Elementary Education Commons^™

Life Science - Structure And Function: Internal And External, Patrick Young, Nicole Ross

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Plants and animals evolve to survive and reproduce in their environments. Both their internal and external structures will be well suited to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction.

All animals have a mouth. Its function is to take in food, without which it could not survive to reproduce. The type of mouth, however, will vary between animals, depending on what they have evolved to eat. Internal organs of the digestive system will likewise vary depending on an animal’s diet. All parts of the system for eating and digesting food must work together.

Plants also have internal systems for processing food …

Engineering, Technology, And Applications Of Science - Build A Nest: Changing The Environment, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Both plants and animals are dependent upon their environments for survival. However, in order to get the sustenance, they need, organisms often must alter their environment to meet their needs. Some animals gather and store food for a season due to times of extreme temperatures, ground conditions, and availability. Many bury food in the ground, while others store food in plants. Usually, the limbs or hollowed out sections of the trunks of trees are used, though some animals do store their food in densely populated areas of low plants. http://www.discoverwildlife.com/british-wildlife/how-identify-animal- food-stores provides a detailed list of some animal actions, while …

Physical Science - Classroom Detective Agency: Chemical Changes, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Students are introduced to the differences between physical and chemical changes in simple kitchen substances that react to water and indicators in characteristic ways. The observable clues that a physical change has occurred includes changes in state such as gas, liquid, or solid. The material itself is the same before and after the change. An ice cube melting is an example of a physical change.

Life Science - Look At That: Pollinators, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Pollinators are responsible for moving pollen from one flower to another flower of the same species or from one part of a flower to another part of the same flower. Moving the pollen from the stamen, male part of the flower, to the stigma, the female part of the flower, completes pollination, and results in the fertilization of a plant so that seeds may be produced to ensure reproduction.

Pollination involves animals such as butterflies, bees, wasps, insects, spiders, hummingbirds, and bats. These animals may deliberately visit a flower to gather pollen or accidently collect pollen while seeking …

Physical Science - Which Shovel? Engineering Challenge, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Shoveling snow and sledding often are winter activities in the Midwest. Both require a force to occur. Pushing or pulling on the item will have different effects on the movement of that item. In the case of sledding, a greater force may result in a faster speed or a greater distance covered by the sled. Applying a force in a different direction may result in a change of direction of the object. Shoveling is more successful when the shovel is pushed rather than pulled.

Physical Science - Heating, Cooling, And Reversibility: Changes, Patrick Young

Model NGSS Lessons: Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

Heating or cooling an object will always change its temperature and may alter other properties as well. The temperature change is reversible, but changes to other properties might be irreversible. Heating, in particular, often causes chemical changes in which atoms alter their bonding to form new substances. Cooking an egg changes the egg in ways that cannot be undone. It cannot be “uncooked” into a raw egg.

Phase changes are generally reversible. Water can be frozen, melted back into liquid, boiled into vapor, and then condensed back into its original liquid form. When considering a manufactured object, however, phase changes …

Additional Documents, Elizabeth Martinez

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

No abstract provided.

Life Science - Tracking Matter: Movement Of Matter, Cassandra Armstrong

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Energy exists in many forms and is constantly being transferred between forms. All energy types can be sorted into two main categories: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is stored energy. Chemical energy, nuclear energy, stored mechanical energy, and gravitational energy are all examples of potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Radiant (light) energy, thermal energy, sound energy, and electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between the types of energy. Most energy we use on Earth stems from the nuclear energy from within the sun.

Earth Systems - Patterns In The Rocks: Changes In Landscape Over Time, Patrick Young, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

Sedimentary rock layers are found in places all around the world. They can provide useful clues to the past. Sometimes a waterway cuts through the layers revealing a geologic record of the past. In other locations, scientists must dig trenches to see the layers. As the lower layers generally formed first, they are the oldest. Fossils within the rocks may allow some layers to be dated with accuracy. In other locations, clues may be sparse.

Searching for patterns in sedimentary rock layers is a bit like solving a puzzle. The picture emerges slowly, and the picture may tell a story. …

Earth/Space Science - Earth's Place In Space: Seasonal Change, Elizabeth Martinez, Peg Steffen

Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade

A key Disciplinary Core Idea for understanding our place in space is that the orbits of Earth and the sun and of the moon around Earth cause observable patterns. These include day and night; daily changes in the length of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times. There are many misconceptions about earth’s orbit but it is important to remember and to convey to students that Earth is moving around the Sun and the Moon is moving around us. What we see each day with the motion of the Sun moving across the sky …

Designing Stem Experiences For The Family In Order To Develop Stem Family Habitus And Capital, Soñia Galaviz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Ethnic minority students and low-income students are grossly underrepresented in demonstrating interest and aspirations in science, evidence of science participation, and subsequent capital. Members of these populations do not often embrace a STEM identity or recognize that science, technology, engineering, and math are for them. While schools struggle to innovate in terms of how best to engage and increase aspirations and opportunities in STEM for these underrepresented populations, the family continues to be the most ignored contributor to a student’s STEM identity. Families play an important role in influencing their students’ attitudes, interests, aspirations, and achievements in STEM. While research …

