Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons^™

The Inclusion Of The Nature Of Science And Its Elements In Recent Popular Science Writing For Adults And Young Adults, Feng Jiang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine the inclusion of nature of science (NOS) in popular science writing to determine whether it could serve supplementary resource for teaching NOS. Four groups of documents published from 2001 to 2010 were included in the analysis: Scientific American, Discover magazine, winners of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, and books listed in National Science Teacher Association's (NSTA) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12.

First, computer analysis was performed to categorize passages in the selected documents based on their inclusions of NOS. Then, follow-up human analysis was conducted to assess the frequency, …

A Proposal For A Writing Center And A Peer Tutor Training Course At Fayetteville High School, Katie Colleen Stueart

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a proposal to begin a writing center at Fayetteville High School. The first part of the thesis document describes the research supporting the implementation of a writing center. The rest of the thesis provides the syllabus for the peer tutor-training course.

Young Adult Literature In The High School Classroom: Explanation And Application Of Teacher/Scholar: Student/Scholar Pedagogy, Colleen Barnes Herndon

Theses & Honors Papers

This thesis investigates the ways in which literature is taught in high school English classes. The author expresses frustration with current methods and advocates an increase in teaching Young Adult Literature to high school students in order to encourage the students’ enjoyment of reading. She goes on to discuss how she has taught Young Adult literature in the classroom and includes example lesson plans.

Examining The Magic Tree House Series For Historical Accuracy And Educational Implications, Nina Washington

HIM 1990-2015

Often teachers are faced with the challenge of teaching more content with less time and resources. The use of trade books within the content areas allows teachers to integrate multiple skills in one lesson. The Magic Tree House series has been popular with students and teachers on the elementary level. Using books such as these would be a good way for teachers to use their allotted time to teach all of the content that they are accountable for. This thesis will explore the historical accuracy and educational connections within the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. The purpose …

Using Young Adult Literature To Teach The Classics A Study On Pairing Young Adult Novels With The Classic Works In Secondary English Classrooms, Deanna Lynn Velazquez

HIM 1990-2015

Young adult literature is a genre of literature that is often overlooked. Adolescents would greatly benefit from reading young adult novels, academically and also for enjoyment. Educators are not using young adult literature as often as they should in the classrooms as a tool, due to strict curricula. However, young adult literature is a perfect tool for aiding with comprehension of the classic works. Pairing certain young adult books with classics would help adolescents understand the classic novel, but also assist in intriguing the student enough to pick up both books. After an online survey given to nine Seminole County …

Katelyn's Story: Using Fiction To Combat High School Dropout, Cecilia La France

Graduate Research Papers

High school dropout continues to be a problem for schools, communities, and the individuals who leave an academic high school program. High school dropouts suffer in greater health problems, economic struggles, and legal issues than those who complete a high school program. Despite the persistence of the high school problem in American culture, young adult literature doesn't keep pace in representation of the subject. Additionally, among the limited number of books addressing the topic of high school dropout, female protagonists lack representation reflecting their percentage of the dropout rates.

Young adult literature provides readers a learning and reflection opportunity in …

Promoting A Desire To Read With Graphic Novels, Alexis Woodward

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this research project was to create a graphic novel to encourage reluctant 4th grade boys to become interested in reading. This research questioned the graphics in graphic novels that appeal to reluctant readers, the type of content that would appeal particularly to boys who lack interest in reading, and the method of balance needed between text and graphics to capture the interest of boys who lack motivation to read. The researcher focused on graphic novels and their use in the classroom, different ways graphic novels can motivate reluctant readers to become interested in reading, the concept of …

Sharon M. Draper: Reaching Reluctant Readers, Kaavonia Hinton-Johnson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Angela Johnson: Award-Winning Novels And The Search For Self, Kaavonia M. Hinton-Johnson, Angela Johnson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

It was over a decade ago when Rudine Sims Bishop (1992) prophetically dubbed Angela Johnson as possibly one of "the most prominent AfricanAmerican literary artists of the next generation" (616). At the time she had four picture books to her credit, but the following year she would publish her debut young adult novel, Toning the Sweep. From there, a number of other award-winners would follow and the total of young adult books would increase to eleven and counting. To date, Johnson has three Coretta Scott King Awards, a Michael L. Printz award, and the "Genius Grant" on her list of …

Mosaic: Exploring Patterns In Literature: Volume 1: Faerie Tales, Institute For The Development Of Gifted Education, Ricks Center For Gifted Children, University Of Denver

Ricks Curriculum Units Series

This curriculum was born from a true love of the magic of words and the passion that gifted students display for exploring the wondrous world of fantasy. The reading was designed to highlight the elements of traditional faerie tales in stories that engage students and inspire them to create their own miraculous stories. Each literature project was specially created to motivate students to demonstrate in-depth understanding of these specific novels and to facilitate their perception of the elements of faerie tales as a distinct genre. The writer's guide directs students through the steps of composing an original faerie tale.

