
Peer Review And Feedback In The Middle School English Learner Classroom, Alyssa Schuler
Peer Review And Feedback In The Middle School English Learner Classroom, Alyssa Schuler
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The development of writing skills is a necessity when it comes to teaching English Language Learners (ELLs). Middle school ELLs should be taught in a different manner compared to their older and younger peers. Research has shown that implementing peer review and feedback in a middle school ELL classroom can improve students’ writing skills. This capstone helps to answer the research question, How can I integrate peer review and feedback activities into instruction in order to improve the writing skills of middle school English language learners? This capstone project provides a curriculum unit that scaffolds lessons and activities in a …
Translanguaging Writing Strategies For The High School Classroom And Low-Level Literacy El Students, Lisa Kebort
Translanguaging Writing Strategies For The High School Classroom And Low-Level Literacy El Students, Lisa Kebort
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Translanguaging has been shown to be a successful strategy to support high school EL students in accessing content knowledge, prior knowledge, and preserving a student’s cultural identity. Many emergent bilingual students struggle to access content due to low-level literacy in their first language, and the high content demands of high school. This is especially true when it comes to writing in English. Using translanguaging writing strategies, such as pre-writing in the student’s L1, discussion in L1, and translated texts, allows students to showcase what they know and meet standards. This capstone project resulted in a Canvas Course for high school …
Research Based Strategies In Reading And Writing For Content Area Teachers: A Website To Support Growth In Academic Language, Kathryn Schmidbauer
Research Based Strategies In Reading And Writing For Content Area Teachers: A Website To Support Growth In Academic Language, Kathryn Schmidbauer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The population of English language learners in general education classrooms is growing every year and teachers are finding that they need strategies to support these learners in reading and writing along with helping them adapt to school in another culture. Without classroom support, it becomes more difficult for these students to acquire the academic language needed to be successful and the opportunity gap continues to widen. This website designed for this project focuses on research based reading and writing strategies for content area teachers at the secondary level, specifically grades six through 12. Strategies for skills such as comprehension, vocabulary …
Teaching The Art Of Writing As An Artist, Yarrow Mead
Teaching The Art Of Writing As An Artist, Yarrow Mead
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
and almost never given the skills they need to do so. Research shows this discouragement is often tied in with race and class issues in our schools and society. This capstone project sets out to answer the question: How specifically can we teach high school students interested in the arts important skills such as grant writing, and artist biography and statement writing, and why should we be teaching those skills? The project set out to create an accessible website for both instructors and students to help them teach and learn the skills of grant, artist biography, and artist statement writing. …
Engaging Secondary School Students In The Process Of Writing With Expressivist Pedagogy, Alla Boulos
Engaging Secondary School Students In The Process Of Writing With Expressivist Pedagogy, Alla Boulos
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The composition pedagogy of expressivism, which grew out of process theory in the 1960s has been influencing academia’s approach to teaching writing for several decades. The major characteristics of this pedagogy first outlined by its most prominent champion Peter Elbow include the focus on the process rather than the product of writing, the personalization of academic writing with inclusion of personal experiences and pronouns, the lack of textbooks and prescriptive atmosphere, the use of low stakes writing assignments like freewriting and journaling, and the prevalent use of formative assessment techniques such as writing workshops, peer responses, and portfolios. Although expressivism …
Writing In The Math Classroom In Order To Increase The Academic Proficiency In English Language Learners, Daniel Bahnaman
Writing In The Math Classroom In Order To Increase The Academic Proficiency In English Language Learners, Daniel Bahnaman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
learners. These students specifically struggle with mathematics, as it relies heavily on specific academic language that is constantly being scaffolded. Research has shown that writing in the mathematics classroom can assist English language learners develop academic vocabulary and therefore increase proficiency. This capstone project focuses on the research question: How can writing in the math classroom increase the academic language and proficiency in a classroom of 80% English language learners? The project gives an introduction into implementing writing in the middle school math classroom by providing a one-week introduction to journaling, a two-week eighth-grade curriculum with added writing pieces, and …
Improving Writing Skills Through The Use Of Morning Work In The Second-Grade Classroom, Catherine Nelson-Dittmann
Improving Writing Skills Through The Use Of Morning Work In The Second-Grade Classroom, Catherine Nelson-Dittmann
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In an effort to impact second-grade student writing, the vehicle of morning work was utilized as a pre-existing opportunity to incorporate research-based best practices in writing. To frame this project, the capstone question was asked, “How can morning work be used to improve second-grade student writing skills?” This capstone set out to identify the practices that would yield the best results in a small amount of time and found that authentic, contextual writing experiences would support this goal. While explicit skill instruction is important, authentic writing experiences allow students to, not only practice writing, but also understand and use grammar, …
Finding A Place In Learning: Facilitating Place-Based Writing In The Secondary Classroom, Ella Rausch
Finding A Place In Learning: Facilitating Place-Based Writing In The Secondary Classroom, Ella Rausch
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
