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High School Mathematics: A Venue For Political Resistance To White Supremacy, Morgan Kendall Fierst
High School Mathematics: A Venue For Political Resistance To White Supremacy, Morgan Kendall Fierst
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The teaching of mathematics in the United States is biased, unjust, and racist. It pretends to be a politically neutral subject despite its inherent white supremist structures and systems. Three main structural component of mathematics education support White Supremacy and need to be dismantled and restructured: inequitable access, the dehumanization of students, and the emphasis of the individual. Mathematics education can be a venue for political resistance to White Supremacy. This project outlines a yearlong advanced algebra curriculum that is rooted in student voice, community engagement, and social connection and includes: essential foundational work, curriculum design, a pacing guide, course-learning …
The Benefits Of Experiential Learning In An Outdoor Expedition Setting, Luke Kimmes
The Benefits Of Experiential Learning In An Outdoor Expedition Setting, Luke Kimmes
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Experiential learning has been around for hundreds of years. This is one of many pedological methods that teachers use today. Technological advancements in the classroom, and in modern day society, is creating withdraw from these experiential hands on learning tactics in an outdoor setting. To understand the extreme importance and benefits of college level students to have interest and incorporate an experiential learning experience in their lives, presented below in the literature review there is content backing this approach. Through the literature review findings, my personal experience on expeditions, and in the field teachings, the Rediscovering North America experiential learning …
Developing A Pollinator Activity Guide For Pre K-6 Formal And Non-Formal Educators, Alaiana A. Larkin
Developing A Pollinator Activity Guide For Pre K-6 Formal And Non-Formal Educators, Alaiana A. Larkin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was: how can I develop a pollinator activity guide for preK-6 formal and non-formal educators? I created and adapted various pollinator lessons and activities that are hands-on, place-based and engaging for early education and elementary students. They include imaginative play, interactive investigations and outdoor discoveries. These activities were designed to raise awareness and increase understanding of the importance, diversity and human connection to pollinators, including bees, wasps, flies, moths, butterflies, beetles and bats. As well, there is a focus on the diversity of native bumblebees and solitary bees in Minnesota. David Sobel and …
Embedding Self-Regulation Strategy Instruction Into The Genre-Based Writing Curriculum, Peter Hagenson
Embedding Self-Regulation Strategy Instruction Into The Genre-Based Writing Curriculum, Peter Hagenson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed by this project is: how can teachers embed self-regulation strategies into their writing curriculum for students who struggle to write independently? This project documents the author’s attempt at merging genre-based pedagogy borrowed from Systemic Functional Linguistics with Rebeca Oxford’s Strategic Self-Regulation (S2R) model of learning. The resulting instructional unit, developed with the guidance of Wiggin’s and McTighe’s Understanding by Design framework, teaches secondary students how to write in the genre of persuasion. Additionally, it systematically engages students with opportunities to practice cognitive, affective, and sociocultural-interactive strategies that researchers have found to be characteristic behaviors of effective …
How Can Art Educators Promote A Choice-Based Program While Supporting And Maintaining Standards-Based Instruction And Assessment?, Jessica Frisco
How Can Art Educators Promote A Choice-Based Program While Supporting And Maintaining Standards-Based Instruction And Assessment?, Jessica Frisco
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In order for art educators to uphold best practices, we must recognize the shifting and overlapping philosophies in the art education world. We must reflect and adjust to the needs of our students and communities, as well as embrace the research and practices of previous scholars and art educators to help us grow in our own practice. The guiding question to address this challenge was: “How can art educators promote a choice-based program while supporting and maintaining standards-based instruction and assessment?” The literature review includes an examination of standards based instruction, 21st century learning, Teaching for Artistic Behavior, choice based …
Integrating The Nature Of Science Into The International Baccalaureate Chemistry Curriculum: Lesson Plans And Resources For Educators, Greta Wanless Stacy
Integrating The Nature Of Science Into The International Baccalaureate Chemistry Curriculum: Lesson Plans And Resources For Educators, Greta Wanless Stacy
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This paper outlines the need for, and the creation of, ten lesson plans designed to teach the nature of science in an integrated fashion in the IB chemistry curriculum. The nature of science is necessary not just to prepare students to answer experimental questions on the IB exam, but also to answer new questions about chemistry and science throughout their lives. Simply using an inquiry approach is insufficient to teach the nature of science; it must be explicitly taught with varying degrees of contextualization to maximize student learning. Like all content areas, the nature of science should be taught in …
