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Effective Early Literacy Interventions, Strategies, And Supplemental Programs For Primary Students, Anna Anderson
Effective Early Literacy Interventions, Strategies, And Supplemental Programs For Primary Students, Anna Anderson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In education today, more and more children are being identified to have reading difficulties in classroom. This is one of the main reasons that wanted to obtain my Master of Arts in Literacy Education, and ultimately lead to the development of my research focus question: What interventions, strategies, or supplemental programs are available to address and aid, primary students who struggle in reading? While seeking the answer to this research question, I learned a lot about the development of literacy itself. I discovered how literacy has changed throughout time, and the major theorists who contributed to these changes. I also …
Political Speech, Doublespeak, And Critical-Thinking Skills In American Education, Doris Minin-White
Political Speech, Doublespeak, And Critical-Thinking Skills In American Education, Doris Minin-White
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The idea for this project was born during the 2016 US presidential election campaign, after noticing that my students did not seem to find anything questionable about statements of politicians, while at the same time it seemed apparent to me that not all the candidates spoke in a straightforward fashion. This disparity led to my research question: What patterns of doublespeak characterize selected discourse samples of the two most recent US presidents? In this project, I presented the analysis of the candidates’ styles of doublespeak based on the number of occurrences and a technique that I called “The Beguilement and …
How To Integrate Vocabulary In A Fourth Grade Classroom Of English Language Learners To Accelerate Reading Achievement, Randi Kay Weiland
How To Integrate Vocabulary In A Fourth Grade Classroom Of English Language Learners To Accelerate Reading Achievement, Randi Kay Weiland
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
English language learners are prevalent in modern American schools, yet educators are often still grappling with how to best teach these unique students. Unsurprisingly, vocabulary plays a fundamental role in reading comprehension. This capstone presents the existing research on the foundational relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension as well as effective vocabulary instruction for English language learners. The research was then used to design a vocabulary curriculum for a fourth grade thematic literacy unit on Mexican Heritage. The curriculum focuses on four major aspects of vocabulary instruction: 1) the direct instruction of Tier II words, as defined by Isabel Beck; …
A Cross-Curricular, Reading-Focused Learning Program And School Culture, James Maclachlan
A Cross-Curricular, Reading-Focused Learning Program And School Culture, James Maclachlan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project was how does a reading-centered academic program and culture affect achievement throughout content areas? The paper documents the development and implementation of a school-wide, cross-curricular reading program by a team of teachers at a small “Teacher-Powered” charter public school in the Metro Area of Minnesota serving an at-risk population of students. The author documents the details of the reading program as it pertains to the unique learning program of the school and references relevant research literature to provide context and justification for the tools and strategies used in the program. Description of …
Effective Curriculum To Accelerate Academic Reading Comprehension For High School English Language Learners, Lisa Menke Johnson
Effective Curriculum To Accelerate Academic Reading Comprehension For High School English Language Learners, Lisa Menke Johnson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, what is an effective curriculum for accelerating reading comprehension skills in secondary English Language Learner students. It documents one teacher’s creation of a unit that combined research based strategies for increasing reading comprehension skills in older students as well as second language acquisition strategies. It integrated vocabulary development, grammar forms and functions and intervention strategies proven to be successful with high school students. The author documents the details of the unit and uses related research literature to construct meaning and validate the study. The project provides a quarter long unit focused on …
Giving Students The Opportunity To See Themselves And Diverse Cultures In Literature: A Multicultural Literature Wiki, Maria E. Effertz
Giving Students The Opportunity To See Themselves And Diverse Cultures In Literature: A Multicultural Literature Wiki, Maria E. Effertz
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
As our student body becomes more and more diverse, the literature we use in class must change in order to best represent them. The purpose of this capstone project was to create an online database to provide teachers with the multicultural literature they might need to best represent the diverse student voices in their classrooms. The research question addressed in this project was, how can literacy teachers more readily access multicultural texts for their curriculum that both reflects their students' backgrounds and cultures as well as gives students the ability to gain access to and recognize themselves in other cultures? …
