Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Great Lakes Great Books: Making Classroom Connections, Lynette Suckow

Michigan Reading Journal

Use stories from the Great Lakes Great Books list to connect readers to the classroom curriculum.

A Qualitative Study Of Parental Needs In Supporting Home Literacy Environments And Child Literacy Interest, Leah Carlson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Literacy education begins long before students step foot in their first classroom. Much research has been done that highlights the importance of the home literacy environment and the development of literacy interest in children (Jeynes, 2018). Home literacy environment (HLE) refers to the variety of literacy materials and activities found within the home. Literacy interest, broadly put, is a child's desire to engage in literacy activities. The development and practice of these has shown to be correlated with students' later reading success in school. Considering this, the role of a parent in their child’s success is influential. However, it seems …

Culturally Relevant Teaching For The 21st Century: The Success And Challenges Of Pre-Service Teachers When Using Technology In Critical Ways, Virginie Jackson, Stacy Delacruz, Dominique Harry

Georgia Journal of Literacy

This case study examined pre-service teachers' use of technology as they implemented culturally relevant literacy lessons while tutoring elementary students in their field placement sites. As we enter a new decade, we want our students to be future-ready with technology skills. Here, we present an examination of how pre-service teachers integrated culturally relevant teaching with technology along with a discussion of the tools and devices their students used. Findings provided evidence that as pre-service teachers experienced authentic and engaging learning experiences within a supportive space, they emerged equipped to teach in culturally responsive ways that supported student learning and deeper …

Evidence-Based Best Practices For Kindergarten Reading, Rachel Dolehanty

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review aims to highlight evidence-based best practices for kindergarten reading instruction. Popular reading curriculums and instructional cueing strategies are discussed in relation to their effectiveness for kindergarten reading success. Meaning-emphasis versus code- emphasis reading curriculum philosophies are explored, and specific curriculums that fall into these categories are discussed. Metacognition strategies and their relation to successful reading instruction are underscored. Interventions are examined in the areas of kindergarten phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, and writing. Successful interventions in each of these areas of literacy instruction are highlighted through current research.

How Should Context-Dependent Words Be Taught To Beginning Readers?, Abigail M. Turner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined three different instructional methods for teaching beginners to read context-dependent words. Two types of context-dependent words were taught: irregular past tense verbs and function words. The words were embedded either in scrambled contexts or in meaningful sentence contexts. Three different instructional conditions to teach the words were compared. In the Meaningful Context condition, students studied the target words embedded in meaningful sentences. In the Scrambled condition, students studied target words placed in scrambled word sequences. In the Combination condition, students studied target words in both types of contexts that were alternated across learning trials. Participants were 53 …

Teaching Children To Decode Words: Connected Versus Segmented Phonation, Selenid M. Gonzalez-Frey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Two methods of decoding instruction were compared. Kindergartners who could not decode nonwords participated in the study, N = 38, M = 5.6 years. Segmented phonation, frequently used in synthetic phonics programs, taught students to convert graphemes to phonemes by breaking the speech stream (“sss – aaa – nnn”) before blending. Connected phonation taught students to pronounce phonemes without breaking the speech stream (“sssaaannn”) before blending. Kindergartners were matched and randomly assigned to the two conditions. Both groups were taught to decode the same set of CVC nonwords consisting of continuant consonants and vowels that could be stretched and connected …

Read, Write, Rhyme: Increasing Reading Performance With Hip-Hop Texts, Crystal Monique Lavoulle

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation describes the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement, a literacy program that uses best practices in literacy instruction to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. Moving beyond educational hip-hop songs and videos, this presentation offers insight into effective ways to increase Georgia Milestone Assessment scores in both English language arts and social studies using a variety of hip-hop texts.

