Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Education
Critical Literacy For Linguistically Diverse Students, Jennifer Ann King
Critical Literacy For Linguistically Diverse Students, Jennifer Ann King
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this capstone is how can a critical literacy unit on exploring identity enable secondary ELLs to find voice and take action? It documents the creation of a twelve lesson unit organized around three target texts and one digital storytelling project. These lessons blend the components of the SIOP Model for effective instruction of English learners (Echevarría, Short, and Vogt, 2013) with activities to promote critical literacy. Additionally, the author documents the relevant research used in the creation of the curriculum along with the successes and challenges of the curriculum development process. In reflecting on the …
Tutoring As An Elementary Reading Intervention To Benefit Bilingual Learners In Mexico, Hannah Marie Paulson
Tutoring As An Elementary Reading Intervention To Benefit Bilingual Learners In Mexico, Hannah Marie Paulson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this capstone project is, can peer tutoring be used as an effective elementary reading intervention to benefit bilingual learners in Mexico? Key influence for this capstone was the author’s observation of a lack of effective reading interventions in bilingual environments. The study is a qualitative study in which the author implemented a seven-week peer tutoring training with nineteen fifth grade tutors. These peer tutors each worked one on one with a fourth grade student to apply specific reading strategies. The goal of the capstone was to determine whether peer tutors could positively affect student outcomes …
Teaching Mla Formatting And Research Using Screencasting Technology: Resources For High School English Teachers And Students, Tegan Skye Madson Dion
Teaching Mla Formatting And Research Using Screencasting Technology: Resources For High School English Teachers And Students, Tegan Skye Madson Dion
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The topic for research was how online screencasts demonstrating research and MLA format in research writing can support students in learning key research and research writing skills. The online screencasts are designed with English Language Learners and students who do not have access to help from people with research writing experience outside the classroom. The screencasts demonstrate steps in the research and formatting process to support students with demonstrations as they begin their own research. The videos may also be used by teachers, as part of a flipped classroom model, to teach research skills and MLA format. The author provides …
Young Adult Saudi Learners With Low-Level Literacy, Randy Allen Heuring
Young Adult Saudi Learners With Low-Level Literacy, Randy Allen Heuring
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The guiding question addressed in this curriculum project was, how should phonics be used to improve the English acquisition success rate of Saudi military students? It documents the design and creation of a specialized unit that takes into account all aspects of student learning based on prior knowledge, educational background, cultural values, interest, and motivation. The author integrates newly developed, modified, and existing curriculum, based on relevant research into the methods. The author documents the details of the unit and uses related research literature to construct meaning and validate the curriculum. He describes both success and struggles in implementing the …
Effective Conversations Around Tough Text Within Middle School Literature Circles, Gretchen Elizabeth Enselein
Effective Conversations Around Tough Text Within Middle School Literature Circles, Gretchen Elizabeth Enselein
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, how can I ensure that effective conversations around tough text are occurring within middle school literature circles? It explores the role of literature circles within middle school classrooms. The capstone outlines the scaffolding provided for student success. Defined is the term “tough text” and how text can successfully be implemented with the use of discussion to promote effective conversations. The author documents the related research to identify and define best practice strategies to implement and support existing curriculums in a middle school. Created to be implemented school-wide as a supplement to existing …
Using A Culturally Relevant Text Effectively To Support Diversity, Racial Equity, And School Community Building, Syra Yang
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed is, how can a culturally relevant text be used effectively to support diversity, racial equity, and school community building? This capstone shows how our school system is not constructed to support African American students’ learning as it does not acknowledge racial and cultural differences. The author was influenced by her own educational experiences and current racial equity journey. The author stresses how culturally relevant text and meaningful conversations or dialogue implemented into classrooms provides opportunities for everyone to learn from and acknowledge each other. In addition, she includes a curriculum design that is culturally responsive, focusing …
The Effectiveness Of Direct Instruction In Increasing English Reading Fluency For Arabic Speaking English Language Learner Students In Qatar: A Research Case Study, Jared Andrew Lorence