What Are Effective Strategies To Enhance Motivation And Engagement Of Secondary Struggling Readers To Grow Reading Achievement?, David Hemmesch
What Are Effective Strategies To Enhance Motivation And Engagement Of Secondary Struggling Readers To Grow Reading Achievement?, David Hemmesch
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The question addressed in this project was, what are effective strategies to enhance motivation and engagement of secondary struggling readers to grow reading achievement? Research was done on current reading instruction trends for secondary students and on the principles of motivation and engagement for students and people in general. The findings suggest that teaching struggling readers about cognitive strategies is more important than specific reading strategies. An e-learning curriculum project was created based on fixed and growth mindsets with the goal being for learners to discover his or her current mindset, to learn to recognize the difference between the two …
How Can An Intermediate Elementary Educator Use Critical Literacy To Promote Social Justice Through Book Clubs?, Grace Shields Mevissen
How Can An Intermediate Elementary Educator Use Critical Literacy To Promote Social Justice Through Book Clubs?, Grace Shields Mevissen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this action research is to better understand, “How can an intermediate elementary educator use critical literacy to promote social justice through book clubs?” The author researched and defined social justice, critical literacy and book clubs. After, the author administered a pre assessment, helped facilitate book clubs and a post assessment. The action research was conducted in a suburban school that is mainly comprised of white students. Two groups, having selected the same text, were chosen as a focus group. The author notes and highlights themes across all seven of the students’ experiences throughout the unit. The author …
Transitioning From Teachers' Words To Students' Words: Strategies To Promote Comprehension During Literature Circles, Tiffany Tozke Brian
Transitioning From Teachers' Words To Students' Words: Strategies To Promote Comprehension During Literature Circles, Tiffany Tozke Brian
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Literature circles can be a powerful tool for motivating students to take part in discussions around text. The power of these literature circles lies in the success of the conversations students have. Those conversations are shaped by the words the teacher uses to facilitate them, and by the words students use within them. This capstone addresses how teachers can focus on words in a student-focused manner that supports students in having in conversations that deepen their understanding and connection to novels.
Tier Two Reading Interventions For Elementary English Learners, Katherine M. Little
Tier Two Reading Interventions For Elementary English Learners, Katherine M. Little
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The guiding question for this Capstone project is What curriculum guide can be developed for Tier 2 Interventions within the RtI framework for elementary-level ELs with reading difficulties? The literature was examined for sources of EL reading difficulties, evidence-based practices for implementing Response to Intervention (RtI), for teaching reading, and for teaching ELs. The intersections of this research led to the formulation of several guiding principles that can be used in the development of curricula for Tier 2 reading interventions for ELs: Instruction and materials should be (a) scaffolded; (b) culturally and linguistically responsive; (c) focused on improving reading comprehension …
How To Make Read-Aloud In Language Arts Engaging To Students In A Fifth-Grade Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos
How To Make Read-Aloud In Language Arts Engaging To Students In A Fifth-Grade Classroom, Elizabeth M. Burgos
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Read-aloud is a strategy that is used in many fifth-grade language arts classrooms, although more often than not it is used to fill time and the only expectation of students is to listen passively. Therefore, the research question addressed in this capstone focused on how to make read-aloud in language arts engaging to students in a fifth-grade classroom. Components and best practices to create an effective read-aloud were explored so that students can participate more actively through different responses during read-aloud. A complete read-aloud guide including sixteen lessons to lead a class through the book The War That Saved My …
Teaching And Understanding Phonemic Awareness And English Learners, Jennifer L. Wold
Teaching And Understanding Phonemic Awareness And English Learners, Jennifer L. Wold
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question for this paper and project was: Why is phonemic awareness important for English learners (ELs) and how can it be developed? The interest in this topic arose from observing English learners struggle with various English phonemes, especially the vowels, and the surprising difficulty of teaching students to acquire them. Research shows that phonemic awareness contributes to successful reading achievement and can affect intelligibility. English learners may struggle with phonemic awareness as phonemes that exist in English may not exist in their L1s. This paper and project focuses on native Spanish speakers and the distinction of the /i/ …