The Missing Mirror: A Critical Content Analysis Of Multicultural Children's Literature With Black Male Characters, Wendy Harris

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Education in America is facing many challenges, such as the adoption of common core standards and the demand for highly qualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Further, the achievement gap lingers on, with Black males often performing poorly on national assessments of reading proficiency (Tatum, 2005). Although Black males are highly literate, they may feel alienated from traditional school systems and classroom reading selections (Kirkland, 2013). One of the most effective strategies for teachers to bridge the gap in reading is to inspire Black males to get engaged with their books and read for longer periods of time. However, children are …

Applying Parental Involvement In Early Literacy, Luis Moya

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Early literacy for young children has been linked with academic achievement, reduced grade retention, higher graduation rates, and enhanced productivity in adult life (Monterey County First 5, 2016). Parents may not always know how to engage in literacy development strategies or how they can participate in literacy exposure. Bringing awareness about early literacy parents is a key component to enhancing young children’s development. To address this need,my project will consist of providing an informative presentation about the importance of early literacy with families who attend the Library and Read, Grow, Play program for families with children 0 to 5 at …

Motivating The Unmotivated: How Are We Supporting Struggling Readers In Upper Elementary Classrooms?, Maci V. Wood

Honors College Theses

Motivating struggling students to read is a question considered by many general education reading teachers and special education teachers alike. Since student classroom experiences today differ greatly from classrooms of the past in terms of instructional practices and learning supports, scripted materials that seldom cater to student interest have often been promoted due to the pressure of standardized assessment. With little to no student engagement present in the classroom, it is up to the student to find the will to read or to the teacher to utilize alternative strategies in increasing student motivation (Cambria & Gunthrie, 2008). However, there is …

Choice And Its Effects On Motivation To Read, Kayla Cantu

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research study was to determine if there is a connection between the implementation of choice in the classroom and students' motivation to read. Research-based literacy framework and a choice model were used over an eight week period of time. Qualitative data was collected at the beginning and the end of the study in the form of surveys. Analysis of the data concluded that kindergarten students when given opportunities for choice in the classroom their motivation to read increased.

Do Spellings Of Words And Phonemic Awareness Training Facilitate Vocabulary Learning In Preschoolers?, Robin O'Leary

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of phoneme awareness training and orthography to the learning of new vocabulary words by partial alphabetic phase readers. We hypothesized that four and five year old children taught to segment words with letters would outperform those trained with shape markers and those that received no segmentation training on an invented spelling task. We also hypothesized that students seeing the spellings of new vocabulary words (names) would learn the words in fewer trials, remember the names and features better and would be able to better recognize letter labels when presented alone. …

How To Boost Literacy In Ages Birth To Three, Brianna Johnson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review explores the history, viewpoints, theoretical frameworks, and themes in literature of early literacy in the United States. It also discusses legislation on this topic, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Literacy in ages birth to three has been a long time educational issue. The ‘pendulum’ has swung between different approaches to literacy instruction. It is important for every person to be informed on this subject because early literacy affects each life. What one learns or fails to learn in the first three years of life affects the rest of …

Employing Cueing Systems To Decode Text And Negotiate Text-Meaning In A Second Language, Timothy A. Rodriquez, Laureen Fregeau, Mary Kay Moskal, Robert Leier

Many educators state that teaching English-Language Learners (ELLs) is just a matter of good teaching. While effective teaching is something that all children deserve, there are some differences between the approach a teacher may have to take with ELLs and with other students. One aspect of this difference is the fact that, while children go through the same stages of language development, ELLs may be at stages typically not found in other students. Based on a case study of an EL and his teacher, this article explains cueing systems and their role in literacy for ELs.