Lead Like A Pirate: Fostering Leadership Development In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Girls, Jennifer Endres
Lead Like A Pirate: Fostering Leadership Development In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Girls, Jennifer Endres
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can a summer day camp foster leadership development in kindergarten through third grade girls? It documents the author’s creation of a twoweek summer day camp as an innovative and fun way to begin leadership development in young girls. The “Lead like a Pirate” camp includes a variety of activities to expose young girls to skills that most highly resonate with leadership and overall future success, including: selfesteem and confidence, grit and growth mindset, communication, vulnerability, selfreflection and creativity. The girls will be encouraged to take risks and step out of their …
Effective Curriculum To Accelerate Academic Reading Comprehension For High School English Language Learners, Lisa Menke Johnson
Effective Curriculum To Accelerate Academic Reading Comprehension For High School English Language Learners, Lisa Menke Johnson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, what is an effective curriculum for accelerating reading comprehension skills in secondary English Language Learner students. It documents one teacher’s creation of a unit that combined research based strategies for increasing reading comprehension skills in older students as well as second language acquisition strategies. It integrated vocabulary development, grammar forms and functions and intervention strategies proven to be successful with high school students. The author documents the details of the unit and uses related research literature to construct meaning and validate the study. The project provides a quarter long unit focused on …
How Self-Regulated Strategy Development In Writing Eases The Transition From Special Education To Regular Education For Students With Learning Disabilities, Charlene K. Irvin-Brown
How Self-Regulated Strategy Development In Writing Eases The Transition From Special Education To Regular Education For Students With Learning Disabilities, Charlene K. Irvin-Brown
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The author’s own and her students’ struggles with writing encouraged her to research best practices in teaching written language in order to ease the transition of students with learning disabilities to the regular education classroom. She found that Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) along with teaching the writing as a recursive process had the highest effect size. She narrowed her research by focusing on the stages of SRSD and best practices for teaching writing. She also reviewed the Minnesota writing standards for third through fifth grade. The author created an eight-lesson curriculum that incorporated the stages of SRSD for teaching narrative …
Can Creating An Activity Guide On Soil Health Improve Environmental Awareness And Foster Agricultural Sustainability, Lee Vannyhuis
Can Creating An Activity Guide On Soil Health Improve Environmental Awareness And Foster Agricultural Sustainability, Lee Vannyhuis
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question in this project was, can creating an activity guide on soil health improve environmental awareness and foster agricultural sustainability? This capstone discusses how healthy soils are important for sustaining agricultural productivity with shrinking farmland and a rising human population. It discusses how soils play a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment. This capstone also shows evidence that experiential learning using activity guides is an effective way of teaching environmental issues. The project developed with the capstone is called Soil Health Activity Guide: Black is the new Green. It was was modeled after the widely used environmental …
How To Make Read-Aloud In Language Arts Engaging To Students In A Fifth-Grade Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos
How To Make Read-Aloud In Language Arts Engaging To Students In A Fifth-Grade Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Read-aloud is a strategy that is used in many fifth-grade language arts classrooms, although more often than not it is used to fill time and the only expectation of students is to listen passively. Therefore, the research question addressed in this capstone focused on how to make read-aloud in language arts engaging to students in a fifth-grade classroom. Components and best practices to create an effective read-aloud were explored so that students can participate more actively through different responses during read-aloud. A complete read-aloud guide including sixteen lessons to lead a class through the book The War That Saved My …
Lesson-Plan Delivery Before Lesson-Plan Design: Defining, Sequencing, And Teaching The Essential Skills Of An English Language Teacher Development Program At Induction, Joel Hanson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research questions addressed in this project were: 1) What are the essential set of teaching skills/practices at the induction portion of teacher training that are applicable to my EFL teaching context? 2) In light of the specific teacher preparation and development needs of the staff in a 12-school network in Morocco, how should these skills be sequenced and taught during the induction portion of an English language teacher development program? Answering these questions involved an investigation—and integration—of four teacher development frameworks proceeding from the macro- to micro-level of teacher training, unpacking what Feiman-Nemser calls the central tasks of learning …