How can teachers facilitate place-based writing that improves the writing and research skills of high school students? This project contains a facilitation guide for an expeditionary experience that utilizes place-based writing for secondary students. Research has shown the significant benefits of this learning model for high school students and its far reaching effects beyond writing skills. Project-based learning is used as the foundation for the guide, emphasizing cross-curricular learning experiences and student voice and choice to provide authentic learning experiences. The guide is designed to support teachers as they lead students through individual projects related to a place they visit …
Helping Secondary El Students Become More Effective Writers, Chanda Mulligan
Helping Secondary El Students Become More Effective Writers, Chanda Mulligan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Mulligan, C. Helping Secondary EL Students Become More Effective Writers (2020) Secondary EL students do not consistently have access to equitable writing instruction. Students should expect that teachers are delivering writing instruction that will enable them to write successfully for academic and professional purposes. This capstone sought to answer the question: How can teachers of EL learners ensure that students utilize their entire linguistic repertoire to access the linguistic structures they need in order to communicate effectively for academic tasks? The following themes emerged in the literature reviewed: academic language and systemic functional linguistics, writing and grammar instruction for ELs, …
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how does conferring improve the literacy skills of elementary students? The author describes the process of researching and creating a professional development for the purposes of informing educators of conferring, demonstrating its benefits, and modeling how to best implement it into their educational spaces. Research around conferring, specifically by Serravallo (2019), Allen (2009) and Calkins (2013) helped break down the three aspects of conferring - assessment, individualized instruction and goal setting. These separate components were then broken down to help determine the benefits conferring has on the literacy growth of students. This …
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can elementary teachers utilize mentor texts in elementary literacy instruction? This project documents how teachers can select mentor texts and utilize them in literacy instruction. The literature review focused on five main topics. These topics were, the definition of mentor texts, selecting mentor texts, role of mentor texts, student engagement with mentor texts, and student achievement with mentor texts. Additionally, research (Bates & Morgan, 2018) was done on creating professional developments. The literature review showed that utilizing mentor texts is a successful way to teach young writers. In addition, it showed …
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The process approach to writing instruction has become widely used; however, writing assessment practices that emphasize summative feedback may not utilize the strengths of the process approach to instruction. This capstone project answers the question: How can writing instruction and assessment practices be used to create an effective and efficient writing curriculum? The result of the research shows that the instruction methods of specific writing strategies, mentor text analysis, collaborative writing, and sentence combination can be effectively integrated. Research-informed curricula were developed with an emphasis on student-centered formative assessment practices such as writing conferences and peer/self-assessment. These practices effectively support …
Promoting Student Metacognition To Aid The Writing Process, Jessica Kramar
Promoting Student Metacognition To Aid The Writing Process, Jessica Kramar
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Writing is a process that occurs over multiple steps; this may seem both excruciating and tedious to students. By encouraging metacognition throughout the process, teachers can create more autonomous learners. This capstone uses reflective strategies that address the question How can educators use independent and group reflection processes to help students assess their understanding and mastery of writing state standards? Research concludes that guided interaction with feedback increases student accountability and understanding of effective writing. Through a series of reflective strategies, modeling, and both critical and positive feedback, teachers can shift the way students think about their own writing, benefiting …
Fostering Student Interest And Motivation In Second Grade Writing, Nicholas Dorow
Fostering Student Interest And Motivation In Second Grade Writing, Nicholas Dorow
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can writing curriculum offer choices for second grade students in a manner that increases interest and growth? It documents one teacher’s creation and implementation of a fifteen-lesson writing curriculum focused on offering student choice. The lessons were developed based primarily upon the research of Carol Dweck, Bill Meyer, Naomi Haywood, Darshan Sachdev, and Sally Faraday; in connection with second grade, Common Core Standards. The author details the implementation of the lesson, including both successes and difficulties in the process. The author concluded that the implementation of the student choice writing curriculum …
On The Importance Of Deliberate Writing Instruction In Fourth Grade Classrooms, Joshua Baumgartner
On The Importance Of Deliberate Writing Instruction In Fourth Grade Classrooms, Joshua Baumgartner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question that was at the heart of the study was: How can fourth grade educators increase student motivation to write and strengthen students’ writing skills using the workshop model? Central topics addressed in the Review of the Literature included the Common Core State Standards for writing, concerns and issues facing today’s teachers of writing, and a variety of possible solutions to these issues. A group of 14 fourth grade students were the focus of the study in which a workshop-based writing unit from the Units of Study curriculum was taught, with particular attention paid to the growth of …
Literacy Strategies For Secondary Social Studies Classrooms Website, Rachael Shaner