The Effectiveness Of Direct Instruction In Increasing English Reading Fluency For Arabic Speaking English Language Learner Students In Qatar: A Research Case Study, Jared Andrew Lorence
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, what effect does Direct Instruction reading curriculum have on improving the reading fluency of Arabic speaking, English language middle school students? It documents one teacher’s experience and results using Direct Instruction reading curricula to improve reading fluency and comprehension of Qatari English Learner students. The author provides a literature review of Direct Instruction research and documents the results of his own efforts to increase the reading fluency of his students using Direct Instruction curricula and methods. He concludes that Direct Instruction was ineffective for his students, as it did not significantly improve …
The Impact Of Sentence Frames On Readers Workshop Responses, Joseph Peter Reyes Jr
The Impact Of Sentence Frames On Readers Workshop Responses, Joseph Peter Reyes Jr
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed is, how does the implementation of sentence frames impact students written responses? The teacher noted how difficult it was at times to get ELs to engage in discussion and writing assignments related to topics being studied. The sentence frames were used as a starting point to elicit students written responses. Sentence frames were implemented during a middle school Readers Workshop class and during a collaborative project with the middle school social studies class. Insight is shared as to factors that may enhance the use of sentence frames as a scaffold such as, instructional planning, peer interactions, …
Encouraging Student-Generated Critical Questions Through Literature Circles In A Tenth-Grade Classroom, Damon Reuben Brook
Encouraging Student-Generated Critical Questions Through Literature Circles In A Tenth-Grade Classroom, Damon Reuben Brook
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study explored how literature circles were used to encourage 32 tenthgrade students enrolled in an English 10 class to generate critical questions about memoirs. The literature review overviewed the philosophy of studentcentered classrooms as well as the specific benefits of using literature circles and questionanswer relationship (QAR) reading strategies. This study covered a fourweek unit where teams of students were observed in interestbased literature circles. Students discussed the texts and recorded questions that they used for discussions. Other data included analysis of teachergenerated reflection journals. The results of the study revealed that the students overall responded positively to the …
Academic Language In Book Clubs, Tanya Marie Schuh-Modelli
Academic Language In Book Clubs, Tanya Marie Schuh-Modelli
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Book clubs are increasingly used by teachers to help raise ELL literacy levels. Yet, there has been little research on whether this tool actually contributes to improved oral language proficiency. The research question is, after being taught the academic language needed to ask and answer higher order questions, how well are students able to ask and answer questions? This study examines to what extent students are able to engage in higher-order questioning after receiving direct instructional support through book clubs. The methods employ anecdotal notes, transcripts of student conversations, and student written work to assess how students can discuss text …
The Integration Of Social And Emotional Learning And Literacy, Sarah Marie Kennon Hippert
The Integration Of Social And Emotional Learning And Literacy, Sarah Marie Kennon Hippert
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
A curriculum development project exploring the integration of Social and Emotional Learning skills into the mini-lesson portion of Reader’s Workshop. Included is a definition of Social and Emotional Learning, an exploration of existing Social and Emotional curricula and state standards, a discussion of the effects of Social and Emotional Learning on both students and teachers, and an examination of impacts of Social and Emotional Learning on future success of students. The curriculum developed herein relies on picture books as a framework for enhancing both existing literacy and Social and Emotional curricula. It is organized around the five Social and Emotional …
Literacy And Social Skill Development: A Technology-Focused Curriculum Design, Karissa Sue Wentzel
Literacy And Social Skill Development: A Technology-Focused Curriculum Design, Karissa Sue Wentzel
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The curriculum design created in this project was centered around the concept that the integration of technology into a 6th grade classroom can facilitate the advancement of both literacy and social skill development. It documents one teacher’s use of various technological applications and reading related activities to cultivate academic conversations and see growth amongst five pre-selected and targeted social skills. The author documents the details of the unit and provides researched literature to support the foundation for the curriculum design. The key influence for the study was the author’s personal experience at a one-to-one iPad school. The author concludes the …
The Integration Of Play Into The First-Grade Language Arts Curriculum For English Language Learners, Cheryl Jean Sanderson
