Education Commons^™

Data Driven Instruction In Teaching Poetry Analysis To Advanced Placement Literature And Composition Seniors, Andrea Reyes

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The goal of the poetry unit was to enhance students’ written ability by analyzing a variety of poetic literature to answer advanced placements practice prompts. I used the following research-based instructional strategies: homework and practice, nonlinguistic representations, and cooperative learning. I used the following research-based assessment strategies: essay writing, Quizizz, exit ticket, and topic, evidence, and analysis responses. The standards that the unit addressed are: LA.12.RP.2 Analyze the development and interaction of literary elements such as characterization, setting, and plot, and how they contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole, LA.12.V.2 Interpret an author’s use of figurative, …

Beyond Words: Exploring History Through The Lens Of Literary Theory And Research, Andrea Weaver

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

The narrative of this Master's portfolio reflects on the academic journey of Andrea Weaver. The three projects showcased in this portfolio reflect her experience during the Master of Arts in English with a Specialization in English Teaching program. It includes a rhetorical Ohio Suffragist unit plan created for high school sophomores, a seminar paper critically analyzing the film Interview with the Vampire (1994), and a digital presentation of artifacts and research about literary theorist Wolfgang Iser and his work in Reader Response Theory presented on the platform Microsoft Sway. The framework of New Historicism is threaded throughout each project, linking …

“Young, Gifted, And Black”: Understanding The Complex Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Students In Ap Classes At A Diverse Suburban High School, Jody Elliott-Schrimmer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and belonging for future students as schools continually work toward gender and racial equity in the AP classroom. In this Critical Race Theory (CRT) oriented study, I sought to understand the essence of the Black experience in predominantly White academic spaces through a phenomenological methodology. I analyzed the significant moments and …

The Impact Of Student Cell Phones On Standardized Test Achievement In The High School English Classroom, Jackie Otway

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This 2022 study analyzes the impact cell phones have on secondary student’s academic performance and whether or not banning cell phones from classrooms is an effective policy for supporting student's academic success. To answer this question, two class periods of approximately 30 students in each period will be asked to adhere to two different cell phone policies; one conventional policy that allows for unstructured cell phone use during the class period and one policy that bans cell phone use for the class period. Academic performance and success will be determined by scaled scores on the standardized STAR Reading test, which …

'Code Red' In The English Language Arts Classroom: How Turkish Grade 9 Students Respond To Climate Change And Climate Change Education, Toby-Alan Ray

International Graduate Program for Educators Master's Projects

Climate Change is fast becoming one of the most important issues for humanity to address. Education must clearly play a key role in creating future generations that understand the causes, impacts and solutions to this problem so that they can ameliorate the impacts and adapt.

One area many studies disagree on is whether climate change knowledge translates into pro-environmental behaviour or not, and whilst several studies point out that the topic benefits from being taught in a cross-curricula fashion, so that sociological as well as scientific ideas can be appreciated together, the suitability of the ELA classroom to the topic …

The Effects Of Fictional Literature On Real-World Perceptions Of Students, Dylan Dowty

Honors Theses

The ways in which fiction affect the perceptions of high school students’ realities are many, and they vary widely depending on the book read. While lessons can be learned from every fictional book, certain types of books are more beneficial and relevant for students. Young adult literature, while often overlooked, is a significant source of students’ perspective shifts and metacognition. Every book has a lesson that it can teach students, but contemporary young adult literature deserves to be taught in schools alongside the classics in order for students to make personal connections with the texts they read and take an …

Amanda Baldwin's Master's Portfolio, Amanda Baldwin

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This is the final portfolio for my Master's of Arts in the field of English. It includes an analytical narrative along with four projects that I feel best illustrate my knowledge, skills, and growth. These four pieces are entitled "Putting a Feminist Twist on Classic Literature," "Teaching Antigone in the Modern Classroom," “Feminism and Racial Studies in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees,” and “Literacy Narrative Analysis.”

