Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Assessing Language Modeling In Pre-K Classrooms: A Quantitative Analysis Using The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Class), Joy L. Hernandez, Abha Gupta, Peter Baker, Lea G. Lee, Jihea Maddamsetti

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This quantitative study examined the relationship between specific teacher-child interaction behaviors and language modeling quality in Pre-K classrooms using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) framework. Data were collected from structured observations in 11 Pre- K classrooms in Southeast Virginia during spring and summer 2024. The Language Modeling dimension was assessed through five key indicators: frequent conversations, open-ended questions, repetition and extension, self and parallel talk, and use of advanced language. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, and regression analyses were employed to examine relationships between observed teacher behaviors and overall language modeling scores. Results revealed weak and statistically non-significant correlations across …

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival, Karen Rowell, The University Of Southern Mississippi, The University Of Southern Mississippi's School Of Library And Information Science

Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival Programs

The program for the forty-ninth annual Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival held on the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 2016.

A Critical Review Of The Literature Of Social Media’S Affordances In The Classroom, Olivia G. Stewart

Education Specialties Faculty Publications

Even though the use of social media in education is a now widely-studied topic, there still does not seem to be a general consensus for what social media may afford students or how best to use them in the classroom. In this article, I aim critically discuss some of the most prominent qualitative studies that explore the use of social media in the classroom. I critically consider some of the claims for affordances that social media can offer in the classroom, in particular the affordances of the interactive features that are unique to social media, the affordances for authoring to …

Using Reading Cbm To Predict Performance On Smarter Balanced Assessment, Jonathan Wesley Shank

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the relationship between AIMSweb oral reading fluency (R-CBM) and reading comprehension (MAZE) curriculum-based measures and performance on the English language arts/literacy (ELA/L) component of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) using a sample of students in third through fifth grade (N = 499). Pearson correlations between R-CBM, MAZE, and SBA were moderate to high, with R-CBM generally demonstrating the strongest relationships with coefficients ranging from .73 to .75. Results from hierarchical multiple regression models indicated that R-CBM provided strong predictive validity for SBA performance among third grade students (63.4% variance explained, p<.001), while the addition of MAZE to the equation was negligible (1.4% additional variance explained, p<.001). Similar findings resulted from the fourth and fifth grade multiple regression models. The predictive value of R-CBM and MAZE each decreased as grade level increased. Results support continued use of CBM to predict success on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, although CBM using cloze passages explained little variance in high-stakes test scores beyond that of oral reading fluency alone.

Carmita Cerda Aprende A Cocinar, Alexandra Christian Burkley

Open Access Books

Carmita Cerda aprende a cocinar was written and illustrated in 2016 by Alexandra Christian Burkley. The original text was edited and translated by Mackensy Asbell and Madeline Strelec. New, original illustrations were created by Rina Sato.

English Language Teaching In China: Teacher Agency In Response To Curricular Innovations, Sarina Chugani Molina

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

This chapter explores the unique history of English Language Teaching in China, and the role of teacher agency in response to curricular changes. This study employed survey methodology with 72 Chinese English language teachers to understand the ways in which they adapt their curriculum within their local contexts. Interviews with five teachers and one teacher educator selected through purposeful sampling revealed additional factors that contributed to the teachers’ sense of agency. The complexity of the translation of theory into practice is revealed in light of the current ecological systems in which teachers and students are situated.

Toward A Framework For Reading Lived Experiences As Texts: A Four-Year Self-Study Of Teacher Education Practices, Abby Cameron-Standerford, Christi U. Edge, Bethney M. Bergh

Book Sections/Chapters

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Book Negotiating Critical Literacies With Young Children, 10th Anniversary Edition, By Vivian Maria Vasquez, Lori Mckee

Education Publications

Review of Negotiating Critical Literacies with Young Children, 10^th anniversary edition, by Vivian Maria Vasquez.

Supporting Beginning Readers In Reading To Learn: A Comprehension Strategy, Lori Mckee, Gay Carr

Education Publications

This teaching tip outlines a comprehension strategy designed to support early primary students in reading to learn while learning to read. The strategy is borne of our classroom practices and is designed to support young children in reading and understanding informational texts by facilitating close interactions between text and reader. Through the steps, Read, Stop, Think, Ask, Connect, the strategy supports beginning readers in recognizing and responding to the challenges that informational texts hold for reading and comprehending. The strategy is designed to be used flexibly to account for the diversity of readers and of texts within early primary …

Adolescent Literacy And Collaborative Inquiry, Rob Simon, Amir Kalan

English Faculty Publications

In a teacher education classroom in Toronto, groups of middle school students, teacher candidates, and university researchers, members of our research collaborative, the Teaching to Learn Project (Simon et al., 2014; Simon & the Teaching to Learn Project, 2014), discuss projects developed from curricula they coauthored for Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (1986). Maus documents Spiegelman’s father’s recollections of the Holocaust and the author’s own struggles to come to terms with what it means to be the child of a Holocaust survivor.

