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Implementing Tpr And Tprs In The Adult Esl Classroom With Slife Learners: A Teacher’S Diary Study, Ann Gehrt
Implementing Tpr And Tprs In The Adult Esl Classroom With Slife Learners: A Teacher’S Diary Study, Ann Gehrt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study addresses the question: how can TPR and TPRS be used in the adult ESL classroom to teach vocabulary and reading skills? Adult ELLs with limited or interrupted formal education may struggle to learn English in traditional classrooms that rely on pre-existing literacy skills they have not yet developed, such as reading or taking notes. TPR (Total Physical Response) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) are methods of teaching language that may make use of body movements, gestures, role-play, drama and oral storytelling to make language understandable before connecting it to its written form. TPR has a …
Increasing Engagement And Effectiveness Of Independent Reading In The Kindergarten Classroom, Sarah Swanson
Increasing Engagement And Effectiveness Of Independent Reading In The Kindergarten Classroom, Sarah Swanson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this study was: What are the most effective and engaging methods for independent reading in the kindergarten classroom? Additionally, this study addressed the subquestion of: What are the benefits and disadvantages of reading traditional books and books on a digital device for young readers? The literature topics that were researched and reviewed included history and current trends in independent reading, academic success, motivation and engagement, technology, and effective independent reading strategies. For this study, a mixed methods approach was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data within the kindergarten classroom. At the beginning of …
Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation Of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus
Improving Science Literacy Using Photographic Documentation Of Laboratory Activities, Mary Radus
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Digital photography is a valuable educational tool which has been shown to improve language acquisition and vocabulary usage. Photography can also be used to enhance hands-on laboratory activities in high school science classes. This study examined the impact of photographic documentation of lab activities on students’ literacy in science. In this convergent, mixed methods investigation, 9th grade biology students took photographs during a lab activity, which they used to create collaborative photo projects based on the activity. Changes in literacy were measured by assessing the students’ usage of scientific vocabulary terms before and after the photo project, and assessing the …
English Learner Families, Rural County Public Libraries, And Rural Public Elementary Schools, Carmel Murphy
English Learner Families, Rural County Public Libraries, And Rural Public Elementary Schools, Carmel Murphy
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
English Learner families in rural areas have unique experiences in accessing bilingual materials in home languages for literacy learning. This research focused on gathering the perceptions of parents of elementary school ELs regarding the barriers that impede collaboration between public elementary schools and county public libraries for improving the literacy of ELs in rural communities. This qualitative research followed a grounded theory process and community-based research from data collection via interviews with parents of ELs, rural public elementary school educators, and rural county public librarians. Seven participants from Central Minnesota included two bilingual parents of ELs, three educators, and two …
Does Lexia Core 5 Support Accelerated Reading Growth In Third Grade Intervention Students During Independent Reading Time With Minimal Teacher Support?, Whitney Strand
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This capstone addresses the following research question: Does Lexia Core 5 Support Accelerated Reading Growth in Third Grade Intervention Students During Independent Reading Time With Minimal Teacher Support? The author first examines the previous research around Lexia Core 5 done by O'Callaghan et al. (2016) & Maracuso et al. (2019). This mixed methods study investigates how using Lexia Core 5 impacts participants’ overall reading growth via pre- and post- assessment data. It follows participants’ Lexia Core 5 usage over the course of 7 weeks tracking both the minutes spent and number of units completed. Data for this study also includes …
Representation Of Cultures And Languages In Children’S Picture Books, Kristen Neff
Representation Of Cultures And Languages In Children’S Picture Books, Kristen Neff
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study investigated cultural representation in children’s picture books located in classroom libraries. The literature review explored what is culture, the history of children’s books, what past studies have found on representation in books, and why this topic is important. The research methodology was a qualitative study that involved inventorying classroom teachers’ libraries, as well as interviews with teachers about diversity and their libraries. The results included each of the individual teachers’ libraries as well as all the libraries’ data together; data revealed that the majority of characters were animal or non-human characters. Additionally, most of the books in these …
Teachers Describe Their Confidence In Teaching Secondary Students With Low Literacy Skills, Tamara Polzin
Teachers Describe Their Confidence In Teaching Secondary Students With Low Literacy Skills, Tamara Polzin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
For some students, grasping the concept of literacy is completed with ease. For others, the challenges of developing literacy skills to aid in their ability to move from learning to read to reading to learn proves challenging. These challenges cause a gap in literacy growth and have shown to increase as students get older preventing them from fully accessing the concepts found in the secondary setting. As such, secondary educators are being called upon with the assumption that all teachers are teachers of reading. With this in mind, this qualitative research study aimed to uncover secondary social studies teachers’ understanding …
The Texts Matter: Essential Text Characteristics For Comprehension Intervention In The Intermediate Grades, Tia Clasen
The Texts Matter: Essential Text Characteristics For Comprehension Intervention In The Intermediate Grades, Tia Clasen
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Results on state and national reading assessments indicate that students in the U.S. overall, and in Minnesota specifically, continue to struggle to comprehend expository texts; only one-third of fourth graders meeting grade level proficiency on state assessments designed to analyze reading achievement. Further, a significant gap persists for fourth grade students based on race, language, and socioeconomic status. Contemporaneously, technology continues to advance rapidly, demanding increased literacy skills and a better understanding of comprehension intervention. This research study aims to identify essential text characteristics of expository texts that will eventually be included in an online, automated reading strategy tutor providing …
