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Reading

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

2023

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Full-Text Articles in Education

An Effective Small Group Reading Intervention Scope And Sequence For Students In Grades Three To Five, Caitlin Phan Oct 2023

An Effective Small Group Reading Intervention Scope And Sequence For Students In Grades Three To Five, Caitlin Phan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The guiding question of this project is: What is the most effective scope and sequence for a reading academic support curriculum designed for small groups of students in grades three to five? The purpose of the project is to address the critical need for a well-defined scope and sequence for reading academic support teachers. Research that influenced the written scope and sequence includes reading intervention history, elementary students, struggling readers, types of approaches to teaching reading, and three schools of thought regarding teaching reading (Fountas and Pinnell, Orton-Gillingham, and Science of Reading). Integrating this research, the scope and sequence project …


Teaching Strategies For Low Literacy Adult Learners, Kelly Rynda Oct 2023

Teaching Strategies For Low Literacy Adult Learners, Kelly Rynda

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research has demonstrated that low-literacy adult learners have different needs than children or more proficient adult readers, but teaching strategies are not often aimed at these students. The professional development presentation developed for this project focuses on the characteristics of these learners, how low-literacy skills affect their lives, and which interventions educators can use in the classroom. Key interventions include Robinson’s suggestions around word recognition, Tighe and Binder’s recommendations about morphology and fluency, Mellard and Fall’s ideas around language comprehension, Park’s suggestions for critical literacy, and Rodrigo et al.’s recommendations around reading for pleasure. The project shares information about the …


A Need For Culturally Relevant Texts To Motivate K-2 Students In Reading, Thi Hoai Anh Nguyen Oct 2023

A Need For Culturally Relevant Texts To Motivate K-2 Students In Reading, Thi Hoai Anh Nguyen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can K-2 teachers boost student motivation in reading through interactive read-alouds using culturally relevant texts? After delving into the research on reading motivation, Culturally Relevant Texts, creating a Culturally Relevant Text set, developing student identity, promoting students’ appreciation of cultural diversity, and Interactive Read Alouds, the author created a "We Are All Different and That’s Beautiful” Text Set Unit which promotes students’ appreciation of cultural diversity by incorporating culturally relevant texts and interactive read-alouds. The text set unit with eight chosen culturally relevant texts and matching interactive read-aloud lesson plans …


The Disappearing Of The Hmong Language, Choua Yang Oct 2023

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. …


Key Components And Best Practices Of Early Decoding Instruction, Erika Fruetel Jul 2023

Key Components And Best Practices Of Early Decoding Instruction, Erika Fruetel

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The question that guided the research and project development was: What are key components and best practices in early decoding instruction? Throughout recent history, students in the United States have been taught to read based on two main theories: one that approaches literacy learning as natural development that should be supported by surrounding the child with rich and engaging literature, and the other that focuses more intently on teaching the student the patterns of spelling in order to decode words. Although educators have debated which is the most effective approach for decades, research consistently points to the importance of instructing …


Incorporating Opportunities For Diverse Literature Into The Early Elementary Classroom, Mary Cline Jul 2023

Incorporating Opportunities For Diverse Literature Into The Early Elementary Classroom, Mary Cline

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research shows that student engagement is positively impacted by literature that contains mirrors to their own lives and experiences. This is a set of lessons that are created to be incorporated into the school’s literacy curriculum for 1st and 2nd grade. Through reading and discussing various books, these lessons strive to add places for multicultural students to see their lives mirrored back to them as well as to give all students a chance to see another way of life by looking through a window into someone else’s world. The lesson plans focus on creating space for students to engage …


Creating Inclusive Spaces: Using Book Clubs To Increase Diverse Literature In Schools, Clare Ng Jul 2023

Creating Inclusive Spaces: Using Book Clubs To Increase Diverse Literature In Schools, Clare Ng

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Multiple studies have identified that many groups of underrepresented students, including non-Christians, LGBTQ+, Native-Americans, children of immigrant families, and youth of color, feel invisible or not included in school settings because there is a lack of visibility of non-dominant groups in school, or a lack of policies and practices that support the needs and experiences of non-dominant groups. This may include a lack of representation in recognized celebrated holidays, curriculum topics, or literature discussed in school. This capstone project will focus on how we can create inclusive spaces for students to promote positive school culture by obtaining diverse literature for …


Improving Early Literacy Outcomes Through Play, Kimberly Bice Apr 2023

Improving Early Literacy Outcomes Through Play, Kimberly Bice

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question asked in this capstone project is: how might incorporating playful learning into a literacy framework help improve early literacy outcomes? There is a growing body of evidence that playful learning, a mix of free and guided play, has a slew of benefits to school-aged children including: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive. The foundational research for this project explores the intersections of educational neuroscience, Culturally Responsive Practices, and foundational literacy skills and practices. In particular the scholarship of Eric Jensen, Drs. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Zaretta Hammond, and Hollis Scarbourough were foundational in the conception and development of this project. …


Understanding Effective Literacy Instruction For Primary Grade Teachers, Erika Hotchkiss Apr 2023

Understanding Effective Literacy Instruction For Primary Grade Teachers, Erika Hotchkiss

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Research on the topic of literacy instruction, and the best practices for effective literacy instruction, has been around for decades, but not all educators are aware of this research. This capstone project was designed to provide support for educators as they strengthen their understanding of how skilled reading develops and the best instructional practices to use with beginning readers. As a part of this research, six self-paced professional development modules were designed to address the question: How can a deeper understanding of the science of reading support primary grade teachers to be more effective with literacy instruction for beginning readers? …


The Impact Of Systematic Phonemic Awareness And Phonics Instruction In A Spanish Immersion First-Grade Classroom, Elisabeth Boe Apr 2023

The Impact Of Systematic Phonemic Awareness And Phonics Instruction In A Spanish Immersion First-Grade Classroom, Elisabeth Boe

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Recent research suggests that structured literacy, the systematic teaching of phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition skills, is highly indicative of students’ proficiency in reading. This is true not only in monolingual literacy programs but in bilingual programs as well. While many schools across the United States have implemented best practices, this is not the case for many Spanish immersion programs. This capstone seeks to address this problem with the question How does systematic literacy instruction of phonemic awareness and phonics in Spanish Immersion impact student mastery of early literacy skills in first grade? It analyzes the current research about …


Implementing Authentic Literacy Centers In A Kindergarten Classroom, Isabella Haeger Apr 2023

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 …