The Wellbeing Partners’ Use Of The School Health Index To Identify Needs In Omaha Public Schools: A Process Evaluation, Sophia A. Quintero

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The School Health Index tool from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been a useful tool to identify needs and areas of improvement for schools. This tool is most effective when used in collaboration with school staff and assistance from an outside facilitator. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the administration efficiency of the School Health Index in select schools throughout the Omaha Public School (OPS) district by The Wellbeing Partners. A process evaluation was conducted to: 1) assess the relationship between the schools’ wellness champions at five Omaha Public School (OPS) elementary schools and The …

The Influence Of Publicly Funded Preschool Programs In New Jersey Public School Districts On Student Achievement In Fourth Grade, Stephanie Elizabeth Kuchar

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This correlational, explanatory, cross-sectional study aimed to explain the influence of a school district having a publicly funded preschool program on English language arts and mathematics test results on the New Jersey Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for fourth graders. The study aimed to provide research-based evidence on the influence of publicly funded preschool programs on a district. The study used focused on the thirty-five (35) New Jersey school districts that had public preschool programs in 2012. The study concluded that consistent student attendance was a significant factor in districts with preschool programs when it …

Benefits Of Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Program In Elementary School Students, Araceli Villegas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many students that go into their first year in school tend to speak their language other than English, mostly Spanish in this case, may fall behind due to not being able to understand the material in another language that they have never heard before. Given this situation, the two-way bilingual immersion programs can benefit these elementary students and go above and beyond to meet the standards they have to meet in every elementary school year. This senior capstone research project examines the benefits of the two-way bilingual immersion programs provided to elementary school students. The results reveal that two-way bilingual …

Achieving Positive Mental Health And Academic Achievement For Students With Behavioral And Emotional Issues In Elementary School, Reynalda Fuentes

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Elementary students, their peers, and teachers today are being affected by emotional and behavioral issues that some students struggle with at school. In order to understand why it is affecting their academic achievement and mental health, this report answers the following research questions to investigate how these problems affect schools, classrooms, and teachers, as well as what appears to be contributing factors to this problem, and what are some of the solutions. In review of the literature on preventions and interventions placed at elementary schools the research shows that frameworks such as The Multi-tiered System of Supports, and the incorporation …

Subtractive Bilingualism: Encouraged By English-Only In Schools, Affecting First Language, Aurora Jimenez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The lack of bilingual education in schools, leads children to be more socially engaged in English. This report aims to answer how it is that language develops? What role does bilingualism play in language development? How is subtractive bilingualism influenced by social interactions? This capstone project illustrates how English Language Learners (ELL) without bilingual language support might have a negative impact on their overall language development. Social interactions have a lot to do in language development and acquisition, and people grow to rely more on one language (which is known as subtractive bilingualism). This project bases its information on a …

Teacher Interpretation And Enactment Of Writing Instruction: A Case Study Set Within Two Elementary Classrooms, Audrey Sanders

Undergraduate Honors Theses

From the minute a student walks into her first day of kindergarten, she is learning to read and write. Reading and writing are reciprocal in nature, using the same composing processes (Roe, Smith, & Kolodziej, 2019). Interchangeable thinking skills are essential for both reading and writing, such as analyzing, identifying, inferencing, evaluating, and comparing (Roe, Smith, & Koldziej, 2019). Published research over time suggested that instruction focused on teaching students the craft and mechanics of writing significantly contributed to the overall improvement across the spectrum of literacy development (Cutler, 2015;Raphael, 2019; Wright, 2016). However, studies also suggested that teachers of …

Process Drama: A Creative Way To Assess Ela Understanding, Nicole Rausch

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

With increasing demands and decreasing amounts of instructional time, teachers are constantly looking for creative ways to integrate, assess, and target instruction to meet the needs of each student. This article takes a look at how one teacher employed the use of a highly engaging process drama to teach and assess multiple subject area content standards. A process drama is remarkably creative, social, and applicable so can be easily adapted to meet the needs of any grade level. The low floor, high ceiling project allows students multiple avenues to demonstrate understanding of skills and concepts.

An Investigation Of Teachers' Beliefs And Practices Regarding A Quality Preschool Classroom, Nicole Bogusch

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research study surveyed preschool teachers and aids at one public PK-5th grade elementary school. The administered survey included questions informed by both the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS) and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Additional data collected consisted of classroom observations of current preschool teachers at work during a 25-35-minute time period. The research lasted one month and consisted of multiple components including surveys and observations. The data from the study suggests that preschool teachers and aids possessed a mastery of knowledge surrounding factors important for quality early childhood classrooms. Specifically, the teachers and aids excelled in their …

Students' Attitudes Towards Standardized Testing: A Literature Review, Kelly Gard

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Standardized testing is a task that all students must undertake during their educational careers. Standardized tests are large determinants to course placements, exceptionality placements, grades, school sanctions or rewards, and education policy. It is imperative that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed on standardized tests. However, bias, stress, and anxiety in standardized testing often hinders the opportunity for many students to excel on the tests.

The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the research conducted on standardized testing bias which includes the prevalence of testing bias as well as the causes and types of testing bias. …