Elementary Education Commons^™

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

No abstract provided.

Earth And Space Science - What's The Weather?: Patterns, Elizabeth Martinez, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Students in kindergarten develop the understandings of basic needs, weather patterns and severe weather. Through identification of patterns, determination of cause and effect, investigation of structure and function, as well as systems and system models students begin to make sense of the natural world. Developmentally appropriate use of science and engineering practices prepares students for more complex phenomenon. December through February comprise the winter season in the Northern hemisphere. Changes in temperatures, forms of precipitation, types of storms, and preparedness plans occur during winter. Average daily temperatures in the Chicago area range from a high of 36°F to 18°F as …

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

No abstract provided.

Physical Science - What's That Sound? How Sounds Are Generated, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Many organisms have the ability to communicate with sound. Sound allows organisms to learn more about their surroundings. Sirens, ringing of phones, musical instruments, animal sounds, and the human voice are a few examples of using sound to communicate. Sound is produced when an object vibrates. As demonstrated in the diagram below, the vibrations cause the medium’s particles, usually air, to move and allow the sound to travel in a singular direction. This longitudinal movement dictates the volume in which sound is heard; standing in the path of the longitudinal wave increases the probability, thus the volume, of hearing the …

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

No abstract provided.

The Third Teacher: An Analysis Of Aesthetic And Intentionality Of Space In The Classroom, Madeline F. Brown

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Third Teacher—a concept central to the Reggio Emilia approach to education, states the physical environment plays a vital role in learning. Early education theorists, such as Loris Malaguzzi and Maria Montessori, emphasize the idea of a prepared classroom environment; however, modern day classrooms are seemingly arranged without much intention. Because of this, current classroom spaces are not in alignment with research from past theorists, resulting in compromised student achievement. This thesis answers the question, “How can educators purposefully and practically utilize the classroom space to maximize student learning?” on the basis of lighting, seating, organization of materials, color scheme, …

Design Of A Shallow-Aero Ebb And Flow Hydroponics System And Associated Educational Module For Tri Cycle Farms, Julie Halveland

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tri Cycle Farms, whose main mission is to reduce food insecurity in their community, is a non- profit urban farm in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The “Tri” in their name refers to the three parts of their foundation: giving a third of their yield to volunteers, giving a third to local food pantries, and selling a third to sustain the farm and demonstrate the economy of local food production. They want to expand on the third part and have a vision of building a hydroponic greenhouse with the intention that it will create more crops to sell and give, as well as …

Transgressing For Access: A Call For Higher Education Reform To Support Black Females In Stem, Beverly A. King Miller

Elementary & Special Education: Faculty Publications

There continues to be the global demand for a qualified workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Yet, for Black females in South Africa this means combating the legacy of Apartheid to overcome challenges due to race and gender. This paper draws data from a qualitative study of four Black South African females in STEM careers. Through their voices they identify ways in which they transgress gender and race to gain access to STEM careers. Further, their families transgress cultural norms in order to offer support for unfamiliar career pathways. Their narratives call for a transformative change in higher …

Physical Science - Energy Transfer: Heat And Light, Patrick Young, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy is the ability to do work. Energy can be thought of as a currency which is universally accepted as the way to make things happen. Energy can be stored in many ways and transferred from place to place in many ways.

Some of the most frequently recognized types of energy are heat and light. These, along with others, can be classified as a phenomenon known as electromagnetic radiation (EM). Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes. The visible light that comes from a lamp in your house and the radio waves that come from a …

Physical Science - Under Pressure: Matter And Its Interactions, David Hernandez, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Air pressure, or atmospheric pressure, is the force exerted on objects by the atmosphere. Barometers are typically used to measure atmospheric pressure. Made of a liquid filled glass tube, the level of liquid will rise when the pressure increases and fall when the pressure drops. Lower barometric pressure tends to be associated with precipitation and cloudiness, while higher readings are related to sunshine and calmer weather. Air is made of invisible particles. The density of these particles is affected by atmospheric pressure. The greater the pressure, the more densely packed the particles are. In comparison, less pressure means a lower …

Physical Science - Gravity On Earth: Gravitational Force, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Gravity is a curious property of our universe. Gravity causes objects to attract each other with a force. The strength of this force depends on the masses of the objects and their distance apart. The direction of the force is from the center of one object toward the center of the other. Although the force is invisible, we can observe its direction by watching how objects move in response to the force.

