Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Literature Circles, Diane Maclennan

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of the literature concerning the use of literature circles in elementary classrooms. The purpose of this paper is to present all aspects of literature circles, both the pros and cons, within the context of elementary classrooms. The content of the paper deals with the historical aspect of reading instruction, variations of literature circles, advantages of literature circles, and suggested guidelines for successful literature circles. This paper concludes that literature circles are a unique format for successful book discussions in which· students and teachers work collaboratively to enable optimal educational success.

A Thematic Unit For A Reading Program In Grade Two Oral History, Tracy M. Daugherty

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to present the benefits of a literature-based reading program. Included in this paper is an example of a literature-based unit presented to a second grade class. This instructional development unit included several components for student learning.

Outdoor Play, Carolyn E. Althaus

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of the literature relative to outdoor play practices in education. Benefits, as well as problems, associated with outdoor play practices were discussed. Guidelines for planning and implementing successful outdoor play practices were outlined and conclusions were drawn from the literature. Recommendations were made for future outdoor play programs.

Character Education In The Schools, Holly Mcleod Gilliland

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this master's paper is to familiarize educators with character education as a curricular entity and to demonstrate that it is worthwhile to intermingle character education into a program without detracting from students' core subjects. A review of literature indicates that there is a character crisis among youth in America. Although character education has been present in some form in the earliest schools up to now, this intervention is being resurrected in schools with assistance from national organizations such as Character Education Partnership and CHARACTER COUNTS!

Ideas for the inclusion of character education are presented followed by a …

School-To-Work : What Does This Mean For Our Schools?, Amy K. Leonhart

Graduate Research Papers

Over the course of fifty years the academic content of schools has changed dramatically. Today, employers are looking for different skills from their employees than they were in the 1950s. Therefore, schools have been given the assignment to teach young adults about surviving in the work force.

Where do these skills fit into the schools' curriculum? Is this just another item that is added to the plate of teachers? What time is the "right" time to start teaching these critical skills to youngsters? This paper examines those questions. It also focuses on the different aspects of the school-to-work initiative.

The Need For Technology In Homeschooling, Jonathan Luttenegger

Graduate Research Papers

Homeschooling is becoming a more popular option for parents who do not want their child to study in a public school. This literature review was developed to analyze the potential of technology for homeschooling. It does not focus on the positives or negatives of homeschooling. Instead, it focuses on the positives or negatives of technology in homeschooling. This literature review will analyze whether or not technology that is adopted by homeschooling families can make a big difference in the quality of a homeschooling program.

Phonemic Awareness : An Action Research Study, Pamela Miller

Graduate Research Papers

This study addresses the issue of phonemic awareness instruction and its effects on reading. Benefits of reading programs that encompass phonemic awareness training and problems with approaches that do not encompass phonemic awareness were discussed as well as benefits and problems associated with both direct phonemic awareness instruction and indirect phonemic awareness instruction. An action research study using Scholastic Phonemic Awareness Kit was conducted and conclusions were drawn from the study and from the literature. Recommendations were made for future phonemic awareness training.

Creating A Purposeful, Powerful Web Site For The Cedar Falls Historical Society, Douglas B. Moore

Graduate Research Papers

With communication becoming more instantaneous then ever, one fear is losing the message in the medium. Creating the web site for the Cedar Falls Historical Society was much more than giving the Historical Society a presence on the World Wide Web. It was extremely important that the Cedar Falls Historical Society web site promote the true intentions of the Historical Society with integrity and dignity. Many times, when web sites are developed, the technology overshadows the content. The Board of Directors of the Historical Society insisted their site be built with both professionalism and historical accuracy.

The Society members took …

Value Of Self-Talk In An Early Childhood Setting, Althea Murphy

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to examine the self talk of the child and how it relates to the child's cognitive development. The views of Piaget and Vygotsky regarding self talk are compared. Development and varieties of self talk are examined. Factors that encourage and discourage self talk are discussed. The final chapter summarizes this study, draws conclusions from the literature, and this paper suggests guidelines for developing an effective program of self talk in the early childhood setting.

State-Wide Training Sessions For County Office Personnel Using The Blue Ribbon Data Management System, Rebecca L. Nibe

Graduate Research Papers

A statewide training initiative was necessitated by the upgrade of the statistical database management program required by the State 4-H Office. The upgrade was released in the fall of 1998, but was flawed and buggy, resulting in much frustration among users. Additionally, I was the newly-hired State Support Specialist, and had not established any credibility with the users I was hired to support. The Associate State Director and I decided that an ambitious early spring training program would be beneficial to all parties involved.

I believe that this project was both a personal and a professional success. I was able …

Integrated Science Unit : Ponds And Water, Evelyn K. Oliver

Graduate Research Papers

This instructional development project integrated the language arts and the science areas. The science content was ponds and water from the second grade curriculum. A rich learning environment was provided through a literature base, representing the different genres and related expressive activity. The unit was presented through teacher-directed activity and learning centers that offered many options from which children could select experiences.