The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Assessing Children's Acquisition Of Basic Literacy Skills In Developing Countries (Superseded Version), Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), administered individually in about 15 minutes, measures the most basic foundation skills for literacy acquisition in the early grades. The assessment was developed by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) through funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank (Gove & Wetterberg, 2011), in addition to resources provided by RTI. The EGRA was developed to provide a battery of assessments of basic reading skills for developing countries to monitor the status of early reading in primary schools. The assessment tool was first implemented in The Gambia and Senegal …

Using Interactive Reading Techniques With Word World To Enhance Emergent Literacy, James B. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

Facets of emergent literacy such as phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) are precursors to later conventional literacy (Dockrell, Stuart & King, 2010; Neuman & Dwyer, 2009; NELP, 2008). Interactive reading techniques such as dialogic reading (Whitehurst et al., 1988) and explicit print referencing (Piasta et al., 2012; Justice et al., 2010) have been used effectively with printed text to enhance emergent literacy. This quasi-experimental study was designed to determine the extent to which interactive reading techniques combined with the viewing of educational television may enhance facets of emergent literacy such as PA and AK. A convenience sample of …

Fueling Small Explosions Of Conversation: A Reading Curriculum For Fourth Grade, Rebecca Blake Eisenberg

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this fourth-grade reading curriculum is to teach students to become active readers who can articulate and communicate their thoughts about reading. By communicating about text, readers construct meaning and develop a rich understanding and appreciation of their reading. The curriculum uses the reading workshop framework (Atwell, 1998; Calkins, 2001; Rief, 1992) and the literature circle structure (Daniels, 2002). Process- and content-based mini-lessons provide explicit instruction for literature circle discussions. Comprehension strategy mini-lessons are provided to complement the literature circle instruction and provide support for students as needed.

The Critical Relationship Of Dramtic Play And Literacy Development: Primary Plays Handbook, Activity Packets And Dramatic Play Kits For The Primary Classrooms, Connie Lewellyn

All Graduate Projects

Dramatic play is a critical element of programs for young children as a means of acquiring literacy. Literacy-enriched play encourages children's exploration of reading and writing in the world around them. Although child-structured dramatic play is widely recognized as being important, few opportunities are provided for primary educators to incorporate this type of drama into their reading curriculums. This project provides a foundation to implement dramatic play activities in the preschool through third grade reading curriculums.

Resources To Support And Expand Native American Kindergarteners Shared Reading Experiences Integrated With Open Court Unit 6, Stephanie Lynn Hull

All Graduate Projects

Relevant literature pertaining to shared reading, the benefits of shared reading, shared reading and the diverse learner and recommendations for the Native American learner was studied. The need for using culturally relevant material in the classroom and creating a positive learning environment for Native American students was discussed. A project utilizing shared reading strategies in the kindergarten classroom was created for teacher use in the Mount Adams School District. The project included the integration of culturally relevant stories with the objectives of Open Court Unit 6. The project also included a list of resources available from the Harrah Elementary School …

Effective Strategies For Emergent Readers: Practical Ideas For Everyday Reading With Your Child, Kristin Claire Williams

All Graduate Projects

Three workshops, supported by research in the areas of parent-school involvement, family literacy, the development of the reading process, and reading strategies, were developed. Each workshop provides families with specific reading activities and strategies to use at home. The intent of this author is to provide valid research to demonstrate that learning to read involves the semantic, syntactic, and grapho-phonic cueing systems.

Activities For Elementary Libraries To Integrate Nonfiction Reading, Cynthia L. Debock

All Graduate Projects

The focus ofthis project was to create activities that would encourage Kindergarten through Fourth grade elementary students in the use of nonfiction texts for personal enjoyment and information gathering. The project consists of activities designed to increase reading of nonfiction by the early elementary student. The activities are developed based upon a review of research that indicates improved reading comprehension of expository text among students who are taught to use interactive strategies. The activities include activation of prior knowledge through K-W-L, various graphic organizers, and DR-T A/DL-TA and providing a method for the reader to discover the structure or organizational …

Parent Involvement In Reading: Parent Workshops To Promote Critical Thinking, Rachelle Kristine Skeen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create an at-home reading program that would encourage parent participation and promote the development of critical thinking skills necessary for our children. The project implements a program that emphasizes using higher level questioning strategies in order to develop critical thinking skills. The project's focus is on educating and training parents as to the importance of their involvement and the importance of using higher level questioning strategies when they read with their children. Parents are educated and trained during two parent workshops. During these workshops, parents will also be introduced to the Read Together …

A Balanced Reading Approach To Teaching Reading In Kindergarten And First Grade, Leah Ann Bodeen

All Graduate Projects

The focus of this project was to create specific activities that teach children various tools that assist in learning how to read. The project implements a balanced reading curriculum with an emphasis in kindergarten and first grade. Throughout this project the students will be exploring a variety of ways to acquire the knowledge of reading. The project concentrates on two philosophies of how to teach reading; phonemic awareness and whole language. The final product encompasses both philosophies and creates a curriculum that links the two into a balanced approach to reading.

