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Full-Text Articles in Education
Integrating Marie Clay’S Theory Of Literacy Processing And Reading Recovery Into Small Group Reading Instruction, Katherine Ronning
Integrating Marie Clay’S Theory Of Literacy Processing And Reading Recovery Into Small Group Reading Instruction, Katherine Ronning
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question in this project was, how can teachers use Clay’s theory of literacy processing and adapt Reading Recovery procedures to deliver effective small group reading instruction? This project documents the incorporation of Clay’s theory and Reading Recovery procedures into small group reading instruction. The literature found focuses on understanding the current literacy competencies of a student and developing a hypothesis regarding what is on the cusp of the student’s learning. The literature review helped to develop a lesson plan format that includes anecdotal record-keeping to track change over time in a student’s learning. The literature recommended that when …
Reading Strategies In A Second Language Spanish Classroom, Wendy Gorman
Reading Strategies In A Second Language Spanish Classroom, Wendy Gorman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Reading in a second language can be a challenge for many students. This project seeks to answer the question ““ What are the most effective reading strategies to use in a middle school comprehensible input Spanish classroom? The project is a website designed to show teachers of Spanish ways to implement reading strategies that word in Spanish in their classrooms. Grounded in research on both language acquisition and reading strategies, this project keeps the basis of several key components in mind at all times- the specific needs of middle school students, how to teach language, how students acquire language skills, …
Impact Of Implementing Differentiated Spelling Curriculum On Student Spelling Ability Using Words Their Way (2012), Kaleigh Fuchs
Impact Of Implementing Differentiated Spelling Curriculum On Student Spelling Ability Using Words Their Way (2012), Kaleigh Fuchs
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Spelling is an area that can be overlooked within the subject of English Language Arts, and deemed unnecessary by some due to modern technology. When spelling is taught, it is often taught traditionally using rote memorization with the whole class working on the same word list. These words are considered difficult for some students and simple for others. This capstone looks at the concepts of differentiation and developmental spelling word study through the spelling program Words Their Way (2012). This capstone project uses literature as well as action research results to provide insight on the focus of the capstone, differentiated …
Increasing Diversity Exposure In Rural, Homogeneous Elementary Classrooms Through Picture Books, Meghan Flanary
Increasing Diversity Exposure In Rural, Homogeneous Elementary Classrooms Through Picture Books, Meghan Flanary
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This Capstone Project examined the question: How can educators increase diversity exposure in rural, homogeneous elementary classrooms using picture books? Text sets with nine different categories of diversity were created and thirty-nine books were included for educators to use within classrooms. Using the theory of mirrors, windows, and doors for examining diversity in books guided the books to include within the text sets so that all students can see themselves represented or learn about others that are different from them. Key influences included Larrick for one of the first studies on diversity within children’s books, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center …
Shifting Literacy Methods And Teaching Practices To Improve Equity In Schools For Black Girls, Danae Ross
Shifting Literacy Methods And Teaching Practices To Improve Equity In Schools For Black Girls, Danae Ross
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Throughout the United States’ history, Black girls and women have found themselves as one of America’s most oppressed groups due to the systemic discrimination of both their race and gender. This problem still persists today and has made schools a place for oppression against Black girls from the time they enter the school system in kindergarten, creating low self-esteem, a feeling of alienation, and a disdain for the school system. Using an intersectional lens, this capstone explores the oppression of Black girls from the past to the present, beginning with slavery and ending with criminalization and the school-to-prison pipeline. This …
Identifying Reading Interventions Appropriate For Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities In Inclusive Classroom Settings, Mary Douthitt
Identifying Reading Interventions Appropriate For Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities In Inclusive Classroom Settings, Mary Douthitt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this Capstone project was, what are effective reading interventions for middle school students with learning disabilities that will enable them to achieve academic progress in an inclusive classroom? Including students with learning disabilities in the general education setting can improve outcomes in self-perception, social relationships, and academic achievement, but providing effective instruction in an inclusive setting is complex. At the secondary level, inclusive, co-taught classrooms include a special education teacher who typically has training in differentiation strategies but not core content, and a general educator who is a content expert but has not had preparation …
Teaching Social Emotional Skills Through Literacy, Melody Sandell
Teaching Social Emotional Skills Through Literacy, Melody Sandell
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Social and emotional skills are critical to students’ success in school and it is imperative that educators have effective tools and strategies to teach these skills. Social and emotional skills can be taught through an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum where students’ needs are met academically, emotionally, and socially – teaching the whole child. This capstone project creates an integrated social emotional learning curriculum with English language arts curriculum where learning targets encompass both areas of focus thus answering the research question, How can teachers effectively teach Social Emotional Learning skills through literacy in the primary grades ? Research concludes that combining …
Using Ipads In A Readers' And Writers' Workshop, Megan Engfer