Using Young Adult Literature : A Classic Way To Teach English, Matt B. Pries

Graduate Research Papers

Students are reading less, and enjoying reading less. Sticking to the same curriculum year after year in the hope that student attitude will suddenly change, that there will be an awakening in the classroom, and students will read the classics with enthusiasm cannot be done. It is a false hope. But there can be an awakening.

Using young adult literature in the high school English classroom is the solution. It will give new hope to teachers that as students come to enjoy reading, they will be more apt to, not only read more, but eventually come to read the classics. …

Chocolate Bunnies And Pork For Passover: The School And Home: A Symbiosis For Family Literacy, Karen C. Waters

Education Faculty Publications

This article explores the literacy partnership between school and family when intergenerational stories are made public.

More Than Just Imaginative: A Qualitative Study Of Values In Literature For Young Children From The 20th Century, Anna L. Cates

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation endeavors to address the issue of proper methodology for character education. Although character education enjoys wide support among teachers, parents, and society at large, the proper manner with which to accomplish this educational objective continues to be debated. Literature-based approaches to character education are among the most popular means of presenting values to students. This popularity has prompted scholars to closely scrutinize the value patterns in literature for young people. In part, the resulting studies have aimed to ascertain the worthiness of literature itself as a medium for introducing discussion about values and related issues. The method used …

Raising Cultural Awareness In The Elementary Classroom Through African-American Children's Literature, Kirsten Seebeck

Graduate Research Papers

This research project topic was selected because of the need for raised cultural awareness in elementary classrooms, as indicated in current research findings. I chose African-American literature because in this region of the United States, Iowa in particular, the classrooms tend to be largely homogenous. Children who are from African-American descent find themselves to be in the minority in their classroom settings.

These children are not seeing many other children like themselves in their school community. It is therefore important that they see themselves in the literature shared within this community, in order to help them to relate to their …

Portrayal Of Character Pillars Defined By Character Counts! In Children’S Bestselling Literature 1950-1999, Stephanie J. Stocks

Graduate Research Papers

Becoming a person of character is an individual responsibility, yet society uses institutions and media to help guide future generations to obtain virtues and moral values. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pillars of character depicted in children's literature published in the United States from 1950-1999 reflect the renewal in character education programs for schoolchildren.

A content analysis was used to analyze twenty-five best-selling children's picture books from 1950-1999 that were randomly selected to be in the sample population. This researcher looked for positive and negative instances of the six pillars, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, …

Dynamics Of Teachers' Aesthetic Engagement With Children's Literature, Susan C. Griffith

Educational Studies Dissertations

This research study seeks to bring the missing voices of teachers into the conversation about teaching and learning children's literature at the college level. Grounded in an empirical base that affirms a need for this perspective, the study investigates and describes the dimensions, patterns and variations that constitute the dynamics of engagement that characterize teachers' experiences with children's literature as aesthetic experiences of adult reading.

Book Talk In A Thematic Literature Unit, Cathy E. Dickerson

Graduate Research Papers

Discussions of literature may be viewed as a part of the social environment in which students can work together collaboratively to construct meaning. Book talk, or discussion, in a thematic unit encourages students to focus attention on the important ideas in their literature experiences, thus moving them beyond literal comprehension to inferential thinking.

The theme of survival was chosen to promote book talk. A web was created that visually mapped the different aspects of the topic. The book Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, was chosen to introduce the unit and was read aloud to all children. This book became a foil …

Rights & Responsibilities: My Years At Bank Street, John H. Niemeyer

Books

"John H. Niemeyer served as president of Bank Street College of Education from 1955 through 1973. Attached are two sample chapters from a work in progress derived from conversations between John Niemeyer and Dick Greenspan. They discussed Bank Street's work during the tumultuous years of the 1950s and 1960s when civil rights and school integration were changing the face of American education." -- Title page.

Going Home: The Relevance Of Philippine Folktale To Early Childhood Education, Eleanor A. Rivera

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study focuses on the value of introducing Philippine folktales to children of Filipino heritage. The primary objective in this project is to demonstrate how Philippine folktales can serve as a potent vehicle for taking American-born Filipino children home, that is teaching them about their roots and celebrating their cultural identity. I believe that by recognizing their Filipino heritage the children gain a fuller appreciation of and pride in their uniqueness as well as the interest and ability to share aspects of their culture with other children. It is my hope that consideration of their own cultural identity will help …

Promoting Attitude And Amount Of Leisure Reading By Selected Fourth Grade Students, Barbara Navin

Graduate Research Papers

In an effort to determine if media specialists can influence in a positive way the amount of leisure time reading elementary school students do, a study was designed which would test that hypothesis while involving students in two fourth grade classrooms, one of which was the control group and the other the experimental group. Specific activities such as booktalks, story and poetry breaks were performed only for the experimental group. This group also kept a list of books read in gaily decorated reading logs. Both groups kept a count of actual pages read, and actual books completed. Both groups were …

The Effect Of Booktalking On Fiction Circulation Statistics, Melinda J. Quinn

Graduate Research Papers

Five monthly booktalk programs were presented to the eighth grade reading classes at BGM School. Circulation statistics for first semester of 1992 when these students were in seventh grade were compared to the circulation statistics for the same semester of their eighth grade year in 1993 to determine if the booktalks made a significant difference in this group's reading habits.