Teaching And Understanding Phonemic Awareness And English Learners, Jennifer L. Wold
Teaching And Understanding Phonemic Awareness And English Learners, Jennifer L. Wold
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question for this paper and project was: Why is phonemic awareness important for English learners (ELs) and how can it be developed? The interest in this topic arose from observing English learners struggle with various English phonemes, especially the vowels, and the surprising difficulty of teaching students to acquire them. Research shows that phonemic awareness contributes to successful reading achievement and can affect intelligibility. English learners may struggle with phonemic awareness as phonemes that exist in English may not exist in their L1s. This paper and project focuses on native Spanish speakers and the distinction of the /i/ …
World History Instruction For English Language Learners: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach, Mary Engelun
World History Instruction For English Language Learners: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach, Mary Engelun
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was how can text analysis using a Systemic Functional Linguistic framework inform curriculum design in sheltered EL world history classes? Research in the theory and applications of systemic functional linguistics in education was described; emphasizing connections to instruction for secondary English language learners. The project was completed in parts: text analysis of theme progressions in history text, development of curriculum, and a pre-planning checklist for future unit development. This project documents one teacher’s creation of an integrated unit of world history content with language development lessons through a systemic functional linguistics approach. A …
Designing Pedagogy For Existing Mathematics: Measurement Curriculum In A Language Immersion School, Jihee Jina Kim
Designing Pedagogy For Existing Mathematics: Measurement Curriculum In A Language Immersion School, Jihee Jina Kim
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project addressed the research question of how instruction in the multilingual classroom learning environment can be beneficial in a language immersion school? How should the first-year teacher start to deliver effectively for students in multicultural circumstances? This document created curriculum for the subject of measurement taught by a first-year language immersion school teacher and included appropriate teaching pedagogy according to students’ individual circumstance in second grade mathematics. The author has keenly researched current, various perspectives from teachers, parents, and students as well as other facts regarding language immersion schools. Where there are students of different educational backgrounds, the teacher …
Curriculum For The Community: Creating A Community-Based English Learner Curriculum Framework, Danielle Celia Selcer
Curriculum For The Community: Creating A Community-Based English Learner Curriculum Framework, Danielle Celia Selcer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many schools and districts are experiencing a high influx of English Language Learners (ELLs), and a good number are experiencing difficulties with helping these students achieve at high levels, while at the same time fostering a sense of community in their schools. As a result of the author’s research and personal experience teaching English Language Development (ELD) in urban schools, the following research questions were posed. How well are Minneapolis ELLs meeting rigorous educational standards currently? How have personalized and community-based learning been approached in Minneapolis historically? What pre-existing, place-specific, and successful curricular frameworks exist which might provide a model …
Effective Vocabulary Instruction And Study Strategies For Adult Efl Learners, Daniel Todd Place
Effective Vocabulary Instruction And Study Strategies For Adult Efl Learners, Daniel Todd Place
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In this capstone I seek the answers to two questions. What are some effective ways to teach vocabulary in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom? What are some effective ways students can use to study vocabulary outside of the classroom to help them learn and retain target vocabulary items? I start by explaining who my students are. I include information about the students, the university I teach at and the town where the university is located. I continue to explain: what recent research says about adult EFL learners` needs; the importance of vocabulary improvement for EFL learners; and …
Curriculum Design Through Authentic Learning Projects In An International Baccalaureate Middle School Technology Design Classroom, Kari R. Greenfield
Curriculum Design Through Authentic Learning Projects In An International Baccalaureate Middle School Technology Design Classroom, Kari R. Greenfield