Discovering The Learner Profile: An Interactive Read-Aloud Curriculum For K-2 Students In The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Dannika Wright
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Interaction with quality picture books is a powerful way for young students in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) to develop understanding of the Learner Profile. The Learner Profile is a set of ten attributes that define the “internationally minded learner” and is an integral part of the PYP curriculum framework. The author of this capstone examines existing literature on the history and structure of the IB and PYP, character education, and interactive read-alouds to create a curriculum that focus on attributes of the Learner Profile. Using the PYP curriculum framework and elements of the Fountas and Pinnell …
The Best Uses Of Digital Resources To Support And Engage Struggling Readers At The Middle School Level, Dianne Dorle
The Best Uses Of Digital Resources To Support And Engage Struggling Readers At The Middle School Level, Dianne Dorle
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The author chose to explore the question what are the best uses of digital resources to support and engage struggling middle school readers? Many students in middle school find themselves struggling with comprehension skills. As many schools are moving to the 1:1 iPad model it is easy and necessary to incorporate digital resources in the teaching instruction. The current middle school students, through exposure, are fluent with using digital resources. Some of the main inquiries that were researched in this paper are why middle school students are struggling in reading, what motivates middle school students and what are digital resources? …
What Alternative Reading Curriculums Are Available For Students Who Have Not Made Adequate Progressing Using Tier 1 And Tier 2 Interventions?, Lorinda Unger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was: What alternative reading curriculums are available for students who have not made adequate progress using Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions? The purpose of this inquiry was to create a system to provide students who are below their grade level peers in reading an intervention that matches their specific reading need. Current research confirms there are five essential reading elements that students need to master to become efficient readers. Each reading element is explored with curriculums, interventions, and learning activities provided.
Independently Implementing Best Practices In Flexible Guided Reading At The Elementary School Level, Ashley Teare
Independently Implementing Best Practices In Flexible Guided Reading At The Elementary School Level, Ashley Teare
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Guided reading is a vital part of a balanced reading program in the elementary classroom. Guided reading should be flexible to meet readers where they are. Unfortunately implementation of differentiated guided reading varies from district to district, leaving learning and understanding of the reading processes of children up to the teacher. This project examines the question: How can best practices in flexible guided reading be independently implemented at the elementary school level? The literature review emphasizes the importance of guided reading and how flexible grouping can be implemented to accommodate readers strengths and needs. Research shows that guided reading can …
Improving Literacy And Reading Comprehension Through Music Instruction In An El Sistema-Inspired Violin Program, Teresa Campbell
Improving Literacy And Reading Comprehension Through Music Instruction In An El Sistema-Inspired Violin Program, Teresa Campbell
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
My research questions were: how can I use the content area of music in an intensive, El Sistema-inspired after school string program to increase literacy and improve reading comprehension for my students and how do goals for increased literacy and improved reading comprehension align with an El Sistema-inspired program with goals for social change? To answer these questions I present four areas of research: the connection between prosody and reading comprehension, critical pedagogy and critical literacy, El Sistema, and correlations between music training and enhanced prosodic awareness. I end by discussing my Capstone project, a music curriculum written for my …
Integrating Comprehension Strategy Instruction Into Literature Study For Primary Students, Traci Lee Taylor
Integrating Comprehension Strategy Instruction Into Literature Study For Primary Students, Traci Lee Taylor
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this curriculum design project was: How can I redesign a current second grade literature unit by integrating explicit comprehension strategy instruction while maintaining a focus on meaningful interaction with text? It documents one teacher’s foray into the field of reading research, beginning with the historical and theoretical underpinnings of reading comprehension and then moving onto how research on proficient readers has impacted current views on effective reading comprehension instruction. The literature unit that was designed focuses on key strategies used by proficient readers including activating and building schema, making connections, visualizing, inferring, and summarizing. The …
Creating A Culture Of Independent Reading Among African American Students, Especially Black Males, Donna Carol Franklin Clemenson
