Elementary Education Commons^™

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 5th Grade - The Constitution, Joshua Houlbrooke, Madison Gilmore, Jacob Schwartz, Brenda Falcon, Spencer Millwood, Akili Hart

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will explore the history of the United States government, examine its structures and their functions, serving to establish within them strong civic knowledge as citizens of this nation. Students will interact with projects, activities, digital media, literature, and many different information rich means of effective social studies education.

Benefits Of Multisensory Rooms In Schools To Control Behaviors In Children With Disabilities, Kye Smith, Cassandra Nelson

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This project explores the benefits of implementing multisensory rooms in schools to manage challenging behaviors in children with disabilities. Conducted at the Barack and Michelle Obama Ninth Grade Center in Lancaster, TX, the program involved participants aged 13-15 diagnosed with disabilities. A comprehensive needs assessment identified gaps in behavior management and overstimulation challenges. The program was designed using evidence-based strategies, including the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model, and incorporated techniques such as the Take Five Breathing Strategy, deep pressure input, chair yoga, and meditation.

Through pre- and post-surveys with students, parents, and teachers, the study evaluated the program's impact on functional independence …

Ucf Pegasus Plan - Kindergarten - Rules, Laws, And Community Helpers, Madison R. Simonds, Sierra Torres, Taylor Templeton

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will explore the concepts of rules, laws, and community heroes through activities such as games, read-alouds, and role play. Students will learn about the importance of rules in society, the role of laws in keeping communities safe, and the ways in which community heroes such as police officers and firefighters contribute to the well-being of others.

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 4th Grade - Financial Literacy, Yan C. Ospina, Savannah Sanders, Bailey Railsback, David Diaz, Angelica Rodriguez

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will embark on a journey to become "Money Masters." They'll explore real-world topics like the different jobs people have, how to distinguish between needs and wants, and how every decision comes with an opportunity cost. Through fun, hands-on activities, students will learn how to create a budget, save for important goals, and make smart choices about spending. By the end of the unit, they’ll have the tools they need to take charge of their own money and make responsible decisions now and in the future.

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 4th Grade - Spending & Saving: How To Adult, Heather A. Smith, Madison Barbour, Laila Ibrahim

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

The "How to Adult" unit plan aims to equip fourth grader students with the essential skills in budgeting, saving, spending wisely, and understand taxes. Through interactive lessons and engaging activities, students will learn to manage money responsibly while developing a deeper understanding of personal finance concepts. By the end of the unit, students will be empowered to make informed financial decisions and lay the groundwork for a secure financial future.

The Impact Of Underqualified Educators On Student Engagement, Autumnbre Moore

Masters Projects

Student engagement is the backbone of academic success, it is often hampered by underqualified educators who don’t have the qualifications to engage with different types of learners. Student Engagement in K-12 Classrooms: Teacher Qualifications, Inclusivity, Attitudes, and Efficacy frames the gaps in teacher preparation within the bounds of cognitivism, constructivism, and connectivism, discussing how much this does not help learning. The results underlined the importance of inclusive practices, strong teacher-student relationships, and effective professional development. It seeks to inform efforts to build teachers up to create engaging and supportive learning environments, especially for marginalized and underserved students.

A Document Analysis: In What Ways Do Elementary Schools Display Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis) As An Educational Evidence-Based Practice?, Catherine Chidiac

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research indicates that positive reinforcement can improve student achievement and increase positive student behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways public schools in New Jersey communicate the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) practice to their staff and students. This document analysis reviewed the themes and practices presented in each school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation manuals.

This qualitative research examined 17 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Implementation Manuals, seeking to better understand how New Jersey public schools communicate Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and how the information aligns with the national …

The Benefits Of Using Children's Books In Lesson Planning, Katie Bethel

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the many benefits that children’s books provide for children. The purpose of this thesis was to create lesson plans for teachers to use that specifically incorporate children’s books into their teaching. This thesis begins with my rationale for this topic as my rationale pulled together both my career and personal connections to some of my life experiences. Then this rationale is followed by a research paper that looks into the many benefits that children’s books provide. With this research and background information, I was able to gather a list of children's books that exemplified many of the …

Phonological Awareness: A Unit Plan For Kindergarten, Allison Beasley

Honors Theses

This Kindergarten phonological awareness unit plan provides a clear, structured approach to developing essential early literacy skills by helping children recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language. Through systematic, explicit, and differentiated instruction, students engage in multiple practice opportunities using varied examples of sounds, including beginning and ending sounds, rhymes, medial vowels, blending, segmenting, syllables, and sound manipulation. The plan incorporates flexible group sizes, from whole-class instruction to small groups and partner activities, allowing for personalized support tailored to diverse learners. Engaging, hands-on activities such as tongue twisters, sound clap games, rhyming circles, Elkonin boxes, and movement-based lessons make abstract …

Integrating The Elementary Literacies Through The Practice Of Physical Education: A Strategy Resource, Bryan Matera, Dillon Martinez

Essays in Education

Integrating literacy and physical education (PE) supports interdisciplinary learning that engages both the mind and body. This article explores innovative approaches to combining literacy skills with physical activity, highlighting the cognitive and physical benefits for elementary students. Recognizing students’ natural attraction to movement, the article demonstrates how embedding literacy into PE lessons can enhance reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and memory retention through action-oriented activities. These strategies also promote physical literacy, encouraging confidence and lifelong participation in physical activities.

