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Ant Diversity In Two Southern Minnesota Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Sites, Pamela M. Kittelson, Monica Paulson Priebe, Phillip J. Graeve

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

There is little basic information about ant species richness and abundance in tall grass prairie restorations despite the importance of ants to plant community structure and function. We compared ant abundance and richness, vascular plant cover and richness, and soil compaction at two southern Minnesota grassland restoration sites, a prairie reconstruction and a prairie remnant undergoing rehabilitation. We collected a total of 3,523 ants from 12 different species. Plant species richness ranged from 45 in the prairie reconstruction to 95 in the remnant prairie. We found five more species of ants and significantly higher mean ant species richness per plot …

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Programs And Courses 2008-2010, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Programs and Courses Catalogs

This catalog is published for students and other persons who want to know more about the University of Northern Iowa. Its purpose is to communicate as objectively and completely as possible what the university is and what it does. The catalog is presented in sections to give a general view of the university as well as the detailed information required for informed decision making.

Iowa Academy Of Science 120th Annual Meeting [2008]: Advance Program, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contains information about the schedule and presentations for the 2008 annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science.

The Iowa Caucuses: Effects Of Presidential Campaigns On State Politicians, Amy Kathleen Meyers

Honors Program Theses

The Iowa caucuses have been a topic of fascination for many political scientists, the media, and political junkies. Their prominent nature attracts media from all over the United States and can significantly impact the day-to-day lives of Iowans. In studying this topic, close attention must be paid to how campaigns necessarily treat elected state officials differently than ordinary Iowans. More specifically, legislators are treated differently in the processes by which campaigns lobby state legislators for support, the benefits officials receive, and the ways in which such lobbying can detract from their roles as state legislators. All of these factors are …

Mississippi River Towns: From Dubuque, Iowa To Hamilton, Illinois, Bonnie Jean Lawhorn

Graduate Research Papers

Knowing and learning about local history is considered to be important by both Iowa and Illinois State Departments of Education. School Districts have directed their teachers to teach the history of the state as well as the local community. The Mississippi River acts as a border between the two states and has played an important part in the development of villages and towns up and down the river. Living in towns that border the Mississippi River most of my life, I recognize the history that has played out in many of the locations from both sides of the river. Having …

A Menu Of Activities In Different Intelligence Areas To Differentiate Instruction For Upper Elementary Students Related To The Book Because Of Winn-Dixie, Caroline F. Elser, Audrey C. Rule

Open Educational Resources

Today’s elementary classrooms are becoming more diverse, requiring teachers to provide effective instruction to children with a wide range of academic performance, ability, background, and interest. This work focuses on the development of a menu of differentiated instructional activities for teaching literacy to upper elementary students. The author, a former elementary teacher, worked with a faculty member and her literacy methods class of undergraduate preservice elementary teachers to develop this teaching unit based on a popular, award-winning children’s novel (DiCamillo, 2000). The menu of various activities organized in ten different intelligence areas (logical-mathematical, linguistic, bodilykinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, …

Hands-On Materials For Teaching About Global Climate Change Through Graph Interpretation, Audrey C. Rule, J. E. Hallagan, B. Shaffer

Open Educational Resources

Teachers need to address global climate change with students in their classrooms as evidence for consequences from these environmental changes mounts. One way to approach global climate change is through examination of authentic data. Mathematics and science may be integrated by interpreting graphs from the professional literature. This study examined the types of errors 72 preservice elementary teachers made in producing hands-on materials for teaching graph interpretation skills through graphed evidence of global climate change from the literature. The teaching materials consisted of a graph electronically manipulated on a colored background and enhanced with clip art related to the graph’s …

The Teaching Of Elementary School Science In The Pre And Post No Child Left Behind Era: For Better Or Worse?, Jeffrey K. Perkins

Graduate Research Papers

A major problem confronting science education is the barriers elementary teachers face in teaching science. The reform efforts of the 1970's led initially to increased devotion of time in the area of science. The report "A Nation at Risk" published in the 1980's exposed the neglect of the American education system and helped lead to the establishment of standards and benchmarks for all school subjects.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the current state of elementary science in the No Child Left Behind [NCLB] school environment and compare this to the previous status of teaching science in the …

Motivation Success And Failure, Dawn D. Buol

Graduate Research Papers

My research question for this paper is: how can teachers identify the different types of unmotivated students as well as motivated students in the classroom? Moreover, what strategies could be used to motivate those unmotivated students in order to make them become successful life long learners?

Motivating Middle Level Students : Strategies To Help Reach And Teach Middle Level Students, Lisa L. Munsey

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature focused on the strategies educators use for motivating the young adolescent in the middle level classroom.

Anderman and Maehr (1994) found motivation could be improved through a variety of methods by focusing on specific areas: developmental changes, intrinsic versus extrinsic, middle level transformation and classroom practice. Along these same lines, Curwin (2006) found motivation can be enhanced with practices in the middle level classroom through four main areas: (1) welcoming students to school and class, (2) stressing the effort students put forth, (3) increasing homework completion, and (4) turbo charging classroom lessons.