Youth and teachers involved in the Teaching to Learn Project collectively worked through what historian …

Approaching A Listening And Speaking Skills Gap For Some Learners In The Adult Ell Classroom, Johanna K. Steinruieck

Theses and Graduate Projects

Some adult English language learners (AELLs) have weak English listening and speaking skills in relation to their reading and writing literacy skills. Little information about this discrepancy is available to teachers of AELLs. The purpose of this project was to learn what research exists on the topic and find hands-on strategies to address it in the AELL classroom. Methods included an extended literature review and a survey of AELL teachers in two upper-Midwest urban Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs. Studies of college and university students who are learners of English as a second language (ESL), show that listening and speaking …

Reciprocal Teaching In Secondary Classrooms: Preparing Students For College And Career Reading Demands, Kelly Romo

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper investigates comprehension strategy instruction in secondary classrooms. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2015 report indicates many high school students are not prepared for the reading demands of college and career texts. Research suggests explicit teaching of comprehension strategies increases reading achievement, yet few high school teachers incorporate strategy instruction with current teaching practices due to perceived time constraints, quantity of standards to be covered, and lack of training. The author of this paper proposes Reciprocal Teaching (RT) created by Palincsar and Brown (1984) can be implemented in traditional high school English language arts classrooms as a way …

Parents' Perspectives On Early Childhood Literacy, Courtney S. Bagge

Theses and Graduate Projects

Learning from birth to the age of five is critical for the development of literacy in children, as well as influencing the ability of children to have later success in school. Enrollment in a preschool with a structured literacy program is a way to enhance literacy in young children. It has also been shown that parental involvement in child literacy programs improve the educational benefits to the child. This study uses qualitative research based on interviews with parents of children enrolled in the SEEDS program at the Community Child Development Center in order to better understand their perspectives of the …

English Language Learners And Using Technology In The Classroom For Language Arts And Reading Instruction, Lindsay Block

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper focuses on using technology with English language learners (ELLs), specifically in grades 4-8. Research supports that there are many benefits to using technology with ELLs in the general education classroom. The technology resources that this paper focuses on blogs, WebQuests, handheld devices, and websites. One hundred and nine teachers participated in the study by completing a survey. The survey results indicate that teachers have technology available, but that many do not know how to use it with ELLs. The author provides resources, including a manual and a website, for those teachers to use with their ELLs. The author …

Using Literature To Combat Bullying And Suicide, Laura Giles

The Utah English Journal

Every day in Utah, two youth are treated for suicide attempts. On average, 37 youth die from suicide each year in the state. Additionally, 942 others are injured in suicide attempts each year. In 2013, suicide surpassed unintentional injuries to become the leading cause of death in Utah among youth ages 10 through 17 (Utah Department of Health, 2014).

Integration Of English And Social Studies, Craig Jeppson, Kasie Payne

The Utah English Journal

One day while eating lunch in the faculty lounge, Kasie commented on a lesson that her students had learned in Craig’s class. As we started to compare notes, it occurred to us that we shared a lot of students. Over the course of that year, we continued to share thoughts, lessons, war stories and even engaged in a little competitive banter. What became increasingly clear was that our classes complemented each other. Craig could guide students to answer content-related geography questions such as: “How can countries grow economically and sustainably?”, “Why do people fight?”, and “How does the physical environment …

Colorful Conversations, Denee D. Tyler

The Utah English Journal

When the Common Core was adopted, it quickly became evident that the ELA sections are pretty heavily packed. Many English teachers feel overwhelmed at the sheer volume of standards we are expected to cover. Teaching young readers and writers requires a significant investment of class time, and as a result, many of us end up using class discussions as the sole assessment for the Speaking and Listening standards.

An Introduction To Teaching Transitions, Amy Banks

The Utah English Journal

Transitions can be a challenge for writers at any stage. For example, I once explained to an eighth grade class my observations on a sample piece of writing. I praised their strengths, and then explained a consistent problem throughout the classes: the use of “in conclusion” for their restatement of their main claim. I teased them with no shame, and they giggled and admitted to classmates that it was the only option that came into their minds. One brilliant student then shouted out, “What if we wrote the worst argument main claim ever, starting with ‘In conclusion?’” So, we wrote …

Book Review: Highly Illogical Behavior, Jaden Anderson

The Utah English Journal

Growing up and finding your place in the world can be difficult, but having family and friends to cheer you on helps. Building relationships and remaining loyal is a prevalent theme in John Corey Whaley’s Highly Illogical Behavior. Written in the perspective of teenagers Solomon Reed and Lisa Praytor, they help each other live in the “real world,” while their perception of reality is challenged.

Our Classroom Journey Of Changing Our 7th Grade View Of The World, Gaylynn Parker

The Utah English Journal

How do I feel when I am treated unfairly? This essential question in my 7th grade Honors Language Arts class is usually met with comments such as, “My parents won’t let me get a cell phone” or “I’m tired of babysitting my siblings for free every weekend.” This year it was different. Pairing informational text with current events and literature changed the way my students saw themselves and the world, creating an awareness that elevated their perspectives from superficiality to depth as they examined the world through new eyes.