Education Commons^™

The Role Of Prereading Instruction In Content Area Reading, Mary Carol Smith

Graduate Research Papers

The graduate project presented in this paper is a workshop for teachers of grades 4, 5, and 6. The workshop will consist of prereading strategies to use in the content areas. Participants will learn that prereading instruction is preparing the student to read content area material. Teachers involved in the workshop will also gain an understanding of the need for and importance of prereading preparation.

Reading Recovery In The Classroom : A Literacy Team Approach, Nancy Strunk Larsen

Graduate Research Papers

A recent remedy for the concern over continued progress and over communication between Reading Recovery and the classroom is to adapt Reading Recovery practices in the regular classroom. A Title I Reading Recovery program in a Midwestern school adopted this very remedy. The program initiated in this elementary school has two Reading Recovery teachers, three first-grade teachers, and two second-grade teachers who work collaboratively as a literacy team. The goal of the program is to use a teamwork approach to teach reading both with the idea of meeting the instructional needs of the student and also of teaching the classroom …

Nurturing Reading Comprehension Of Attention Deficit Students By Improving Their Inferential Skills, Paula Decker

Graduate Research Papers

Inference-making is a necessary component of reading comprehension. Many attention deficit students have shown some degree of reading comprehension deficiencies. Due to the nature of their disability – staying focused, sticking to a task, and noticing details – inference-making may be difficult for them.

This article suggests that by modifying and enhancing existing teaching methods and strategies, the instructional needs of ADD/ADHD students would be met. It offers some lesson and teaching modifications that have shown to be helpful in this author's experience.

When teachers are aware of the characteristics and limitations of students with an attention deficiency, they can …

Reading Recovery : The Teacher's Perspective, Nancy A. Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

READING RECOVERY: The Teacher's Perspective presents a report of research that looks at Reading Recovery, an early intervention reading program for low-performing students, with the primary focus on the role the teacher plays. Data used was compiled from journal articles and personal interviews with three teachers randomly chosen from a Midwest school district. The basic questions were directed toward the teacher training, lack of professional input from the teachers in training, and the extensive paperwork required of the Reading Recovery teachers.

Results of the study indicated that teachers that are actively involved in the Reading Recovery program accept the program …

Reading Workshop And Vocabulary Knowledge : Allies In Comprehension, Ellen Cutting

Graduate Research Papers

The Reading Workshop develops a purpose for reading, gives students a greater sense of their own efficacy, broadens understanding of reading strategies, provides a context that supports the student choice of what is read, and allows integration of prior knowledge in what is read (Kletzien & Hushion, 1992). Students are able to construct and direct their own learning in the Reading Workshop by reading books of their independent choice, respond to what is read, and receive mini-skill instruction on reading strategies. Students are invited to be actively involved in a process that is consistent with whole language philosophy (Atwell, 1987). …

Guiding Peer Conferences In The Process Of Writing, Cheryl Kremer

Graduate Research Papers

Children can only become experienced writers by learning to use the writing process through opportunities to write and through modeling of strategies by their teacher. Children will especially benefit from questions and comments that are appropriate to make during a writing conference. This instruction may first take place during all-class conferences and eventually move to conferences between students (Graves, 1983). Conferences may have many purposes, but according to Graves (1994), the most basic purpose for a conference is to give the students time to share where they are in the writing process and to figure out where they are headed.

Technology And Its Impact On Language Arts, Tresa Ann Dietrich

Graduate Research Papers

Language arts is a field where technology can be worked into the writing and reading fields with word processors, CD-ROMs, and other multimedia materials that focus on communication. Learning to effectively communicate is one goal of language arts education. This encompasses speaking, listening, writing, and presentation – utilizing all the available technologies and incorporating them into highly motivating and innovative units or activities.

Developing More Efficient Readers : A Guided Reading, Making Words, And Sentence Writing Practice, Nancy Hohanshelt

Graduate Research Papers

Inefficient reading of text by poor readers has always been a concern of reading teachers. This paper demonstrates an approach that increases vocabulary, aids comprehension, and improves writing. It incorporates three processes: guided reading, making words, and sentence writing.

The guided reading segment is where the text is introduced and then read by the students. Difficult words are studied and mini-lessons may be initiated at this time or a later time. The second portion of the lesson is for making words. A word is chosen from the guided reading text and becomes the target word for this portion of the …

Book Discussions : Guiding Students In Creating Their Own Questioning, Christine Matthew

Graduate Research Papers

Book discussions increase the understanding and personal meaning of books through the students' active participation during the reading process. Previous to book discussions the students would give a statement from the book or paraphrase the book. With the new format students are able to talk about the character's feelings, predict the happenings in the story, discuss the circumstances in the story and how the story could have been written differently.

The success of the book discussions makes it an easy decision to continue the program. This process is very enjoyable and can be adapted for any classroom and teacher. The …

Early Literacy Experiences And Their Affect On Children's Literacy Development, Jolene Miller

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of literature relative to the importance of early literacy experiences for children. The primary focus this paper was to look at the benefits of early experiences with literature on children's literacy development.

The primary early literary experience investigated was children being read to by adults, and the benefits of this activity related to literacy development. Other components· of a rich literacy environment and their potential benefits were discussed. All of the activities that were investigated were found to positively influence literacy development.