This paper focused on …

Barriers Of Technology Integration In Kindergarten Through Fifth Grade, Theressa Northouse

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers understand the benefits of integrating technology in K through 5th grade classrooms, however, technology is not being effectively integrated. The purpose of this review is to identify the barriers of technology integration in kindergarten through 5th grade and discuss ways in which to remove those barriers. This review includes many research articles, books, websites, a blog, and an interview.

For the purposes of this review, the barriers to integration have been divided into two categories: first and second-order barriers. First-order barriers are extrinsic to the teacher and include issues such as lack of time, money, and technical support. …

Implementing Electronic Portfolios, Courtney Rogne

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review addresses the topic of assessing students with the use of electronic portfolios. The purpose of the review is to document for educators the advantages of electronic portfolios, the media selection options, as well as implementation procedures. Electronic portfolios are an alternative authentic assessment method that invites active student learning and provides an opportunity for instructors to design assessment strategies based on desired student-learning outcomes.

The review also found that many media options are available to meet the needs of the individual courses; however the web-based options are the easiest to use and modify. The review recommends that …

Standardized Testing And Alternative Assessment As A Means Of Measuring The Science Student, Johnpaul L. Collins

Graduate Research Papers

Should standardized tests be used as a means to effectively measure the work that is being done in today's science classroom. Accountability is a major issue in the subject of standardized testing, and constitutes the importance of this study. A review of literature has indicated that standardized testing has not necessarily improved education; and that alternative assessments are a more accurate measure of a student's knowledge. However cost, distribution, speed /accuracy of correction and distribution of data are on the side of the standardized format. There is a move by some states to alter the format of standardized tests, so …

Insects: A Sixth Grade Curriculum Unit, Katherine Schultz

Graduate Research Papers

This unit is designed to teach sixth grade students the importance of insects to our world. Insects appear everywhere on Earth in an amazing number and with great diversity. There are over a million species (York, 2002) identified and more are being discovered. Insects have adapted and multiplied to the point where they represent over eighty percent of the animal species that are found on Earth (Walters& Johnson, 1999)

Curriculum Reform: A Comparison Of A Teacher Created Rock Unit And The Sepup Rock And Mineral Unit, Derek Thomas Wibe

Graduate Research Papers

When the Cedar Rapids Community School District selected a new science curriculum for the fall of 2007, questions arose about how this new curriculum compared with the old curriculum. The new curriculum is similar to the old curriculum when compared by content standards and benchmarks but when the curricula as a whole are compared there are some differences. The seventh grade content curriculum did not experience many significant changes since the new curriculum still covers a large amount of Earth science. Specifically both curricula covered rocks so I decided to focus my research study on comparing the two curricula and …

Artificial Satellites: Lessons About Perspectives, Tom L. Wagner

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Importance Of Teaching Reading Comprehension With Nonfiction Texts, Valeria Jo Frey

Graduate Research Papers

Can comprehension strategies be taught as a learning skill for expository text reading in content area? What strategies in combination best benefit the reading comprehension of students who struggle with reading? How can reading comprehension strategies be taught so that skills are maintained and transferred across settings? In her book Exploring the Literature of Fact, Barbara Moss (2003) suggests that the items needed to be successful in reading nonfiction include accessing quality literature, learning reading strategies, understanding the use of text structure, and responding to the literature.

The following literature review will define reading comprehension using nonfiction material. The research …

A Case Study On The Effectiveness Of Kurzweil Software On Improving Participation And Comprehension With Special Education Students In The Science Classroom, Christina Glaub

Graduate Research Papers

This research project addresses using Kurzweil electronic text software as an accommodation with special education students. The research questions addressed were: Is Kurzweil an effective accommodation for special education students with reading deficits? and Will using Kurzweil improve special education students' participation and comprehension?

A review of literature provided more in-depth information about: (a) electronic text, specifically Kurzweil, (b) the benefits of integrating electronic text into the general education classrooms, and (c) the recommendations or considerations for teachers considering using electronic text. The research based on the literature review shows that the use of electronic text may lead to improved …

The Impact Of The National Board Certification Process On The Instructional Practices Of Teacher Librarians, Deanne Thiede

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' certification process on the instructional strategies of teacher librarians. This research focused on practicing teacher librarians from Illinois and Iowa who were National Board certified in the area of Library Media prior to 2008. A quantitative survey was created, administered, and results were compiled using tables.

The survey questions included simple yes and no responses as well as narrative responses. The data were organized and analyzed. The researcher determined an overall positive response toward the National Board certification process and its impact …

The Wright Message, 2008, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Mathematics.