Creating A Culture Of Independent Reading Among African American Students, Especially Black Males, Donna Carol Franklin Clemenson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project is: How can I create a culture of independent reading among African American students, especially black males? The goal is to help motivate students to become lifelong readers who will be prepared to develop their life choices into great successes. The author examines the history of education of African Americans and the ensuing achievement gap. She discusses literature on the topic of motivating African American students, especially males, to see the value of reading and education, and includes literature on culturally relevant teaching. She documents three areas of teaching that influence the development …
Using A Functional Language Approach To Modifiy Guided Reading For English Langauge [Sic] Learners, Kristen A. Young
Using A Functional Language Approach To Modifiy Guided Reading For English Langauge [Sic] Learners, Kristen A. Young
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The first research question addressed in this study was, how can one modify the standard methods of teaching guided reading to better meet the language needs of non-native speakers? The second question was, what adjustments need to be made to include the teaching of academic language functions with guided reading instruction? This study documents the teacher’s exploration of the most effective strategies for teaching English learners (ELs) to learn the language needed to accelerate reading levels. The author uses the Modified Guided Reading for ELs lesson model produced in the work by Avalos, Plasencia Chaves and Rascon, and combines it …
Implicit Bias And The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Phenomenon And Their Affects On Literacy Performance In Elementary Students, Anna K. Quirk
Implicit Bias And The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Phenomenon And Their Affects On Literacy Performance In Elementary Students, Anna K. Quirk
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The author’s inquiry was: How do implicit bias and the self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon affect literacy performance in elementary students. Implicit or unconscious bias is known for causing issues with judges and police officers, but new awareness has been brought to the realm of education and how these biases can widen the achievement gap in literacy and other academic areas. The self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon or Pygmalion Effect, can hinder growth in academics when an educator fails to identify student strengths, only focusing on deficits. This project brings awareness to how implicit bias and the self-fulfilling prophecy through the use of a …
Relationships Between Comprehension And Fluency Levels Within Reading At A Second Grade Level, Erika Gregor
Relationships Between Comprehension And Fluency Levels Within Reading At A Second Grade Level, Erika Gregor
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this action research is to investigate the relationship between comprehension and fluency levels in a Spanish Immersion second grade setting and answer the question of: What is the effect of daily use of comprehension strategies, including inferencing, summarizing and visualizing, on fluency within a Spanish Immersion program? The literature review served the purpose to explore and deliver vital components in understanding the process of reading and how comprehension and fluency are achieved. I used a quantitative approach and utilized assessments throughout the school year to observe fluency levels when implementing comprehension strategies and assessments. The data revealed …
Effective And Engaging Online Learning A Research Based Blended Curriculum In The Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Emily Eggers
Effective And Engaging Online Learning A Research Based Blended Curriculum In The Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Emily Eggers
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
As technology becomes more prominent in today’s society, teachers need to be prepared to integrate technology into their classrooms. This capstone was made to answer the question “What is the best method to facilitate student learning in the online environment?” It documents one teacher’s creation of an all encompassing unit of study that incorporates many online learning strategies. Based on the Understanding by Design method of curriculum development, the unit includes learning outcomes, forms of assessment, and daily activities to help deepen students’ understanding of the material with the integrated use of technology. The methods of technological instruction are selected …
Trauma In Refugee And Immigrant Students: A Website Resource For Educators, Christine Marie Houstman
Trauma In Refugee And Immigrant Students: A Website Resource For Educators, Christine Marie Houstman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
After the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump, many of my elementary refugee, immigrant, and native-born English Learners (ELs) became distraught with the safety of their future in the United States, and that of their family and friends. In my school building, EL students were negatively acting out both socially and academically. Our mainstream and EL teachers, along with administration, struggled to help this traumatized population. Determining the need for a readily available web-based resource was an efficient method to get much needed, research-based, information into the hands of concerned teachers. The website was created for educators and administrators as …
