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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 …
L1 Literacy And Its Implications For Leslla Immigrant Women In Canada, Theresa Wall
L1 Literacy And Its Implications For Leslla Immigrant Women In Canada, Theresa Wall
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This qualitative study addresses two questions related to access to social services for adult newcomers with limited L1 print literacy skills: First, what barriers do LESLLA clients experience to accessing social services and to settlement? Second, what resources are they employing in order to access these services? Five LESLLA learners, a LESLLA instructor and a settlement counselor were interviewed about barriers and enablers to accessing social services where a disconnect between assumed and actual print-literacy skills exists. Participants also discussed work-arounds for accessing those services. While LESLLA participants reporting greater length of residency also described increased cultural capital, all LESLLA …
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 …
What Effect Does A Spanish Vocabulary-Through-Music Instructional Intervention Have On The Development Of Early Literacy Skills Of Preschool Students In A Bilingual Setting?, Natalie Ehalt-Bove
What Effect Does A Spanish Vocabulary-Through-Music Instructional Intervention Have On The Development Of Early Literacy Skills Of Preschool Students In A Bilingual Setting?, Natalie Ehalt-Bove
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study measured the effects of a music-based Spanish instructional intervention on the Spanish vocabulary acquisition of four- and five-year-old students of varying language backgrounds who were enrolled together in a dual immersion preschool program. Research by Christ & Wang (2010), Schwartz (2014) and others concludes that young, pre-reading children with underdeveloped vocabulary can encounter difficulties achieving literacy. Thus, this project set out to determine the effectiveness of one specific vocabulary teaching strategy, in an effort to aid teachers in choosing effective instructional methods. Twenty participants were divided into two groups, including a control group receiving a nonmusical instructional intervention …
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.
World History Instruction For English Language Learners: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach, Mary Engelun
World History Instruction For English Language Learners: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Approach, Mary Engelun
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was how can text analysis using a Systemic Functional Linguistic framework inform curriculum design in sheltered EL world history classes? Research in the theory and applications of systemic functional linguistics in education was described; emphasizing connections to instruction for secondary English language learners. The project was completed in parts: text analysis of theme progressions in history text, development of curriculum, and a pre-planning checklist for future unit development. This project documents one teacher’s creation of an integrated unit of world history content with language development lessons through a systemic functional linguistics approach. A …
Implementing Best Practice Literacy Instruction Into A Middle School Social Studies Classroom, Christopher Devine
Implementing Best Practice Literacy Instruction Into A Middle School Social Studies Classroom, Christopher Devine
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can best practice instruction support student engagement in a secondary (middle school) social studies class? It documents the topics of literacy, best practices, engagement and reading to learn strategies as compared to the current research on each of those topics. The study was done in conjunction with a website developed to support social studies teachers. Each of these areas support the guided learning that occurs in all classrooms, but specifically to the non-fiction texts that are primarily used by social studies teachers in a secondary setting. The result of the paper …
A Family Approach To Emergent Reading And Writing, Amanda Jones
A Family Approach To Emergent Reading And Writing, Amanda Jones
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can adult education programming be developed to support parents of emergent readers and writers? It discusses the importance of emergent literacy, brain development, and the role of parents in their child’s development. The stages of emergent literacy, including milestones of child’s development are included. The research of Malcolm Knowles is the framework used in order to create a presentation that supports literacy in the home. Specifically, the six assumptions of andragogy (adult learning) from Knowles’s theory are identified and described.
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? …
How Reading Comprehension Strategies Support English Learners In A Primary Integrated Environment, Amanda Roberg
How Reading Comprehension Strategies Support English Learners In A Primary Integrated Environment, Amanda Roberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
English Learners (ELs) are an important and growing population of students in schools nationwide, and how they are taught can have a major impact on their academic success (of course). The overall purpose for this study is to ensure that ELs in my own classroom are taught reading comprehension strategies from an effective curriculum that meets their specific needs. The curriculum used in the school in which this study was conducted was a combination of Daily 5 and the Treasures curriculum. The question posed for my research is: “What instructional strategies are appropriate for teaching reading comprehension to second language …
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 …
Meeting The Needs Of Struggling Readers In Middle School Social Studies, Megan Stevens
Meeting The Needs Of Struggling Readers In Middle School Social Studies, Megan Stevens
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone identifies strategies and practices middle school social studies teachers can integrate into their instruction to support readers of all abilities. It addresses the research question, how can middle social studies teachers better meet the needs of students who struggle in reading? The author documents the importance of combining literacy instruction with social studies instruction due to the adoption of Common Core’s ELA standards and to better support readers in comprehension of complex text. The author also examines the needs of struggling readers and how literacy practices can enrich social social studies instruction. Focusing on vocabulary and comprehension strategies, …
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 …
Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy Strategies For Middle School Content Area Teachers, Jodi Dubbeldee
Professional Development In Disciplinary Literacy Strategies For Middle School Content Area Teachers, Jodi Dubbeldee