An analysis of the data using the chi-square test indicated no significant difference at the .05 level in the circulation statistics for paperback books, hard bound books or total volumes. It seemed, though, that the students reacted positively to the …

Chinese American Images In Selected Children's Fiction For Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade, Laureen Chew

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate Chinese American images in selected children's fiction to determine whether or not data support the position of the Council on Interracial Books for Children, that the works of fiction studied tend to stereotype Chinese Americans.

After reading the selected fifteen works of fiction, a criterion checklist was devised by the investigator to examine the behavior and lifestyle of Chinese Americans depicted in a variety of circumstances. validity of the criterion checklist was established by a panel of experts in the area of Chinese American studies. Inter-rater reliability was determined by two readers …

Storytelling: A Guide For The Novice Storyteller, Phyllis Gray

Graduate Research Papers

"Once upon a time, in a place long ago." Thus begins many of the stories that have delighted children and adults all over the world. These words are signals that let people know they are about to enter a world of enchantment. Having entered this strange and wonderful world, people are enthralled or horrified by the sights and sounds that they find there. No matter what the listeners' initial feelings, they are always willing to return to a place long ago with the help of a storyteller. In order to get a better understanding of storytelling events and to improve …

Stereotypes Of The Native American In Fiction Books In Elementary School Libraries, Karma Anderson

Graduate Research Papers

This study proposed to investigate the kinds of Native American materials which were found in elementary school library media centers in Iowa Education Agency Seven (AEA 7). A questionnaire was prepared with seventeen recommended titles and fifteen presently criticized titles on which media specialists in AEA 7 were to indicate availability in their media centers. The hypothesis to be tested was: Given a list of books containing both reconnnended and presently criticized titles, 75 percent of school library specialists in AEA 7 will indicate that there are more recommended titles than presently criticized titles on Native Americans in their fiction …

Realism In Young Adult Literature : Criteria And Analysis, Maryjo Barnett Chinn

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will study realism in young adult literature, focusing specifically on those books in which young adults accept parenting roles. First, professional literature about realism will be reviewed from a· historical perspective, then criteria for realism will be examined. New criteria will be synthesized and applied to six novels. An annotated bibliography of novels in which young adults accept parenting roles will be presented.

An Annotated Bibliography Of Books For Use In Young Adult Death Education Programs, Mary Frances Loretta Berger

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Female Image In The Caldecott Medal Award Books, Patricia Lee Brighton Roberts

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

PROBLEM: Millions of children read and view the Caldecott Winners each year There are no published studies regarding the possible stereo-typing of the role of the human, animal and inanimate female image in the texts and illustrations of these 37 books.

Purpose: The. investigation ·was conducted to determine the extent the total population of the Caldecott books did stereo-type the role of the human, animal and inanimate female image.

Procedures: The investigation was completed in four steps: (1) First, a panel of sociologists determined the content validity of the definitions used in the hypothesis; (2) Second, a Content Analysis Form …

A Study Of The Attitudes Of Iowa Junior High Media Specialists Concerning Sex And Sexuality Materials In The Media Center, Elizabeth Campbell

Graduate Research Papers

This research was undertaken as a study of attitudes toward sex and sexuality materials and their availability and use in junior high media centers. Several basic assumptions were accepted before the study began. The first assumption: the Media Center best serves the school by maintaining a wide selection of media at different levels of ability and interest, and a large portion of these materials are selected to support the school's curricular objectives. The second assumption: if the Media Center is truly serving the school, the Media Specialist must be providing up to date and vital information concerning adolescent sexuality. A …

Moral And Spiritual Values In A High School Anthology Of Literature, Terrence Eugene Kelsay

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

For some years now the need for the emphasis of moral and spiritual values in our public schools has been recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education. The department has given encouragement to numerous research projects and summer workshops held for the purpose of finding an answer to the problem of emphasizing moral and spiritual values in public education. The concern for this need has informally become known as the “Kentucky Movement.”

This study was not undertaken with the thought of introducing new programs in our high schools. The teaching of moral and spiritual values should be done through the …

Literature In The Primary Grades, Anna L. Strong

Bachelors’ Theses

Reading is the most important subject in the curriculum. It is the most fundamental because nearly all of the other subjects depend upon it's a source of information and classification. "Reading is a tool by which subject matter in all fields is interpreted and experienced."

By means of reading the pupil can extend his experience away from his immediate environment and gather the interesting information and vital facts, that provide the settings and the backgrounds needed for interpretation and for constructive thinking in all the varied fields of human endeavor. "Reading is the key that unlocks the great storehouse of …