20 Things, Reann Parker

Honors Theses

20 Things is a short young adult novel that explores a variety of topics and themes, from mental health, recovery, and self discovery to race, love, and friendship. Beginning with a high school girl named Halle waking up in a hospital after a suicide attempt, the novel is a coming of age story about the help Halle receives and what she goes through in trying to find reasons to keep living. The novel is divided into ten chapters: “Waking Up,” “Going Home,” “Arriving,” “Being Honest,” “Keeping the Faith,” “Soul Searching,” “Willingness,” “Maintaining,” “Checking In,” and “Living.” Each chapter represents the …

Student Perceptions Regarding The Use Of Purposive English In A Spanish As A Foreign Language Classroom, Kacey Booth

Dissertations

In modern American society, diversity is both challenged and celebrated, and inclusion is imperative. This ideology begins in the classroom. Oftentimes, this celebration of diversity, more specifically linguistic diversity, is most visible in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) classes and similar bilingual educational programs. In TESOL programs, students’ international identities are highlighted and students are often instructed using multilingual educational resources to scaffold their acquisition of English. Historically, foreign language teaching also utilized dual-language instructional methodologies. Such archaic teaching methodologies have since been replaced by more modern and immersive sociopsycholinguistic approaches such as Communicative Language Teaching. Such …

See And Be Seen: Young Adult Refugee Literature In The High School Curriculum, Patrice Splan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are more than 25 million refugees in the world today, over half of whom are under the age of 18. As these young people adapt to new schools and communities, it is essential that all students have opportunities to see themselves represented in literature and to develop understandings of the experiences of others. This project provides an analysis of young adult refugee literature with a unit plan for application of texts in a ninth-grade Virginia English classroom, stressing the importance of education as a tool for awareness, reflection, and empathy.

How Two High School Teachers Conceive Of Student Voice, Value It, And Foster It, Katherine Mary Mccleary

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study was to examine two high school English teachers’ experience as they worked together to purposefully implement increased student voice in their classrooms. The study focused on how a convenience sample of teachers designed, implemented, and reflected upon classroom assignments and lessons with the intention to increase student voice and ownership in the classroom. Teachers each participated in four individual interviews, four partnership observations and three classroom observations as they related to student voice implementation.

Data from the interviews, partnership observations and classroom observations were analyzed using qualitative methods and through the lenses of …

Thoughts Of A First Year Teacher: Know Your Students, Caitlin King

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This Ethnographic Narrative is a research based look into the lives of socially disadvantaged students in a low-income area. It breaks down the assets and needs of each student individually and discusses how to better help them academically and socially based on their individual personalities and needs. The narrative also discusses the community in which these individual students live and attend school, it looks at research on the community to determine how each student is affected by the city that they live in. Finally the narrative concludes by looking at the teacher over the course of this past year and …

Examining Predictor Measures For Students' Testing In The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Shannon Siebe

Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between both student achievement and growth in 9th and 10th grade English and math courses and achievement on International Baccalaureate English and math exams. The researcher examined student end-of-course exam scores, student growth values, and International Baccalaureate English and math exam scores from an International Baccalaureate World School across 4 graduating cohorts, including 305 students. The researcher concluded that while 9th grade math end-of-course exam achievement does not significantly predict International Baccalaureate math exam scores, student growth in 9th grade math does. The researcher also concluded that Advanced Placement Language …

Reading Against The Grain: English Education Through The Lens Of Critical Literature Pedagogy, Laura Carolyne Myers

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Traditional Grammar For A Modern Classroom, Madison Jones

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project explores the different methods currently being used to teach grammar in a secondary Language Arts classroom. Additionally, the research identifies the relevance of sentence parsing, a traditional grammar method. Finally, the project offers a set of materials that would tangibly allow readers to take the results of the research and apply traditional grammar practices into a modern-day classroom. While there are many different current methods being used to teach grammar, this paper ultimately makes an argument that traditional grammar still can play a powerful role in the classrooms of tomorrow.

Preventing Plagiarism In The High School, Robin Brooke Rushing

All Graduate Projects

The project provides high school teachers with a handbook to aid their effort in teaching summarization skills and MLA citation format. Because research articles have become easier to obtain over the internet, plagiarism among high school students has evolved and become a problem in American high schools. This handbook is not only a resource for teachers to utilize in their lesson plans, but provides various opportunities for students to practice key writing and research documentation skills.

"Through The Looking Glass:" Teaching Literary Theory In The High School English Classroom, Alethea Young

All Graduate Projects

The project examines the historical context of Contemporary Literary Theories: Deconstruction, Marxist Literary Theory, Althusser's Theory ofldeology, and Feminist Literary Theory, through a review ofliterature. The project culminates in a 4-6 week unit on teaching Feminist Literary Theory, Marxist Literary Theory, and Deconstruction in connection with a unit on Rudolfo Anaya's award-winning novel, Bless Me, Wtima. The unit is designed for 10th grade Honors Language Arts classes.