Using Ipads In A Readers' And Writers' Workshop, Megan Engfer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many classrooms around the country and world are using technology to enhance student learning. An increase in technology use in the classroom allows students more educational opportunities when meaningful tasks are created by teachers and curriculum writers. When meaningful tasks are created teachers may have an increase in student engagement. This capstone uses a variety of resources to help answer the research question: What do teachers need to know about using iPads for engagement in a readers’ and writers’ workshop? Research concludes that teachers need additional resources and time to fully understand how to effectively use iPads in the classroom …
Increasing English Language Students Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool, Alyssa Henderson
Increasing English Language Students Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool, Alyssa Henderson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Early literacy skills are a predictor of future reading and writing success. Whitehurst and Lonigan (1998) state that “Knowledge of the alphabet at entry into school is one of the strongest single predictors of short- and long-term literacy success” (p. 851). Students that enter kindergarten with early literacy skills are more likely to succeed in reading and writing as they progress through school. There are always students who leave preschool without adequate literacy skills, having made little progress throughout the year. Many times this includes English Language students making little growth. Han et al. (2013) states that EL students are …
A Professional Development Program To Improve Reading Comprehension For Secondary Students, Dayna Hillcrest
A Professional Development Program To Improve Reading Comprehension For Secondary Students, Dayna Hillcrest
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The goal of the literature review and project was to help secondary students improve reading proficiency by identifying influential instructional practice and creating a systematic professional development. The literature review revealed four influential themes that became the pillars of a systematic professional development to be implemented over a three-year period and provide secondary teachers with direct and explicit reading comprehension strategy instruction. Themes were as follows: students need reading comprehension strategy instruction (RCSI) in the content area secondary classroom to learn how to comprehend complex text, teachers need to use direct and explicit strategy instruction with a scope and sequence …
Improving Writing Skills Through The Use Of Morning Work In The Second-Grade Classroom, Catherine Nelson-Dittmann
Improving Writing Skills Through The Use Of Morning Work In The Second-Grade Classroom, Catherine Nelson-Dittmann
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
In an effort to impact second-grade student writing, the vehicle of morning work was utilized as a pre-existing opportunity to incorporate research-based best practices in writing. To frame this project, the capstone question was asked, “How can morning work be used to improve second-grade student writing skills?” This capstone set out to identify the practices that would yield the best results in a small amount of time and found that authentic, contextual writing experiences would support this goal. While explicit skill instruction is important, authentic writing experiences allow students to, not only practice writing, but also understand and use grammar, …
Benefits Of Using Play-Based Learning In A Kindergarten Classroom, Courtney Kjoberg
Benefits Of Using Play-Based Learning In A Kindergarten Classroom, Courtney Kjoberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone project titled, Benefits of Using Play-Based Learning in a Kindergarten Classroom, covers research from Vygotsky, Montessori, and Gardner, as well as a comparison of learning in kindergarten aged classrooms around the world. Research from several theorists and other countries have shown that play-based learning is a developmentally appropriate way to teach the academic standards to kindergarten students. Different models of learning, child-initiated and teacher directed, are examined. Benefits for students, who were engaged in this type of learning, were found in the areas of reading, math, and social-emotional. A play-based, teacher-directed, multiple intelligences curriculum was developed to help …
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
Conferring With Elementary Students To Enhance Literacy Skills, Kelsey Patricelli
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how does conferring improve the literacy skills of elementary students? The author describes the process of researching and creating a professional development for the purposes of informing educators of conferring, demonstrating its benefits, and modeling how to best implement it into their educational spaces. Research around conferring, specifically by Serravallo (2019), Allen (2009) and Calkins (2013) helped break down the three aspects of conferring - assessment, individualized instruction and goal setting. These separate components were then broken down to help determine the benefits conferring has on the literacy growth of students. This …
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
Utilizing Mentor Texts In Elementary Literacy Instruction, Allie Duellman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can elementary teachers utilize mentor texts in elementary literacy instruction? This project documents how teachers can select mentor texts and utilize them in literacy instruction. The literature review focused on five main topics. These topics were, the definition of mentor texts, selecting mentor texts, role of mentor texts, student engagement with mentor texts, and student achievement with mentor texts. Additionally, research (Bates & Morgan, 2018) was done on creating professional developments. The literature review showed that utilizing mentor texts is a successful way to teach young writers. In addition, it showed …
Play-Based Curriculum During Literacy Instruction In Kindergarten, Kayla Mertes
Play-Based Curriculum During Literacy Instruction In Kindergarten, Kayla Mertes
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Research has shown that play-based learning can be beneficial on students' academic and social growth when incorporated into a classroom. The curriculum designed for this project is designed using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding By Design framework (UbD) to create a play-based learning curriculum for literacy instruction in a kindergarten classroom. Research has shown that when incorporating play-based learning in a classroom environment it is developmentally appropriate for students. This project is a week long made up of 5 individual literacy lessons that are play-based and can be used in a kindergarten classroom. The goal of this project is to give …
Effective Vocabulary Instruction And Literacy Levels: An Online Course Provided For Classroom Teachers, Brittany Johannsen