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project explores the research question “ How can creating a curriculum that fosters student creativity through authentic learning projects enhance instruction in the digital age?” The idea for this research started when the author was teaching in public school and it became more about the test and less about the students. Research about brain development, choice theory, constructivism and project based learning has lead to the development and creation of a student centered, authentic learning curriculum. The curriculum created is focused on an 8th grade technology design class that is at an International Baccalaureate private school in California. The …
Discovering The Learner Profile: An Interactive Read-Aloud Curriculum For K-2 Students In The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Dannika Wright
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Interaction with quality picture books is a powerful way for young students in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) to develop understanding of the Learner Profile. The Learner Profile is a set of ten attributes that define the “internationally minded learner” and is an integral part of the PYP curriculum framework. The author of this capstone examines existing literature on the history and structure of the IB and PYP, character education, and interactive read-alouds to create a curriculum that focus on attributes of the Learner Profile. Using the PYP curriculum framework and elements of the Fountas and Pinnell …
How Reading Comprehension Strategies Support English Learners In A Primary Integrated Environment, Amanda Roberg
How Reading Comprehension Strategies Support English Learners In A Primary Integrated Environment, Amanda Roberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
English Learners (ELs) are an important and growing population of students in schools nationwide, and how they are taught can have a major impact on their academic success (of course). The overall purpose for this study is to ensure that ELs in my own classroom are taught reading comprehension strategies from an effective curriculum that meets their specific needs. The curriculum used in the school in which this study was conducted was a combination of Daily 5 and the Treasures curriculum. The question posed for my research is: “What instructional strategies are appropriate for teaching reading comprehension to second language …
Using Art To Enhance Environmental Education, Andrew Hilger
Using Art To Enhance Environmental Education, Andrew Hilger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The author created a project that teaches students about environmental issues around water use in Minnesota. This project answers the question, “How can art be used to enhance environmental education?”. The author uses principles of art and art education to teach students about the state of water in Minnesota, the many challenges it faces, and several potential solutions for addressing pollution and overuse. Students complete art-based projects and assignments to address issues surrounding natural science, sustainability, and water use while adhering to state science standards.
Improving Literacy And Reading Comprehension Through Music Instruction In An El Sistema-Inspired Violin Program, Teresa Campbell
Improving Literacy And Reading Comprehension Through Music Instruction In An El Sistema-Inspired Violin Program, Teresa Campbell
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
My research questions were: how can I use the content area of music in an intensive, El Sistema-inspired after school string program to increase literacy and improve reading comprehension for my students and how do goals for increased literacy and improved reading comprehension align with an El Sistema-inspired program with goals for social change? To answer these questions I present four areas of research: the connection between prosody and reading comprehension, critical pedagogy and critical literacy, El Sistema, and correlations between music training and enhanced prosodic awareness. I end by discussing my Capstone project, a music curriculum written for my …
How Can Water Quality Awareness Be Increased In A Small But Rapidly Increasing City Of New Braunfels, Texas?, Zackary Eugene Martine
How Can Water Quality Awareness Be Increased In A Small But Rapidly Increasing City Of New Braunfels, Texas?, Zackary Eugene Martine
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this curriculum development Capstone was to create a series of lessons to focus on how to further educate children that live in a pristine water quality environment. The curriculum focused exercises and examples provide increased awareness and education focusing on improving water quality examples on how to keep water quality from degrading during the explosive population growth of the surrounding region. The overall goal is to show how increased growth can lead to potential water quality decreases over time. There are several hands-on lessons that show examples of the ecology of the region and how all things …
Integrating Comprehension Strategy Instruction Into Literature Study For Primary Students, Traci Lee Taylor
Integrating Comprehension Strategy Instruction Into Literature Study For Primary Students, Traci Lee Taylor
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this curriculum design project was: How can I redesign a current second grade literature unit by integrating explicit comprehension strategy instruction while maintaining a focus on meaningful interaction with text? It documents one teacher’s foray into the field of reading research, beginning with the historical and theoretical underpinnings of reading comprehension and then moving onto how research on proficient readers has impacted current views on effective reading comprehension instruction. The literature unit that was designed focuses on key strategies used by proficient readers including activating and building schema, making connections, visualizing, inferring, and summarizing. The …
Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy Strategies For Middle School Content Area Teachers, Jodi Dubbeldee
Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy Strategies For Middle School Content Area Teachers, Jodi Dubbeldee
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this professional development plan is to provide disciplinary literacy instruction support for content area teachers at the middle level. The inspiration for the research was the author’s desire to discover and share how content area literacy is critical to student learning. In-depth research in physical, emotional, and social adolescent development, literacy strategies, disciplinary literacy strategies, and professional development practices drove the findings to create a professional development plan that is built-in and sustainable. Teachers can use the online professional development resource collaboratively in order to determine literacy goals, write lesson plans, and incorporate literacy strategy instruction into …
A Secondary Ela Classroom Curriculum Study Using Culturally-Relevant, Digital Texts To Increase Student Engagement And Understanding, Marika Belusa
A Secondary Ela Classroom Curriculum Study Using Culturally-Relevant, Digital Texts To Increase Student Engagement And Understanding, Marika Belusa
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this capstone project was to create an engaging and challenging curriculum for a mid-level 11th-grade English course that would explore the use of culturally releveant, digital texts to increase student engagement and understanding. The paper that follows explores the reason why such an interactive and culurally relevant curriculum is needed in an increasingly-diverse suburban classroom. In particular, a blend of research around neuroscience, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Constructivism, the use of digital tools to enhance learning, and a look at how texts should fall under the mirrow-window continuum, was collected. Combinging theory and research led to the …
Physical Education: The Finnish Way Vs. The American Way, Rob Andrew Jeppson
Physical Education: The Finnish Way Vs. The American Way, Rob Andrew Jeppson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The overall purpose of this paper was comparing the United States and Finland’s physical education curriculum in their public school system. The paper was based on survey results asking about the importance of physical education, the amount of physical activity students are getting, the overall health of people in the United States, and the current curriculum of physical education. Everyone agrees that physical education plays a huge role in shaping our young people’s minds and bodies. They agree that children should be more active whether it is during the school day or at home. We are spending more time in …
An Outdoor Curriculum Based In Phenology And Ecology Promoting The Environmental Stewardship Of Middle School Students, Alyssa R. Polovitz
An Outdoor Curriculum Based In Phenology And Ecology Promoting The Environmental Stewardship Of Middle School Students, Alyssa R. Polovitz
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many students are not spending enough time in nature, and therefore may lack a passion and understanding of the environment. The literature defines this problem as the nature-deficit disorder, and it explains a need for outdoor and place-based education. This capstone developed a curriculum to help answer the research question, How can an outdoor curriculum based in phenology and ecology that promotes environmental stewardship in middle school students be developed? This emerged from the educator’s passion for the outdoors and nature and helping students develop a similar love and appreciation for the environment. Results provide a weeklong outdoor study that …
Creating A Social Studies Curriculum For Second Grade, Julie A. Cronin
Creating A Social Studies Curriculum For Second Grade, Julie A. Cronin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question discussed in this project was: how can an unbiased social studies curriculum for second grade be developed that is aligned with the MN State Social Studies Standards? It chronicles one educator’s creation of a social studies curriculum unit plan based on citizen and government as its area of focus. It is aligned with the MN State Standards for Social Studies for Second Grade. The author cites the details of the unit and uses research that is pertinent to the creation and development of the unit. This unit includes a scope and sequence, and includes a variety of …
How Can The Orton-Gillingham Approach Be Used As An Effective Tool To Receive A Deeper Understanding Of Syllables And Word Spelling For Students Who Are Hard Of Hearing?, James D. Grota
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing come to school with limitations to learning that the average student does not have. Being able to hear words and sounds is an important part of learning to spell those words. This paper will identify some characteristics in the development of learning word syllable recognition and phonics, as well as, strategies to help improve learning for students who are deaf and hard of hearing by using the Orton-Gillingham Approach. The OrtonGillingham Approach uses a multisensory strategy that includes audio, visual, and feeling to help solidify word recognition and spelling. Although the approach …