Literacy Strategies For Secondary Social Studies Classrooms Website, Rachael Shaner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Multiple experts agree that using literacy in secondary classrooms can be a gateway in multiple content areas (Alvermann, Phelps, & Ridgeway, 2007; Kottler & Gallavan, 2008; Schneider, 1994) and this project is focused on integrating different literacy strategies into secondary social studies classrooms. The website project is focused on three main categories of literacy: Reading (pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading), Writing (formal and informal), and Speaking and Listening (discussions and debating). The website is designed with over 25 literacy strategies, each of which has its own web page with a detailed explanation of how to integrate and use the strategy …
Strategies To Enhance The Positive Effects Of Bilingualism, Danielle Mcmillan
Strategies To Enhance The Positive Effects Of Bilingualism, Danielle Mcmillan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Supporting bilingual students is critical not only for the bilingual students but also for monolingual students. Prominent bilingualism in the classroom can translate to higher test scores, increased engagement, and long-term impacts on brain agility. This capstone project seeks to answer the question: What strategies are available to educators to enhance the positive effects of bilingualism in their students? The final result of this project is a website which includes a series of strategies focused on the four domains of language which seeks to meet the educational needs of both bilingual and mainstream students. The website includes a description of …
Creating A Love For Writing, Mary Kornmann
Creating A Love For Writing, Mary Kornmann
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can primary teachers intrinsically motivate their reluctant writers through narrative writing? It documents how teachers can encourage their struggling writers to write narrative stories. The literature found was focused on motivation strategies, how to identify and teach struggling writers, and effective writing strategies. During the research, there was the idea of interactive writing and how seeing the writing being done by the teacher, before the students try is effective. The research has shown that young writers need scaffolding and modeling to effectively learn how to write different genres. The project is …
Student-Led Book Clubs Support Reading Engagement In Primary Grades, Cassie Torbenson
Student-Led Book Clubs Support Reading Engagement In Primary Grades, Cassie Torbenson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Torbenson, C. Student-Led Book Clubs Support Reading Engagement in Primary Grades This Capstone project was created to support primary grade teachers in learning about student-led book clubs as a format of literacy instruction. The author set out to answer the question: how can student-led book clubs support the development of reading engagement in primary grades? As an elementary teacher responsible for creating an engaging classroom, the author feels strongly that when students are able to make meaningful connections from school work to real life, learning is more authentic and therefore supports students in building skills for lifelong learning. One intriguing …
Scaffolding Kindergarten Writing For English Language Learners, Katlyn Carson
Scaffolding Kindergarten Writing For English Language Learners, Katlyn Carson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Decades of research has documented the achievement gap between English Learners (ELs) and non-ELs in U.S. schools. According to some measures, one of the areas in which ELs struggle most is writing, an area which is often ignored especially in early childhood and kindergarten classrooms. Furthermore, many teachers report that they feel underprepared to meet the needs of ELs in their classroom. This capstone project addresses the particular challenge of teaching writing to kindergarten ELs and answers the question: What information and strategies would support elementary teachers when scaffolding writing curriculum and instruction to meet the unique needs of ELs? …
How Can Effective Curriculum Be Developed For Elementary English Language Students?, Lauren Lau
How Can Effective Curriculum Be Developed For Elementary English Language Students?, Lauren Lau
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question that this capstone addresses is, how can an effective curriculum be created for elementary English language learners, with the project emphasizing on creating a writing curriculum for third grade English language students. This capstone looks at effective teaching strategies and the four content areas that need to be developed for language proficiency for English language learners. This capstone also discusses the struggles that some school districts with finding an appropriate curriculum and the funding to purchase one. The writing curriculum that is developed for the project uses the information from the research to form a strong basis …
How Can Mentor Texts Be Used To Teach Students In A Second Grade Classroom?, Caroline Thorvig
How Can Mentor Texts Be Used To Teach Students In A Second Grade Classroom?, Caroline Thorvig
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Mentor texts is a popular term in the education world right now. This capstone defines mentor texts, how experts suggest selecting them, and how using mentor texts fits into best practices in literacy education. The use of mentor texts in reading, writing, and content areas is discussed. This capstone project gives examples of four mini-lessons taught with different mentor texts at a second grade level. Other possible mini-lessons are suggested to show the reader how one text can be used to teach many concepts.
Secondary Teachers Should Expose Rural Readers To Books That Are Culturally Different Than The Student's Personal Choice, Sarah Roiger
Secondary Teachers Should Expose Rural Readers To Books That Are Culturally Different Than The Student's Personal Choice, Sarah Roiger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone addresses the research question, “How can secondary teachers expose rural readers to books that are culturally different than the student’s personal choice?” It documents one teacher’s creation of a book club that allows students a chance to read various novels that portray cultures that differ from the rural culture. It integrates differentiation of choice novels, reflections, and character comparisons. The author documents research from the literature review based on rural influence and motivation, classroom culture, and censorship by schools, parents, and librarians. This project includes the lists of books to use, the step-by-step layout, and the character comparison …