Key instructional examples include the "Movement-Enhanced Word Wall," where students connect vocabulary to movement, and "Animal Action Reading Relays," which integrate reading …

A Comparison Of Sixth Grade Student Academic Performance In Indiana Elementary Schools And Middle Schools, Bret Bailey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide school district leaders and policymakers information of the impact grade configuration had on academic performance using math and ELA ILEARN scores over a three-year period. The study included data from 585 schools that were classified into four groups: Elementary Setting, Intermediate Setting, Middle School/Junior High Setting, and Unified Setting. The study analyzed IDOE publicly released ILEARN math and ELA data for each of the three years. A one-way ANOVA test was utilized to run the statistical analysis, and a Games-Howell Post Hoc test identified which had statistically significantly different mean pass …

Prioritizing Learners’ Cultural Assets And Multimodal Literacies During Preservice Teachers’ Community Literacy Experience, Janine Bixler, Rebecca Norman

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

As teacher educators, we believe it is critical for preservice teachers (PSTs) to recognize the many cultural assets that learners bring to today’s diverse classrooms and to use these assets in their instruction. It is key to the literacy success of all students, particularly children of low socioeconomic status, multilingual learners, children of color, and children who continue to have limited literacy success in school. Our teacher preparation program in childhood includes out-of-school community literacy experiences for teaching diverse Grade 1–6 learners because these hybrid spaces provide rich opportunities for our candidates to learn about and with children and their …

The Impact Of Restorative Practice Implementation On Culturally Responsive Teaching And Student Behavior, Patrice Mccoy

Dissertations

American public schools uphold the policies, standards, and disciplinary practices that guide the belief systems of how students view fairness and deal with conflict. As teachers invest in student knowledge and seek to guide students in the right direction, the challenge is learning the appropriate methods of dealing with student behavior. Behavior management practices have evolved just as many student challenges and needs have changed. With these changes evolves the need to better understand students and families. Teachers gaining cultural responsiveness to student behavior challenges is a relatively new ideology to ensure students feel understood and more engaged in the …

Benefits Of Afterschool Programs On The Academic Achievement And Social Development For Upper Grade Elementary School Students, Jorge Fernandez-Mora

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Afterschool programs provide beneficial support for students by offering tutoring, homework help, and enrichment/teach programs that reinforce classroom learning. These programs help young students build essential math, reading, and critical thinking skills. My capstone project explores the positive impact of afterschool programs on upper elementary school student's academic achievement and social development. Through the use of literature review and interviews with administrators, expanded learning coordinators, and teachers, the result findings revealed that afterschool programs are crucial in helping students meet their academic and social needs. It is also important to note that school-based academic support programs are safe in supervised …

Effects Of Teacher Burnout On Elementary School Students’ Learning, Isela Padilla

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone explores the impact of teacher burnout on elementary students through literature review and qualitative research. Interviews with local teachers, an administrator, and a school psychologist reveal a notable correlation between teacher burnout and student outcomes. Key findings indicate that burnout among teachers is linked to lower academic performance and increased behavioral issues in students. These results underscore the importance of addressing teacher well-being to support positive student learning and behavior.

Harry Potter And The Pedagogy Of Hogwarts, Rachel Cepe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Education plays a critical role in the academic and personal development of children. Harry Potter spends seven years as a Hogwarts student; while he navigates school, he fights against a growing evil force that threatens day-to-day life. This paper applies different educational theories to each year to examine how Harry adapts to the ever-changing conditions at school to be successful. In the first year, the application of attachment styles theory introduces Harry to a suppressed part of his identity. In the second year, applying intrinsic motivation theory reveals the cultivation of curiosity. In the third year, the locus of control …

Mission Possible: Motivating Students Toward High School Completion, Terri Howard

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Celebrated each spring, high school graduation yields many positive, long-term impacts on an individual’s life. These include better overall health, lower reliance on government resources, higher lifetime earnings, and eligibility for post-secondary educational opportunities (Levin et al., 2007; Rowley et al., 2011; McFarland et al., 2019; Uretsky, 2019). While the benefits of high school completion are clear, each year hundreds of students fail to meet diploma requirements. Autonomous motivation, both intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation, drives engagement in activities perceived as relevant to desired outcomes and is closely associated with positive academic performance, school persistence (Deci et al., 1991; Vallerand …

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Exploring Audience Perceptions Of Elementary School Dance Curriculum: Utilizing Informance To Investigate Beliefs Regarding The Presentation Of Student Learning In Dance, Michaela Summers

Master's Theses

The goal of this thesis was to gain insight into the perceptions and expectations of audiences in relation to elementary school dance education curriculum and its representation through showcases or displays, particularly within the context of viewing an informance. The researcher developed three research questions to guide the study:

Q1 What are audience perceptions of elementary school dance education pedagogy and curriculum?

Q2 What methods do audiences expect to be implemented in an elementary school dance performance?

Q3 Can utilizing informances affect audience perceptions of elementary school dance education, thus changing their expectations for dance performance methods?

Thirty-eight audience members …

Exploring The Impact Of Dance Arts Integration On General Education Teaching Practices: Insights Into Classroom Environment, Planning, Instruction, And Assessment, Sara Kessler-Kennon

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore the impact of dance arts integration facilitation on teaching practices by emphasizing classroom environment, planning, instruction, and assessment. The researcher created the following four essential questions to guide the study:

Q1 How does incorporating movement-based arts integration alter classroom environment, student behavior, student engagement, and inclusivity of students with various abilities and diverse backgrounds?

Q2 How does incorporating movement-based arts integration impact the general educators' planning time, process, style, and understanding? Does the general educator feel as though they can effectively incorporate movement-based arts integration without collaborating with a dance educator? …