The goals of the program were to give children more control over their learning and to extend children's thinking-language abilities by capitalizing on the common processes of the language arts and science areas and offering many opportunities to …

Helping Students Learn To Spell : A Look Inside A Second Grade Classroom, Carolyn J. Nuss

Graduate Research Papers

Learning how to spell is a complex, developmental process. This research paper describes how second grade students improved their spelling development in the context of daily reading and writing. Realizing that instruction in spelling patterns and strategies is needed for most students, this paper describes how instruction was based upon the results of the Developmental Spelling Test and the students' writing samples. Four case studies will be presented in order to provide an in-depth look at the improvements that were demonstrated by the class as a whole.

Creating A Registration Database Using Microsoft Access 97, Darren A. Otte

Graduate Research Papers

Every business or organization that conducts any type of training, whether on a small or large scale, must deal with logistical issues. There are several ways of keeping track of relevant and important information, including anything from paper based systems to off the shelf computer applications. Very often, these methods are cumbersome or not applicable to the needs of the organization. This research project focuses on the customization of training registration information and logistics for a specific company, for the purposes of this paper called XXXX, using a database.

Specifically, a Microsoft Access database was created to keep track of …

A History Of The Development And Implementation Of A Whole Language Curriculum In A Rural Iowa Middle School, Anthony M. Pieper

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to examine the history of a whole language curriculum which was developed and implemented for grades five and six in a rural Iowa middle school and to discuss any insights gained from the process. This project presents a description of the whole language curriculum and a rationale for its development. It also explains the purpose of a whole language curriculum and its importance to students, teachers, administrators, and parents.

The project describes the procedures used by the middle school in the development and implementation of the curriculum. The project concludes with a description of …

The Teaching Of Digital Vs. Traditional Photography, Carolyn Prins

Graduate Research Papers

I have been teaching photography in the traditional sense for over fifteen years. I have seen photography shift in those years from a silver-based medium to encompass the digital world, a filmless kind of art. The two media are very different, and the teaching of them are correspondingly different, yet the end result should be the same: a student who can produce an image that is visually satisfying, whether the image is informative in nature or is considered fine art. In this project, I want to compare instructional strategies for traditional photography tools to teaching strategies for digital photography.

Reading In The Kindergarten, Christine E. Resch

Graduate Research Papers

This study examines the effectiveness of implementing a formal reading program in the Kindergarten. Past and present reading instruction methods were reviewed. Benefits, as well as problems, associated with such implementation and instruction were discussed and conclusions were drawn from the literature. Guidelines and recommendations for implementing various approaches to the teaching of reading in the Kindergarten were outlined.

Perspectives On Early Literacy : The Monroe School, Mona S. Rosdail

Graduate Research Papers

This article is based on two days of observations and interviews in an all- kindergarten school in a small midwest city. The purpose of my research was to look at how the steps taken by this school correlate with the steps of Erickson's Dance in addressing the needs and development of the school when becoming an all-kindergarten literacy center. I feel that the information in this article would benefit educators who would like to implement changes in their schools.

School Violence And Its Implications For Gifted Children, Nancy Schuldt

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this article is to review the research of school violence, the emotional needs of gifted and talented students, and the implications of school violence for gifted students. The violence which has occurred during the past two years in the United States, not only in the high schools but also the middle and elementary schools, has been widely publicized in current periodicals, television, radio and newspapers.

The questions I have addressed in this article include: What is violence? What is school violence? What does research say about the emotional needs of gifted students? What are the implications of …

Using The Internet To Increase Student Motivation And Improve Communication Skills: Creating An Unusual Jobs Web Site, Deanna Schultz

Graduate Research Papers

This project was developed to determine if the Internet could be used effectively in the classroom to increase student interest in their work and improve their communication skills. Students interviewed people they considered to have unusual careers. The information they gathered was then posted to a Web site. Student surveys and teacher observations indicate that the project increased student interest and quality of work. Continuing this project and collaborating with other schools in the future will determine improvement of communication skills.

Integrating Spelling Instruction In A First-Grade Balanced Literacy Classroom, Michele Smith

Graduate Research Papers

This article describes how one teacher integrated some explicit spelling instruction in her first-grade balanced literacy classroom. The purpose for this article is to give an overview of the latest research concerning issues that affect spelling instruction and describe activities that can be used to teach children strategies for effective word study. The spelling program described in this article provided students with a purposeful way to study words and provided them with authentic writing experiences. The conclusion states a need for a balance between authentic reading and writing and purposeful word study.