Culture In Transitional Chapter Books: Assimilation Or Inclusion, Jeanette P. White

Graduate Research Papers

In the context of schools experiencing an influx of students from a more diverse range of cultures, and with a goal of assisting librarians to better serve these students, this qualitative research focuses on the presence of cultural diversity in transitional chapter books and, when present, identifies whether characters modify culturally determined behaviors. The cultural diversity within books, especially transitional chapter books, can allow newly independent readers an opportunity to deepen their identification with and connection to reading. The value of identifying with a character in a book is established in prior research (Alter, 2016; Goodale, 2012; McNair & Brooks, …

Design Of A Deep Flow Technique Hydroponic System And An Elementary Education Module For Tri Cycle Farms, Cady Rosenbaum

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydroponics is an agricultural technique in which plants are grown without soil and are instead grown in water systems that include nutrients and other growth-supporting media. Hydroponic systems typically reside inside, so that the system can be fully controlled by the grower by manipulating the temperature and amount of light the plants receive. The benefits of growing plants using hydroponics include: the amount of water used is reduced, it is less labor to grow organic produce with an indoor system, less space used, and it allows for growing food anywhere. Tri Cycle Farms is planning for the construction of a …

Redefining A Highly Qualified Teacher, Sabrina Ochoa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research paper reviews the qualifications of a “Highly Qualified Teacher” as described by the No Child Left Behind Act that was published in 2001. Further research was done to determine if these qualifications were sufficient enough to qualify a teacher as “highly qualified”. A number of scholarly reviewed articles and journals were analyzed to dictate augmented qualities that should be premeditated when considering an applicant as highly qualified. Aside from additional experience and content knowledge, researchers suggest teachers should have qualities that improve their relationships with their students and their staff. Teachers' content knowledge does not necessarily mean they …

Benefits Of Visual Arts On Elementary School Students, John Yatsky

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

One will most readily agree that visual arts have been set aside from the everyday instructional curriculum that teachers use at the elementary school level. Contrarily, numerous evidences suggest that visual arts have an important role in elementary schools and can significantly benefit students’ academic performance. This senior capstone research project examines the benefits of visual arts on elementary school students through the use of literature review from scholarly sources, anonymous online teacher surveys, and in-person teacher interviews. The results indeed indicate that visual arts are an important and necessary part of elementary education and that it is especially important …

Earth/Space Science - But The Crust Is The Best Part: Earth Features, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

The Earth’s crust is broken into pieces that are called tectonic plates. Seven major plates exist. Plates move in three ways; they may slide by one another (transform plate boundaries), run into each other (convergent plate boundaries), or move apart from one another (divergent boundaries). Movement of these plates is responsible for landforms and natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Volcanoes and mountains tend to be the result of convergent plate boundaries. Earthquakes are likely to occur at transform plate boundaries. New crust is made where divergent plate boundaries exist. These actions occur on the ocean floor as well …

Physical Science - Railroad Rescue: Energy Conversion, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

In January of 1952, the Sierra Nevada mountains of California were stuck by a record-breaking blizzard. Railroad tracks through the mountain passes were being blocked by avalanches and snowdrifts. The tracks were generally kept clear by powerful rotary snowplows, but this blizzard was like nothing the Southern Pacific Railroad had ever seen before.

Earth/Space Science - Water, Water: Water Resources, Cassandra Armstrong, Peg Steffen, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Water is one of the most important substances on earth and all living things depend on water to survive. In humans, water makes up 60% of adult bodies and without water humans cannot survive longer than a few days depending on activity and environmental conditions. Because water is such a vital resource we need to understand where it comes from and how to make sure we will have enough drinkable water in the future.

Earth Science - Oil Spills And Dust Bowls: Earth's Systems, Cassandra Armstrong, Peg Steffen, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Earth is comprised of four interconnected systems: geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. All of Earth’s processes are due to energy and matter cycling within and among these four systems. Because these systems are so connected, it is important to understand both individual characteristics of each system independently as well as features of their interactions with each other.

Physical Science - Supervillain Detention! Properties Of Matter, Patrick Young, Peg Steffen, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Scientists and engineers need to understand the properties of the materials they use. They choose the best materials for specific projects based on the properties of the materials. For example, civil engineers must have a thorough understanding of the properties of materials that might be used to build roads, dams, or bridges and plan their designs around the materials that will be used.