An Interdisciplinary, Teaming Approach To History And English Instruction At The Secondary Level, Miles J. Caples

All Graduate Projects

The relationship of integrating history and English objectives to enhance student achievement was studied. A model curriculum has been developed to connect U.S. History and American Literature content. Research has been obtained that indicates improved student learning when subjects are integrated in a relevant fashion. Secondary schools using interdisciplinary curriculum are showing improved GPA's, attendance and standardized test scores. Secondary teachers must align their daily lesson plans and assessments with the state essential learning's in both the history and language arts area.

William Blake: An Integrated Teaching Approach, Shawn C. Gaspaire

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore the usefulness of providing integrated curricula in today's contemporary classroom. The literature review illustrates that integrated approaches to teaching improve classroom engagement rates, retention, and skill level across grade levels when compared to non-integrated environments. A tenweek model using William Blake as a catalyst is presented. The integrated approach using Blake incorporates history, English, the arts, vocational arts, communication, and the technologies. Implications of integrated curriculum and William Blake are discussed.

Integration Of American History And American Literature, Diane Main

All Graduate Projects

The development of an integrated curriculum for American History and American Literature is presented. The purpose of this project is to integrate concepts from American History with the concepts typically taught in an American Literature course. This project is intended for use at the secondary level, specifically for use at Eisenhower High School, Yakima, Washington. Many feel that it is important for students to have the ability to transfer information from one area to another. It has also been deemed important that students are capable of critical thinking. The project that has been developed will help students do both.

A Performance Based Assessment Model For The Evaluation Of Students In An English Composition Class, C. Wayne Butler

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a performance-based assessment model for the evaluation of students in an English composition class in the Kittitas School District.

Multicultural Novels And Activities: An English And Language Arts Curriculum For Middle And High School Students In The Yakima Valley, Karen A. Jenner Gemeinhart

All Graduate Projects

Research in the area of education concludes that both white and underserved populations benefit from the use of multicultural education. The curriculum provided in this project is founded on the research findings of educational specialists who outline these benefits. The use of multicultural education as a way to connect students to the curriculum is crucial in providing all students with an equal opportunity to learn. The Yakima Valley in Washington State is home to a number of Hispanic and Native American students who reflect a lack of academic achievement on standardized tests that assess literacy. Theories and strategies for teaching …

Seeing History Through Literature: An Interdisciplinary Unit On World War Ii, William White

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a model interdisciplinary unit combining English and history at the junior year. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on integration was reviewed. Additionally, learning objectives, teaching strategies, educational activities and instructional materials were developed and adapted. The curriculum focuses on World War II. It should serve as a possible example of how integration might work to effectively facilitate an understanding of history through literature and literature through history.

Metacognitive Prereading Activities To Enhance Reading Comprehension, Katherine Laws

All Graduate Projects

This study investigated metacognitive prereading strategies content area teachers might utilize for process emphasis reading comprehension. The literature review showed the shift in reading comprehension instruction from a word based emphasis to an interactive process emphasis, described content area reading instruction and metacognition. A selection of metacognitive prereading activities was included for use by teachers in content area classrooms. Implications of using the activities were discussed.

A Technologically Assisted Integrated Curriculum In The Seventh Grade, Laurie Kay Miller

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop interdisciplinary learning units for middle level students which utilize the latest in educational technology. To accomplish this purpose, research and literature on interdisciplinary education and technology in education were reviewed. The learning units were developed for actual use by all seventh graders in seventh grade block classes at West Valley Junior High School in Yakima, Washington. The results of this type of learning have been very encouraging.

A Survey Of Research Literature And A Proposed Revision And Extension Of The High School Freshman Language Arts Program, Ellen Anne Johnson

Graduate Student Research Papers

It was the purpose of this study to propose, in light of recent research, a revised and extended language arts program for high school freshmen with particular attention to (1) improved articulation and sequence; (2) suggested ideas for procedures and creativity; (3) inclusion of more specific and detailed content; (4) incorporation of some of the recent trends in methods, materials, and content; and (5) an attempt to avoid duplication and reiteration.

Ability Grouping In English Classes Of The Secondary Schools: A Survey With Emphasis On Students Of Low And Superior Abilities, Jane Lorraine Gruver

Graduate Student Research Papers

This paper will discuss ability grouping, particularly as applied to the English classes of the secondary school. Special attention will be given to plans recognizing the student of low ability as well as to courses especially evolved for the gifted student. Although guidance and counseling are associated with grouping, they will not enter into the scope of this paper except incidentally.