Educating Parents On The Reading Recovery Program, Amy Colette Williams Sorenson

Graduate Research Papers

Just as the African proverb states that it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to help some children read. The significance of the home environment on literacy development has long been recognized (Danielson, 1997; Cairney & Munsie, 1995). Even pa~ents are aware that their interest in their child's literacy learning is important (Hayden, 1995/1996). Learning to read is an educational objective that is valued highly by both parents and teachers (Berger, 1998) and the sharing of knowledge and information about learning to read empowers teacher, parents, and most importantly, children (Holland, 1991 ). Successful …

Two Current Approaches To Science In Early Education : The Physical-Knowledge Approach By Kamii And Devries And The Science Education Approach By Diane Dodge, Seon Chun

Graduate Research Papers

The primary focus of this paper is to review the characteristics of two science approaches to teaching science to children: the physical-knowledge approach by Kamii and De Vries, and the science education approach by Diane Dodge. Similarities and differences between the two approaches are analyzed. The conclusion of this study found that both approaches emphasize children's active role in learning. However, Kamii and DeVries's physical-knowledge approach emphasizes children's logical reasoning development, while Dodge's science education approach places greater emphasis on content and scientific knowledge.

Concerns Based Adoption Of Instructional Technologies For Learning For Russian Pre-Service Early Childhood Education Students : A Pilot Study, Garth D. Cornish

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in concerns toward the use of instructional media for pre-service Russian elementary education teachers. Participants were a combination of 16 second- and third-year students in the early childhood department of Herzen Pedagogical University located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) was used to gather data for the study. A pre-test was administered before a specially designed series of seminars and workshops on instructional technologies for learning were conducted. Post-test results were gathered at the conclusion of the seminars and workshops. Findings indicated that awareness levels of …

Integrating Technology Into The Science Curriculum : Environmental Studies Grade 5, Lois Diane Enger

Graduate Research Papers

The project was developed to illustrate a process for including hands-on use of technology in an environmental education activity. The requirements for an integrated curriculum identified by McRel are incorporated: science, technology, language arts, math, and life skills. Activities included are discussion of the topic, writing and editing a script, digital photography, computer usage including scanning, on-site visiting, and teacher and student evaluation. The on-site visit was conducted at a nature center.

Classroom activities involved planning, research, storyboarding, organizing visual materials, script writing, and creating a computer-generated presentation using mPOWER, a presentation software program. The completed computer presentation was converted …

An Extended Literature Base For An Integrated Unit: Forest Regions Of The United States, Barbara R. Wild

Graduate Research Papers

An example of extending literature-based language arts to an integrated social studies and science unit is presented in this paper. Justification for this type of learning environment is given by citing professional literature. Specific benefits to students are explained. The teacher and student roles in this unit are defined. Teacher-directed activities, literature groups, and student-selected center activities all work together to provide a learning environment in which students are engaged in learning, take responsibility for their learning, and find meaningful uses for language tasks--written and spoken.

Spelling: A Review Of Literature, Tammy Uhlenhopp

Graduate Research Papers

This is a review of the literature on spelling. The purpose for this review is to give an overview of the latest research concerning issues that affect spelling instruction. The topics discussed are complexities of the English language, how children learn, differences between good and poor spellers, how to assess children's spelling knowledge, activities designed to teach children strategies for word ~solving, and ideas for organizing for instruction. This paper. indicates principles of effective spelling instruction. The conclusion makes a call for more research regarding visual memory and states the need for teacher in-service.

The Technology Coordinators' Web Site Project, Jason Allen Vetter

Graduate Research Papers

Technology in the schools has been a major push in Iowa schools for the past ten years. Our state legislature has given each school district within the state money to purchase technology for their district (R. Herdliska, personal communication, February, 1999). With this money, districts have been forced to look for help in purchasing this computing equipment. Sometimes they look outside for help and hire people who have been in the business world to meet this need. Sometimes they are forced to look within their building to teachers and staff members who have a "niche" with technology to meet this …

Internet Project Involving Elementary Students And Pre-Service Teachers, Helen Westcott

Graduate Research Papers

This paper describes a project designed to help pre-service teachers use technology effectively in their future classrooms. The project provided the opportunity for pre-service elementary teachers to communicate with 2nd grade students via e-mail and the ICN, an interactive television communication network. The 2 groups of students collaborated to create a web site and HyperStudio presentations featuring children's literature. The project enhanced the motivation of 2nd grade students to read and to write. The pre-service teachers reported that the project helped them gain new technology skills and a better understanding of the students they would be teaching in the future.

Writing Portfolios In A Resource Room, Marcquelyn S. Allensworth

Graduate Research Papers

Much attention has been given to the issue of assessing students' writing. The trend to view writing as a process has prompted educators to use qualitative assessment techniques to describe children's writing progress and instructional needs. The writing portfolio, one qualitative technique, provides an ongoing assessment that can be used throughout the year and extended throughout the school career of the child. In portfolio development, students can be actively involved in reflecting on their approach to the writing process and can, in collaboration with the teacher, set goals for future learning. Therefore, this type of assessment closely connects instruction and …

The Reading Basal Adoption Process : What Do Teachers Have To Say?, Jennifer Bowling

Graduate Research Papers

This paper examines the reasons three separate school districts in Iowa have chosen to adopt reading basal programs, and the process that led them to a final selection. Nine teachers in three school districts in a metropolitan area of a large town in the Midwest were interviewed for their opinions on the importance of reading, why a basal was chosen, the adoption process and the extent to which they were involved, and suggestions to make this process better.