The Integration Of Play Into The First-Grade Language Arts Curriculum For English Language Learners, Cheryl Jean Sanderson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, can the integration of play and games with rules into the first-grade Language Arts curriculum improve the oral speaking and reading skills for English language learners? To investigate the answer to that question, I studied how a child’s first language develops. For children who learn a second language, Krashen’s models were utilized in learning how a second language is acquired. Play and games with rules are defined. Looking primarily to Piaget and Vigotsky, I learned about the development of the child, play, games with rules and how a child learns through play. …
Developing The 21st Century Skills Of Creativity, Collaboration And Information Fluency In A Kindergarten Classroom, Corrine Marie Schmidt
Developing The 21st Century Skills Of Creativity, Collaboration And Information Fluency In A Kindergarten Classroom, Corrine Marie Schmidt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, how can kindergarten students develop the 21st Century Skills of creativity, collaboration and information fluency through technology integration? It documents one teacher’s creation of a literacy based curriculum unit that gives kindergarten students opportunities to grow their 21st Century Skills, using the iPad as the learning tool. Key influences for this capstone include the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s new standards for technology integration in early education classrooms, as well as the International Literacy Association’s new standards for literacy education. Richardson’s research on the change in learning and teacher’s …
How Can Standards-Based Grading Be Implemented Into An English Language Arts Classroom In Order To Give More Accurate Feedback Of Student Achievement, Taunya Kolbinger
How Can Standards-Based Grading Be Implemented Into An English Language Arts Classroom In Order To Give More Accurate Feedback Of Student Achievement, Taunya Kolbinger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Properly and fairly assessing student work is an important and timely job. This paper will document the background of traditional grading, along with how standards-‐based grading benefits teachers, students, and parents. Key pieces of learning around this pertinent topic of assessment come from the current work of Guskey, as well as Wormeli and Reeves. It will also address barriers to standards-‐ based grading, and what professionals can do to implement this grading system into schools and classrooms, and cover how standards-‐based grading can be implemented into an English Language Arts classroom in order to give more accurate feedback of student …
How Do Interactive Read-Alouds Promote Engagement And Oral Language Development In Kindergarten, Laura Leigh Mikul
How Do Interactive Read-Alouds Promote Engagement And Oral Language Development In Kindergarten, Laura Leigh Mikul
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, how do interactive read-alouds promote engagement and oral language development in kindergarten? The motivating factor for this capstone was the high number of students coming to school with limited resources and lacking prior knowledge of literacy skills. The author developed an interactive read-aloud curriculum unit focused on characters to implement in kindergarten throughout the school year. Each lesson plan incorporates scaffolding, teacher modeling, student discussion, and engagement strategies. The capstone highlighted benefits and common practices for interactive read-alouds, theories such as Cambourne’s Conditions of Learning and Instructional Conversations, and implications of oral …
Mandarin Immersion School: A Case Study, Susan Jean Koehn
Mandarin Immersion School: A Case Study, Susan Jean Koehn
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research questions addressed in this project were designed to explore the literacy development of a nine-year-old boy in an elementary Mandarin immersion program. The motivating factor for this research was to investigate his learning experience from his perspective, that of his teachers and that of his mother, the researcher. The approach chosen was a case study using ethnographic methodology consisting of classroom and home observations, teacher and student interviews, a survey, and formative and summative assessments. During the course of the study, it emerged that he has dyslexia. The issues in dealing with a dyslexic student were therefore also …
Literacy Intervention For Adolescents: A Review Of Spanish Language Heritage Instruction, Heidi Palms
Literacy Intervention For Adolescents: A Review Of Spanish Language Heritage Instruction, Heidi Palms
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study is a systematic review of current research regarding Spanish language heritage instruction with a focus on middle and high school. With substantial evidence in the field at the elementary level indicating that literacy development of L1 supports the literacy development of L2, this study seeks to determine what current research shows regarding Spanish heritage instruction in middle and high school. Is there evidence of literacy gains in L2 English due to L1 Spanish instruction during adolescence? The final selection of studies from the systematic review includes a broad range of methodology, and correspondingly produces a broad range of …