Potential problems parents may have when trying to provide literacy experiences for their …

The Writing Portfolio : An Authentic Assessment Tool, Sondra L. Nelson

Graduate Research Papers

Using writing portfolios as an ongoing assessment technique in the second grade classroom was a rewarding experience for my students and me. Our collaboration through conferences provided many connections between instruction and assessment. The students even though they represented a range of abilities were able to assess their own work and grow from their own reflections. Their writing abilities emerged and were captured in their portfolios. Authentic assessments were displayed with pride as each of the students shared their portfolios with their parents.

Providing A Print-Rich Environment For Young Writers, Rita S. Nierling

Graduate Research Papers

A print-rich environment can provide many experiences to nurture young children's writing abilities. Cambourne's instructional elements for promoting literacy have been related to a literature-based program. Literature experiences and related writing activities extended to the science area of an elementary instructional program, specially to the concept of air, are developed.

Bibliotherapy : A Technique To Meet The Social And Emotional Needs Of Gifted Adolescents, Carlotta Paul

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of developmental bibliotherapy as an instructional technique for resolving social and emotional problems of gifted adolescents. By means of a review of educational and psychological literature, the writer gathered data about the effectiveness of developmental bibliotherapy in treating the social and emotional problems of the gifted described by Delisle and others.

The lack of bibliotherapeutic empirical studies using gifted adolescents as subjects and conflicting studies on the effectiveness of bibliotherapy to alter social and personality problems led the author to conclude that developmental bibliotherapy is still an experimental technique. However, …

Integrating Writing Across The Curriculum Enables Special Needs Students To Become Writers, Gretchen Peterson-Kobriger

Graduate Research Papers

Elementary students with language and learning disabilities became independent writers and readers after the classroom instruction changed from a teacher directed, segmented, skill deficit approach which is typically found in special education classrooms to a classroom which embraced whole language philosophies and provided students with the necessary conditions for learning written language. This paper describes the specific changes in teaching philosophy, instructional practices, methods, and strategies which were implemented in my classroom. It demonstrates how individual student challenges were met which enabled the students to increase their self-esteem and awareness of themselves as writers.

The Effects Of An Individualized Reading Program On Recreational Reading, Kim Aneweer

Graduate Research Papers

We are creating a nation of alliterates. The vast majority of our population can read and write, but choose not to. The researcher intended to investigate this problem by creating an individualized reading program for a group of fifth grade students. The reading program was designed according to the students· reading levels and interests. The researcher monitored the amount of time the students spent reading for pleasure. The study consisted of three phases. During the first phase, the students chose their reading materials. A computer program assisted the students in choosing their books in phase two of the study. The …

Providing A Rich Learning Environment Through A Literature-Based Unit Across The Curriculum : Gardens And Gardening, Glenda G. Moleski

Graduate Research Papers

A literature base with related expressive activities from the language arts and graphic and performing arts can support an integrated instructional study. As a result, personal-social and thinking-language abilities can be nurtured. This specific literature base on gardens and gardening was developed for at-risk children in a multi-age classroom (grades 2-3).

Home Response Journals : Parents As Informed Contributors In The Assessment Of Their Child's Reading Development, Julie Wilson Morningstar

Graduate Research Papers

When parents are welcomed as partners in their child's "educational team," a bridge connecting the child's home and school environments is created - empowering parents as active participants in their child's reading development.

Using Interactive Writing With Reluctant Writers, Candis Frieden

Graduate Research Papers

Interactive writing provides an authentic opportunity for children to learn the conventions of writing while constructing meaningful text. As the teacher and children compose a text together, children are active participants in analyzing sounds and constructing words. While writing, children develop strategies for spelling. Interactive writing gives children confidence to use invented spelling which increases children's independence in writing.

Coordinating General Classroom Reading Instruction With Reading Recovery Instruction, Jane E. Bentley-Gadow

Graduate Research Papers

"Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world" (The National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983, p. 5). 3 These were the opening words published in a 1983 letter to the people of the United States entitled, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. In 1981, the National Commission on Excellence in Education was created under the direction of the Secretary of Education, T. H. Bell. Its purpose was to investigate issues in America's education, define problems and identify solutions (The National …

Success At Last : One Teacher's Growth In Understanding Of Writer's Workshop, Cindy L. Davis

Graduate Research Papers

Writer's workshop is an approach to teaching writing that corresponds to the whole language philosophy. Much of the literature published on the topic of whole language, and specifically writer's workshop, describes the ideal classroom environment. However, "whole language in the intermediate classroom is often given less attention in professional books and journals than the primary classroom receives" (Gannon-Smith, 1991). As a reading and language arts teacher of sixth grade students, I have been interested in teaching writing through the use of writer's workshop. There are some general whole language themes which can be used to build a motivating writing environment …

Integrating Children's Literature And Mathematics In The Early Childhood Classroom, Jamie M. Christensen

Graduate Research Papers

"Historically there have been three reasons for groups to formally adopt a set of standards: (1) to ensure quality, (2) to indicate goals, and (3) to promote change. For NCTM, all three reasons are of equal importance" (The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, p. 2).

Now, more than any other time in history, mathematical reform is essential in our school systems. The traditional mathematics curriculum was designed to prepare shopkeepers, farmers, and factory workers for occupations in the early 1900s. Some of those skills are still useful in today's society. However, as the new millennium approaches, our future …

A Kindergarten Teacher's Growth : Creating An Authentic Writing Program, Deborah Reicks

Graduate Research Papers

In examining several elements of the kindergarten writing program I chose to focus on the importance of the connection between reading and writing and the role I, as a teacher, can play in encouraging children to grow and develop as young writers. By improving the process of discussing and recording a child's writing with each child we were able to focus on how reading and writing are connected and use the child's strengths and interests to foster growth.