Analyzing Perspectives With Relevant Grade-Level Texts To Improve Engagement In A Rural Fifth-Grade Classroom, Micah Peters
Analyzing Perspectives With Relevant Grade-Level Texts To Improve Engagement In A Rural Fifth-Grade Classroom, Micah Peters
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to improve engagement in a rural classroom by analyzing perspectives in relevant texts using a literature circle format. The literature reviewed in this study was centered on adolescent literacy, engagement, critical literacy, relevant texts, and literature circles.The study was conducted over an eight-week period with a small group of fifth-grade students; they selected their own text and read it together while utilizing a traditional literature circle format. The unique literature circle roles were designed to promote analysis of perspectives, critical literacy practices, and basic comprehension strategies. This mixed-methods case study utilized primary data from …
Growth Mindset Language And Literacy In The Kindergarten Classroom, Kari Helfinstine
Growth Mindset Language And Literacy In The Kindergarten Classroom, Kari Helfinstine
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This capstone addresses the following research question: How can using growth mindset language impact students’ beliefs about their literacy ability in Kindergarten? It follows one teacher’s experience with teaching and modeling growth mindset language to a classroom of Kindergarten students. The author examines the research around the growth mindset philosophy (Dweck, 2006) and the benefits of using growth mindset language with students. This qualitative study examines how using growth mindset feedback with students affects their ability to believe in themselves as a literacy learner. Data for the study includes a pre and post interview with participants and observation data. The …
Effective Strategies That Provide Support And Enhance Learning For Strong Readers, Kathleen Benbrooks
Effective Strategies That Provide Support And Enhance Learning For Strong Readers, Kathleen Benbrooks
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research topic addressed in this thesis is: effective strategies that provide support and enhance the learning for strong readers. Strong readers often times do not get the enrichment they need during the school day. This research set out to investigate specific strategies that can be taken during guided reading groups to push strong readers to the next level in their reading development. The research found to support these strategies is extensive and thought-provoking. By using a structured guided reading framework and incorporating reciprocal teaching strategies, the action research of this project engages and supports strong readers.
How Does The Language Used In Literacy Coaching Conversations Impact Teacher Self-Efficacy?, Nicole Cahill
How Does The Language Used In Literacy Coaching Conversations Impact Teacher Self-Efficacy?, Nicole Cahill
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This action research study explored the language used by the researcher during literacy coaching sessions with six elementary school teachers. The research question addressed in this capstone is, how does the language used in literacy coaching conversations impact teacher self-efficacy? The author reviewed relevant research regarding self-efficacy, the components of effective coaching conversations, and a social constructivist view of language. Key findings from the literature review were used to develop a list of language prompts in order to increase teacher self-efficacy during coaching dialogues. Each research participant engaged in an individual coaching cycle that included a modeling session, two sessions …
The Most Effective Methods Of Small Group Reading Instruction In Upper Elementary Grades, Nicole Snoberger
The Most Effective Methods Of Small Group Reading Instruction In Upper Elementary Grades, Nicole Snoberger
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this thesis was, what is the most effective way to group students for reading instruction in the upper elementary classroom? This work documents one teacher's experience of grouping students in two main ways, trying to determine if one way is more effective than another. Students were grouped based on reading level using a common text during part of the research. Students were also grouped based on their reading strategy need, using self-selected books during the remaining research time. The goal was to determine if one grouping method was more effective. While the research and data …
How Can Fluency Instruction Using Readers' Theater And Paired Reading Impact Reading Comprehension In The Third Grade Classroom?, Angela Koski
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this capstone was, how can fluency instruction using readers’ theater and paired reading impact reading comprehension in the third grade classroom? It documents one teacher’s experience of implementing Readers’ Theater and Paired Reading in an attempt to increase fluency which can impact comprehension. The project integrates whole group, small group, and partner activities with a third grade class. The author details her review of best practices in reading instruction, implementation of Readers’ Theater and Paired Reading for fluency instruction, and the results seen from adding explicit fluency instruction. She describes the successes seen in teacher …
The Effects Of Using Morphemic Analysis On Comprehension Of Unknown Academic Vocabulary, Jon Avery
The Effects Of Using Morphemic Analysis On Comprehension Of Unknown Academic Vocabulary, Jon Avery
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
Despite the vast amount of research on morphemes and literacy, examination of how morphemic analysis affects secondary language learners is limited. Morphemic analysis is the process of using common Latin and Greek prefixes, roots and suffixes to hypothesize the meaning of unknown vocabulary. The primary purpose of the research is to determine how morphemic analysis affects English learners ability to determine the meaning of unknown academic vocabulary in their high school advanced placement geography class. The secondary purpose of the study is to provide secondary teachers a tool to do something about the vocabulary gap they observe between native speakers …
From Orality To Literacy: Funds Of Knowledge Of Somali Newcomers, Charity Kroeker Calubayan
From Orality To Literacy: Funds Of Knowledge Of Somali Newcomers, Charity Kroeker Calubayan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study addresses the following questions: What funds of knowledge do newcomer students from oral cultures, specifically Somali students, possess? How does this knowledge relate to orality and literacy? Through open-ended interviews with three Somali newcomer families and a Somali outreach worker, four areas of funds of knowledge emerge: the ability to process detailed information mentally; poetry as an oral art; caring for the household through familial roles; and caring for others through fostering relationships. Each of these areas is linked to the oral, concrete, and communal way of life inherent to oral cultures and contrasted with the print-based, abstract, …
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 …
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.
