Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Early Childhood Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 1 - 30 of 149

Full-Text Articles in Early Childhood Education

Child Of My Heart: One Girl's Story Of Adoption, Danielle Bussolini Apr 2026

Child Of My Heart: One Girl's Story Of Adoption, Danielle Bussolini

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Integrative Masters Project explores the author's personal experience with adoption, written from a child's perspective. Unlike most published books on adoption, which are typically framed through the lens of an educator or parent, this work centers the emotional and psychological experience of the child at the heart of the story.


People And Movement: A Unit Of Study On The Great Migration, Maria Arteta-Martelo Jan 2026

People And Movement: A Unit Of Study On The Great Migration, Maria Arteta-Martelo

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This unit of study for third graders on the Great Migration was developed to fill a gap in a year-long immigration curriculum by incorporating Black history and the often-overlooked experiences of internal migration.


The Storytelling Study: Understanding Ourselves And Others Through Storytelling, Georgia Moses Jul 2024

The Storytelling Study: Understanding Ourselves And Others Through Storytelling, Georgia Moses

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Study on oral storytelling in early childhood education is ample. Study on oral storytelling in the elementary grades, however, is limited. This is likely due to the connection between storytelling and dramatic play, a creative and imaginative exercise that loses value in many classrooms as children grow. The emergent themes across the developmental stages of seven, eight, and nine year olds illustrate the need for and power of storytelling in second and third grade classrooms. The Storytelling Study is an interdisciplinary, multimodal curriculum in which children foster deeper understandings of themselves and others through the exploration of oral storytelling. The …


Loose Parts In The Outdoor Play Space, Samuel L. Shapiro Jan 2024

Loose Parts In The Outdoor Play Space, Samuel L. Shapiro

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Loose parts play is a play practice that prioritizes a child’s ability to self-direct and intrinsically motivate above all else. It does so by utilizing decontextualized items that are flexible in their usage and allow children to project their own ideas, imaginations, and usages onto the items, rather than by allowing the items to dictate usage to the children. The booklet that Sam Shapiro created, Loose Parts in the Outdoor Play Space, provides a tool that professionals can utilize in support of their own loose parts programs. It provides an overview of the state of play, an examination of what …


“Your Body Is For You”: Possibilities For Size Acceptance, Criticality, And Social-Emotional Wellness In Upper Elementary English Language Arts Education, Veronica B. Walton May 2023

“Your Body Is For You”: Possibilities For Size Acceptance, Criticality, And Social-Emotional Wellness In Upper Elementary English Language Arts Education, Veronica B. Walton

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Integrated Master’s Project explores how body image literature can be used in upper elementary classrooms (grades 3 to 5) to support critical literacy and psychosocial development, and vice-versa. Using the approaches Health at Every Size® (HAES), affect theory, and critical literacy, I propose a new analytical framework for thinking about weight stigma and children’s self-image through the lens of literature. There is a growing presence of fiction and nonfiction books that address weight stigma and center children’s experiences of their bodies, and incorporating these books into literacy/English Language Arts (ELA) curricula can help educators shape their classrooms into spaces …


Indigo Letters: Supporting Children Navigating Endings Through Letter Writing, Maggie Brummer Jan 2023

Indigo Letters: Supporting Children Navigating Endings Through Letter Writing, Maggie Brummer

Graduate Student Independent Studies

In the realm of children’s literature, substantial resources are missing as it pertains to supporting students through the universal experience of navigating change, specifically something ending. Indigo Letters was inspired by Blue School’s closure at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. In conducting my own research, I quickly learned resources regarding this type of ending are nonexistent. Stories touching school closures are missing on Early Childhood bookshelves because prior to COVID-19, that was rarely a reality of private institutions. According to the Center For Educational Freedom, as of April 2021, there were “132 private schools that announced closures due …


Environmental Studies Curriculum, Chloe Mccloskey Jan 2022

Environmental Studies Curriculum, Chloe Mccloskey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This 3rd grade curriculum aims to serve two main purposes: empowering students with knowledge to alleviate some of their climate change anxiety and to prevent them from developing harmful, hard to break habits, like ubiquitous plastic consumption/ overconsumption in general, by giving them the tools to do better. There is an emphasis on reactivating solutions we already have but stopped employing, to shift focus from reinventing the wheel towards reinventing the way the driver sees the wheel and remembering the processes/habits of mind that enabled the wheel to once function without fueling our destruction. To begin, lessons focus on understanding …


Reflecting On The Craft Of Teaching And Learning: How Experienced Educators Cultivate Authentic, Meaningful, And Inspiring Classroom Communities, Heather Mohamed Jan 2022

Reflecting On The Craft Of Teaching And Learning: How Experienced Educators Cultivate Authentic, Meaningful, And Inspiring Classroom Communities, Heather Mohamed

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study explores the question, “What do educators do to cultivate authentic, meaningful, and inspiring classroom communities?” And, what are the key elements required for educators to sustain an inspired educational career over time? Five lower school teachers and graduate school of education professors were interviewed to explore key threads among these educators who embody strong teaching practices which they have sustained over their career in the field of education. Each interviewee was asked to reflect on their craft and their approach to teaching and learning. Selected findings from three of these interviews are presented. Three themes emerged from …


Progressive Virtual Learning For Our Youngest Learners, Erica B. Held Jan 2022

Progressive Virtual Learning For Our Youngest Learners, Erica B. Held

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study addresses how teachers build a progressive curriculum online for our youngest learners.