How Can The Orton-Gillingham Approach Be Used As An Effective Tool To Receive A Deeper Understanding Of Syllables And Word Spelling For Students Who Are Hard Of Hearing?, James D. Grota
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing come to school with limitations to learning that the average student does not have. Being able to hear words and sounds is an important part of learning to spell those words. This paper will identify some characteristics in the development of learning word syllable recognition and phonics, as well as, strategies to help improve learning for students who are deaf and hard of hearing by using the Orton-Gillingham Approach. The OrtonGillingham Approach uses a multisensory strategy that includes audio, visual, and feeling to help solidify word recognition and spelling. Although the approach …
Spanish Reading Intervention Program Using Multisensory Methods, Marissa Jurado
Spanish Reading Intervention Program Using Multisensory Methods, Marissa Jurado
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this project was to create a Spanish reading intervention program that incorporated multisensory strategies. It documents the creation of a program based on research on reading instruction and interventions, dyslexia, multisensory strategies, and the Spanish language. The format and structured was adapted for Spanish, inspired by Winsor Learning’s Orton-Gillingham based Sonday System program that is in English. The program created through this project includes a lesson plan book with thirty-six lessons and ten progress checks, a word book, and cards that correlate to the sounds being introduced in each lesson. Different syllabaries from Fe y Alegria (n.d) …
Texts In Reading Intervention Programs: Are They Culturally Representative Of English Learner Populations?, Lisa N. Marquardt
Texts In Reading Intervention Programs: Are They Culturally Representative Of English Learner Populations?, Lisa N. Marquardt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
In this study, a total of 52 reading intervention texts were examined for cultural representation and authenticity; the texts under analysis were from Fountas and Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention and Hasselbring’s Read 180. There were four major, interrelated research questions addressed by this work, two of which dealt with cultural representation in the texts and the extent to which they aligned to the regional population and national publishing statistics. The second set of research questions addressed the level of cultural authenticity through a comparative analysis of each program’s texts. The author concludes that, in this sample of texts, Read 180 …
Close Reading As A Means For Increasing Self-Perception In Struggling Middle School Readers, Megan Slinger
Close Reading As A Means For Increasing Self-Perception In Struggling Middle School Readers, Megan Slinger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this capstone was: How does explicit instruction in close reading skills impact self-perception as a reader in struggling middle school students? In this project, action research was conducted over a four week period in a seventh grade suburban summer school classroom with eleven students. All of the participants were categorized as struggling readers. At the beginning of the research, students were administered a survey to gather information about their self-perception as a reader. Over the next four weeks, students received explicit instruction in three close reading strategies. During this period, students were also interviewed one …
Free Voluntary Reading: Enhancing The Reading Component Of Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling In An Elementary Spanish Classroom, Elizabeth M. Werner
Free Voluntary Reading: Enhancing The Reading Component Of Teaching Proficiency Through Reading And Storytelling In An Elementary Spanish Classroom, Elizabeth M. Werner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question discussed in this project is what impact does access to Spanish books at their level and time to read Spanish books of their choice have on elementary students' language development and fluency? In includes a review of literature and research on the values of stories, comprehensible and compelling language input, and Free Voluntary Reading (FVR). The project consists of a teacher’s creation of two Spanish chapter books written for elementary students studying Spanish as a second language. The purpose was to expand the repertoire of available literature for elementary Spanish students in an attempt to promote FVR …
Online Collaborative Literature Circles For Small Groups Of Elementary Gifted Language Arts Students, Deborah A. Scherber
Online Collaborative Literature Circles For Small Groups Of Elementary Gifted Language Arts Students, Deborah A. Scherber
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
School schedules and the study of advanced literature content often do not allow enough collaboration time to meet the unique learning needs of gifted elementary language arts students. The author’s guiding question to address this challenge was: how can I create and implement an effective online collaborative novel study unit for small groups of gifted language arts students? The literature review includes an examination of general literature circle models, including definitions and explanations of student and teacher roles; implications for integrating technology into literature circles; and an overview of several instructional models and lesson plan templates. Utilizing an online platform …