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The purpose of this professional development plan is to provide disciplinary literacy instruction support for content area teachers at the middle level. The inspiration for the research was the author’s desire to discover and share how content area literacy is critical to student learning. In-depth research in physical, emotional, and social adolescent development, literacy strategies, disciplinary literacy strategies, and professional development practices drove the findings to create a professional development plan that is built-in and sustainable. Teachers can use the online professional development resource collaboratively in order to determine literacy goals, write lesson plans, and incorporate literacy strategy instruction into …
How Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Leads English Language Learners In Early Elementary Ages To Become Proficient Readers, Angela Kaye Nixon
How Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Leads English Language Learners In Early Elementary Ages To Become Proficient Readers, Angela Kaye Nixon
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to increase nationwide. Early elementary teachers are tasked in laying a foundation of reading, and ELLs face a gap in their literacy journey compared to their English speaking peers. The research question for this project was: how does explicit vocabulary instruction lead English language learners in early elementary ages to become proficient readers? The literature review focuses on vocabulary instruction, proficient readers, ELLs, and professional development. It discusses research with ELLs in the classroom and in reading instruction. Within the extensive world of literacy, explicit vocabulary instruction has been shown to have …
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 …
Literacy Coaching: A Research Based Coaching Guide, Mary E. House
Literacy Coaching: A Research Based Coaching Guide, Mary E. House
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The question that guided the work of the researcher was: What impact would a research based coaching guide have on a coach’s effectiveness with teachers, understanding that the end goal of coaching is increased student achievement? Research suggested that professional learning via coaching is key to building capacity in teachers. However, the researcher found that the role of the literacy coach in many schools is one with little or no initial training or a core resource from which to anchor a coach’s work with teachers. Research clearly suggested that the instructional coach role lacks effectiveness if the coach does not …
Negative Attitudes Toward English As A Second Language: Refusal To Participate In Esl Services In The Somali Community, Rebecca C. Kipchumba
Negative Attitudes Toward English As A Second Language: Refusal To Participate In Esl Services In The Somali Community, Rebecca C. Kipchumba
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was: Why do some Somali parents refuse ESL services for their qualifying children? With a goal to start the conversation on what we can do as educators, to reduce the instances of parents declining services for their children. The refusal of service can potentially hinder their success in school. Three adults from the Somali community were interviewed. The findings suggest that, not all Somali parents have adequate information about the importance of ESL services in their children's' schools and in turn do not see the benefits. My conclusion after this study is that …
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 …
How Can Primary Teachers Use Technology, Primarily Ipads, To Differentiate Language Arts Instruction And Increase Comprehension, Ellen Isaacs
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project answers the question: how can primary teachers use technology, primarily iPads, to differentiate language arts instruction and increase comprehension? This paper reviews technology resources that can be used in elementary classrooms, focusing on kindergarten, first, and second grades. These resources are analyzed using the SAMR model (Puentedura, 2014), The App Map (Israelson, 2015), and the dimensions of participatory literacy (Roswell & Wohlwend, 2016). A website was created to culminate the findings based off of research, student artifacts, and visuals from the digital resources
How Can An Effective Parent Outreach Program Impact Literacy Achievement And Foster A Community Network At An Urban Charter School?, Anne C. Weisheipl
How Can An Effective Parent Outreach Program Impact Literacy Achievement And Foster A Community Network At An Urban Charter School?, Anne C. Weisheipl
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This capstone identifies the process of creating a family literacy program to support literacy growth. The research question addressed in this project was, How can an effective parent outreach program impact literacy achievement and foster a community network at an urban charter school? It documents a teacher's creation of a family literacy program that builds literacy communities through school-home partnerships and literacy activities. The author documents the process of creating a family literacy program following researched methods that validate the creation of the curriculum. The results of the research help focus the capstone on two very important aspects of school-home …
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 …
Grammatical Acquisition Of Present And Past Tense Verb Forms In A Communicative Setting, Katherine N. Nelson
Grammatical Acquisition Of Present And Past Tense Verb Forms In A Communicative Setting, Katherine N. Nelson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, “Does the communicative approach to teaching language increase 5th grade English Learners’ proficiency in their grammar acquisition of present and past tense verb conjugation?” This study looked at ELs’ challenge in conjugating present to past tense verbs and the subsequent effect on their ability to comprehend age-level literature, to create comprehensible original written works, and to perform well on high stakes testing. Research is reviewed in the areas of communicative language teaching (CLT), fifth grade grammar proficiency, grammar acquisition, and correct verb tense conjugation. Communicative language teaching is hallmarked by the understanding …
Factors That Influence Motivation To Read With African American Middle School Males, Brandon Tuttle
Factors That Influence Motivation To Read With African American Middle School Males, Brandon Tuttle
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, what factors influence motivation to read with African American middle school males? Current research suggests that many African American males are performing poorly nationwide in reading. As the author researched the topic, four recurring categories emerged in searching for factors that would influence motivation in reading with African American middle school males. These categories included culturally relevant instruction, choice with literacy, building relationships and parental involvement. These four categories helped build the framework for a strategy guide that educators could use in reading intervention classes to help build proficiency in reading with …
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 …