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 …
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 …
Incorporating Effective Practices Into An Intermediate Classroom To Improve Student Writing, Heidi M. Shannon
Incorporating Effective Practices Into An Intermediate Classroom To Improve Student Writing, Heidi M. Shannon
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this project was, How can the teaching of effective writing practices support struggling intermediate students? This study documented the experience of an intervention coach working with fifth grade teachers to improve writing instruction using research based practices. The motivating factor for this capstone was to improve student writing. The study documented lessons and resources that were implemented during the teaching of three fifth grade writing standards and how students improved in their writing. Data was collected through the use of proficiency scales, spreadsheets, reflections and surveys. Results of the study showed student growth in writing. …
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 …
How Can I Best Support Classroom Teachers With Their Use And Understanding Of Tier Two Interventions?, Shelley Harris
How Can I Best Support Classroom Teachers With Their Use And Understanding Of Tier Two Interventions?, Shelley Harris
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The research question addressed in this study was, how can I best support classroom teachers with their use and understanding of Tier Two interventions? It documents one teacher’s use of qualitative research to create a Tier Two intervention toolkit for classroom teachers. The author documents what the RtI process looks like at each tier and how to implement the Tier Two interventions into the classroom. She also created the toolkit digitally to help teacher access the interventions quickly and easily put them into practice. Each intervention can easily be found by clicking on the link on each skill page. In …
Using Repeated Oral Assisted Reading To Improve The Fluency Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Angela J. Leyk
Using Repeated Oral Assisted Reading To Improve The Fluency Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Angela J. Leyk
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
This study explores the research question: How much does repeated reading improve the reading rate, accuracy, and prosody of students with learning disabilities in fifth grade? Three key topics: learning disabilities, fluency, and repeated reading are discussed. The author was greatly influenced by Timothy Rasinski and his work in the area of fluency. Repeated Oral Assisted Reading was administered to monitor and document accuracy, rate, and prosody utilizing both daily instructional-level reading probes and monthly grade-level reading probes as well as prosodic reading rubrics and a daily journal. The improvement in rate was compared to scores on nationally normed fluency …
How Can Teachers Enhance The Acquisition And Retention Of Vocabulary In Their Urban Learner?, Sarah K. Norenberg
How Can Teachers Enhance The Acquisition And Retention Of Vocabulary In Their Urban Learner?, Sarah K. Norenberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to identify high impact vocabulary strategies for urban learners and create professional development for the staff at my elementary school. I determined what would be high-impact by looking at my students three different ways. First, I examined students who are English language learners, second, students who live in poverty, and third, standard English learners. Next, I read research about the best practices for teaching vocabulary in all three categories. Finally, I looked for similarities, ultimately identifying and synthesizing what works best for all three types of students, keeping in mind that the urban classrooms …
Guided Reading For Beginning English Learners In The First Grade Classroom, Alexis L. Lundberg
Guided Reading For Beginning English Learners In The First Grade Classroom, Alexis L. Lundberg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to examine how guided reading can support beginning English learners (ELs) in the first grade classroom. Three first grade English learners were observed in twelve guided reading sessions and their observation survey results were analyzed. This is a mixed methods study conducted in a mainstream classroom. Data collected for this study consisted of observation survey results from the fall, winter, and spring, three video recorded guided reading lessons which were assessed using a rubric, and an electronic teacher observation journal. The primary finding of this study is that when guided reading is modified to …