Ways To Promote Literacy, Heidi Lynn Desteunder

All Graduate Projects

The process by which literacy develops in children and ways to promote literacy development were studied. The review of related literature showed support that children's literacy development begins in infancy, that it develops through a set of stages, and that active involvement of parents and caregivers does promote literacy development. A handbook for parents of children from preschool through elementary school was created. The handbook includes a continuum of literacy development and activities to encourage its growth.

Educational Reading Games, Paula Anna Pina

All Graduate Projects

This project consists of a collection of educational reading games specifically for teachers and reading resource educators to use in the classroom. The games were designed for students in kindergarten and first grade. The games were organized according to the specific reading skills that will be reinforced. The specific skills were phonics, letter identification, and sight vocabulary. The games were collected from a variety of commercially available sources, teacher made games, and other educational resources. Furthermore, the author will discuss the rationale for using educational games in the classroom.

Incorporating Holistic Activities Into A First Grade Phonics-Based Basal Reading Program, Kristine Marie Williams

All Graduate Projects

This project reviews the literature on basal reading programs, the whole language approach, and phonics instruction. The related research was used to identify the need for a more balanced approach to elementary reading instruction. Holistic strategies, based on the whole language philosophy, were explained. These strategies were applied to a first grade phonics-based basal reading program. Lessons and activities were developed to integrate holistic strategies with the phonics-based basal reading program. Implications for further research and teacher training were discussed.

An Integrated Emergent Literacy Curriculum For Primary Students, Katrina M. Clark

All Graduate Projects

A completely integrated reading curriculum has been developed for the primary classroom. The curriculum may be used in whole to cover all academic subjects or as a supplement to an already existing program. The main theme, interdependence, is sub divided into: home/family and farms. Any specific directions or copies of activities are included as well as a teacher reference list and a children's literature list. The Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements as interpreted for kindergarten are covered by use of this curriculum.

A Guide To Early Reading With Parent Involvement, Sandra Elaine Kerr

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to increase literacy skills of children birth to age eight, through parent involvement. Research on the factors that contribute to early literacy and ways that parents can be involved in the literacy development of their child was studied. A parent handbook was created, which suggests that the development of literacy is a gradual process, which occurs long before the child enters school. The handbook included resources, information and activities to further increase parent involvement in the literacy learning of their child.

Collaborative Strategies For Teachers And Parents In Achieving Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements In Reading And Language, Theresa Laffey

All Graduate Projects

A teacher handbook containing suggestions and activities teachers can recommend to parents to assist their children in achieving the State Essential Learning Requirements for Kindergarten was developed. Activities and suggestions were based on 25 Expectations set by the State within the Essential Learning Requirements at the Kindergarten level. Each suggestion or activity was supported by research and directly linked to a specific Expectation. The suggestions and activities were selected based upon parent/ child interest, materials required to implement and ease for parents to follow instructions.

Promoting Phonological Awareness In Young Children Through At-Home Activities: A Video Curriculum, Kathleen A. Kwak

All Graduate Projects

Research relating phonological awareness, beginning reading acquisition, and parental involvement in children's literacy development was read, evaluated, and summarized. A positive relationship between phonological awareness and learning to read was indicated from this review, and a correlation between parental literacy activities and children's language and reading acquisition was found. Studies suggesting the existence of a developmental sequence of phonological skills were examined. The literature review provided a rationale and design for phonological awareness instruction. A research supported curriculum containing a teacher's manual, take-home interactive video activities and activity sheets, and assessments was created.