The Wright Message

Inside this issue:

-- New Faces in the Department
-- New Mathematics Education Center
-- Math Murder Mystery
-- Student Competitions
-- PSM
-- Mathematics After Hours
-- Faculty Notes
-- Integration Bee
-- Alliance Program
-- SOAR (Student Online Achievement Resources)
-- DoDEA
-- Hawaii Department of Education (Professional Development Facilitator Training)
-- Focus on Two Endowment Funds

Cns Connections, Winter 2008-09, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Natural Sciences.

CNS Connections

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- UNI Botanical Center celebrates birthday, new name and addition
-- Hydrology lab opens in fall 2008
-- Fahmy's final year as head of IT exceptional
-- CNS News in short
-- CNS students in the news
-- Applause
-- Transitions
-- Duncan and Litwiller break 1,000!
-- PSM prograns in CNS off to promising start
-- Project SOAR under way at UNI
-- IMSEP up and running
-- Faculty research
-- Imagine your impact
-- Petersons give back to UNI
-- Alumni News
-- CNS Advisory Board

A New Design For The Hudson Community School District's Website, Shannon Michelle Horn

Honors Program Theses

Technology is increasingly becoming a bigger and more important part of our daily lives. Especially in such institutions as the public education system, the Internet is becoming more widely used as a source of information and a means of communication between the district and parents, students, the community, and even teachers. The Internet, and all forms of technology, is increasingly becoming the primary way people access information, especially in education. As more and more schools are depending on the Internet to promote their schools, they are in tum becoming dependent on how outsiders view their website as a first impression …

Social Politics And Freedom: Incorporating Civil Society Into Arendt's Political Thought, Grant J. Rozeboom

Honors Program Theses

The possibility of human freedom has captivated philosophers throughout the ages, often leading them to conclude that freedom is a unique capacity of humanity, exemplifying our potential for politics, contemplation, and/or religious salvation. In the modern age, beginning with the political writings of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, freedom has been understood (at least within the early liberal tradition and common discourse) as unhindered and individuated economic movement, motivated by self-interest and actualized most fully in institutions such as the consumerist free market. Yet, we find that the more we devote our actions to fulfilling our individual interests and needs, …

Gaming Towards Academic And Physical Success, Eric Burt

Graduate Research Papers

This review addresses the potential of serious video games and the benefits that serious video games can have on a student academically as well as physically. Serious video games require strategic thinking, problem solving, planning and decision making. Serious video games enable learners to experience ~eal world situations without the real-life consequences. Exergaming provides potential for combining gaming and exercise, this type of video game has tremendous upside. This review of research.investigates how video games can be used to engage learners and help students learn. Research is needed to determine which features of games and simulation~ are important for learning …

School Library Orientation: Introducing Teachers To The Roles And Services Of Teacher Librarians, Allison Emery

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to develop materials that could be used to orient teachers new to a school building to the roles and services of the teacher librarian, the resources he or she can provide, and the culture of collaboration. Research questions seeking resolution were the following: (1) What do teachers new to a school need to know in order to be able to collaborate with a teacher librarian and to be able to use the school library and all of its resources to effectively meet the academic needs of their students? (2) What practices are best …

The Relationship Of Preservice Teachers' And Faculty Members' Perceptions Of Critical Thinking And Their Epistemological Beliefs, Meskerem Debele

Graduate Research Papers

The term "critical thinking" has recently been used in the Ethiopian educational policy documents as well as in its teacher education curricula. Even though the concept has been given a central importance by being the central goal of education at all levels, a well established understanding and practice of nurturing critical thinking at school level, as well as at teacher education and training curriculum has not been achieved yet. From the personal experience both as pre-service teacher and then as teacher educator in Bahir Dar university, one of the teacher education institutions in the country, I have observed, especially during …

The Reflective Science Educator, Caroline Anne Scheidel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Reflection is synonymous with quality teaching. Though teachers reflect, the domains of reflections vary from teachers in different curriculum areas. Teachers of science have their own interesting characteristics to reflection. The art of reflection contains several unique aspects such as the logistics of reflections, the influence of the reflection, the content, and the perception one has on reflection. These aspects are described through the eyes of a science teacher to better understand their relationship to reflection. Though the research within reflections of teachers is plentiful, there is little on science teacher's reflections. The focus of this study is to determine …

Evaluating Earth Science Misconceptions In One School Districts: A Case Study, Katherine Marie Schafer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research was a case study in common Earth science misconceptions revealed among students in one rural Iowa school district known as "Ruraltown." Students in grades 5, 8 and 10 participated in this study. Evaluation of misconceptions was done through the administration of the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources For Teachers (MOSART). MOSART is designed to test for students' understanding of content contained within the K-12 Earth science National Science Education Standards and also to reveal misunderstandings held by students. Three questions guided this research study. One, how do students in this school district compare with students who participated in the …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2007/2008, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted --Degree Summary
--- Program Certificates
--- Pupils in Price Laboratory School
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree Objective, and Racial/Ethnic Classification