Effective Vocabulary Instruction And Literacy Levels: An Online Course Provided For Classroom Teachers, Brittany Johannsen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Vocabulary knowledge has been identified as one of the best predictors of reading comprehension. Research shows that there is a great disparity between ELs and non-ELs’ knowledge of vocabulary. This disparity leads to a larger gap that we as teachers need to fill for our ELs to be more successful in acquiring vocabulary and improve their overall literacy levels. In an effort to help teachers close this gap, I researched the question: How does vocabulary instruction improve ELs’ F&P (Fountas & Pinnell) literacy levels? Reading is one content area that ELs tend to find challenges with. One reason being, the …
Knowledge And Skill: Integrating Social Studies And Writing Content For Third-Grade Students, Heather Eikenbary
Knowledge And Skill: Integrating Social Studies And Writing Content For Third-Grade Students, Heather Eikenbary
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The Achievement Gap has plagued school districts across the country. Why are students from lower-income families underperforming academically when compared to their more affluent peers? This capstone addresses the Achievement Gap, the Opportunity Gap, and the Knowledge Gap with the intention of answering the question: How does integrating social studies content into third-grade writing improve historical knowledge, student writing, and vocabulary for the purpose of closing the Knowledge Gap? This capstone analyzes and discusses research on the Knowledge Gap and the need for elementary instruction in social studies, vocabulary, and writing. Additionally, research on the best practices for elementary instruction …
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
Using The Process Approach To Create An Effective And Efficient Secondary Writing Curriculum For Students And Teachers, Adam Koehler
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The process approach to writing instruction has become widely used; however, writing assessment practices that emphasize summative feedback may not utilize the strengths of the process approach to instruction. This capstone project answers the question: How can writing instruction and assessment practices be used to create an effective and efficient writing curriculum? The result of the research shows that the instruction methods of specific writing strategies, mentor text analysis, collaborative writing, and sentence combination can be effectively integrated. Research-informed curricula were developed with an emphasis on student-centered formative assessment practices such as writing conferences and peer/self-assessment. These practices effectively support …
Personalized Reading Strategies And Tools To Support Struggling Third Grade Readers, Rebecca Antil
Personalized Reading Strategies And Tools To Support Struggling Third Grade Readers, Rebecca Antil
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
A common concern among elementary school teachers involves supporting students who struggle with reading. This capstone project provides a combination of tools to aid elementary school teachers in the support of struggling readers, specifically third-grade students, through motivation, environmental influences, time opportunities, and effective practice with comprehension and fluency. This project and the review of literature help to answer the capstone question, What personalized tools and reading strategies best support struggling third-grade readers? According to literature, a reader’s motivation, emotions, and environment play critical roles in the growth of students who struggle with reading success which is synthesized throughout this …
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many advances have been made considering English learners within the US school system. Laws, policies, assessments, curriculum, and pedagogy have all been affected by the need to provide differentiated educational programs. Refugees are a distinct subset of EL students whose experiences have created a unique set of needs which prompted the study and assessment of approaches educators can use to meet them. This capstone conducted a comprehensive review of literature in the areas of poverty, trauma, and SLIFE to answer the question, What are effective practices for meeting the unique educational needs of refugees as EL learners? The results of …
Co-Teaching Strategies For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Learners In Middle School English Language Arts, Adena Berg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project is: What are the most effective co-teaching strategies for teaching literacy skills in a middle school English Language Arts class that is culturally and linguistically diverse? It documents one teacher’s creation of an ELA-based curriculum that includes strategies for ELD co-teaching, learning activities to increase middle school literacy skills and supports for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Designing the curriculum using the Understanding by Design framework, it is for use when teaching Free? Stories Celebrating Human Rights ( Morpurgo et al., 2015) in a co-taught sixth grade classroom. The overall goal of the …
Growing Reading Skills Through Oral Language Activities: Reading Intervention/English Learner Curriculum, Sarah Lundgren
Growing Reading Skills Through Oral Language Activities: Reading Intervention/English Learner Curriculum, Sarah Lundgren
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Promoting student growth in reading comprehension and language skills is a primary goal of every language teacher. Research increasingly shows that engaging English learner (EL) students in oral language activities is connected to growth in both language skills and in reading comprehension. Research also shows that oral language activities improve engagement and comprehension not only in EL students but in native English-speaking students. This project combines oral language activities in reading prosody, Routine, Integrated, Structured, Academic (RISA) Oral Interactions (Watson, 2015), and reading comprehension for groups of both mainstream and EL students covering both Minnesota standards and WIDA standards for …
Implementing Project-Based Learning Within A Standards-Based Grading System, Hannah Yokom
Implementing Project-Based Learning Within A Standards-Based Grading System, Hannah Yokom
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can teachers implement interdisciplinary, project-based learning to teach and assess multiple standards in a standards-based grading system? Teachers need to shift their role from being the keeper of information for students to being a guide that helps as they ask questions, lead their own learning, and carry the cognitive load. Standards-based grading is a research-based best practice, but it requires that each standard be taught and assessed individually. This project integrates research in the areas of developing and implementing project-based learning in the classroom, and standards-based grading. It presents a fully-developed, …