The Name Curriculum: Exploring Names, Naming, And Identity, Isabel Taswell May 2021

The Name Curriculum: Exploring Names, Naming, And Identity, Isabel Taswell

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The act of naming, or using and respecting one’s name, is a humanizing act: it is foundational to one’s sense of identity and belonging. Conversely, the act of ‘de-naming,’ or changing, forgetting, or erasing one’s name, is an act of dehumanization: it denies one’s sense of identity and belonging. The Name Curriculum provides an opportunity for third grade students to explore the role of names and naming as they relate to one’s sense of self and community. It draws on the role of developmental psychology, the urgency of historical context, and the power of children’s literature. Specifically, it explores how …


The High Lonesome Sound In Little Voices: The Use Of Appalachian Balladry In The Early Childhood Classroom, Lance Piao May 2020

The High Lonesome Sound In Little Voices: The Use Of Appalachian Balladry In The Early Childhood Classroom, Lance Piao

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Although both music and poetry are thoroughly-integrated into the Early Childhood classroom, the ballad, their intersection, has not been studied. Appalachian music features a prominent tradition of balladry, a synthesis of several different music traditions. With the increased interest in Appalachian Studies after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the study of Appalachian custom has become increasingly relevant. From a critical-historical perspective, the ballads, their collection, and their analysis have been used to perpetuate the oppressive structures that have come under increased scrutiny since 2016. This study is a hypothetical curriculum for integrating the study of Appalachian ballads into the Early …


Good Things: An Original Picture Book, Maryah Greene Apr 2020

Good Things: An Original Picture Book, Maryah Greene

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The research collected in this study aims to support students, teachers and parents on their journey of building a relationship with houseplants. Whether in a classroom, at home or in a work space, a relationship with a houseplant should be one that is intentional, personal and provides an opportunity for growth both physically and mentally. The following research aims to support this belief while also supporting students, teachers and parents through the creation of the original book material, Good Things.


Barrington Bunny: Case Of The Curious Clouds A Narrative Picture Book For Symbolic Play And Stem Curriculum, Claudia Chung Apr 2020

Barrington Bunny: Case Of The Curious Clouds A Narrative Picture Book For Symbolic Play And Stem Curriculum, Claudia Chung

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Adults constantly use their imagination to help them visualize, problem-solve, enjoy a book, empathize, and think creatively. Therefore, using one's imagination is a critical cognitive skill that can be used throughout life. And it is crucial for educators to encourage imagination, creativity and original ideas in childhood through pretend play, story, picture books, and narrative make-believe if we want our students to be mindful and functioning adults in society. Pretend play is also known as "symbolic play" because it involves the use of symbols. This type of symbolic thought is also needed for language and reading, as our words are …


Technology In Education: The Ongoing Debate Of Access, Adequacy And Equity, Kristiana Roth Apr 2020

Technology In Education: The Ongoing Debate Of Access, Adequacy And Equity, Kristiana Roth

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Technology is intertwined in all aspects of our lives. Technology has evolved in ways that were once considered unimaginable. Yet, access to these advancements in technology are not adequate, especially throughout our education system. The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the significance technology can have on our education system today. This paper will reflect research which supports the integration of technology beginning in early childhood classrooms. This paper will also reflect on the injustices that exist in how educational technology is unequally distributed between socio-economic status. More is available to wealthy, white students. While people from …


The Effects Of Parent-Toddler Movement Class On Attachment Patterns, Luke Muscat Jan 2020

The Effects Of Parent-Toddler Movement Class On Attachment Patterns, Luke Muscat

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Parent-Toddler Movement Class (PTMC) is a structured dance curriculum that introduces movement to toddlers and caregivers by integrating singing, props, stories, music, and creative exploration with movement activities.


Childhood Disability: Challenges And Theory-Informed Child Life Interventions In The Healthcare Setting, Fatema-Zahra Jaffer Dec 2019

Childhood Disability: Challenges And Theory-Informed Child Life Interventions In The Healthcare Setting, Fatema-Zahra Jaffer

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Children with intellectual, sensory, physical, and/or speech disabilities encounter a proliferation of challenges in the healthcare environment. Such challenges are exacerbated by insufficient knowledge in doctors, nurses, child life specialists, and other healthcare providers in bias-free and specialized healthcare delivery. To remedy this, pertinent methods informed by theoretical perspectives of atypical development that ameliorate stress and augment coping in children with disabilities are warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this independent study is to provide a synthesis of the literature that chronicles this topic. Multifarious child life interventions that are premised on contemporary developmental frameworks of childhood disability will be presented. …


A Reason To Read: Discovering A Purpose For Books Through Play, Sara Russell Dewey May 2019

A Reason To Read: Discovering A Purpose For Books Through Play, Sara Russell Dewey

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Children need desire and motivation to learn. This study examines the responsive, child- centered teaching practices of a reading and literacy specialist as she helps a student, with low motivation for reading, find a reason to want to read. Although her student is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and aspects of autism come up in this study, the focus here is not on teaching children with autism. Since no two children with a diagnosis present similarly, teaching to a diagnosis is not individualized or sensitive enough to meet the educational and emotional needs of a student. Instead, teachers must …


Imagine: A Picture Book About Imaginary Play In New York City, Natasha Peña May 2019

Imagine: A Picture Book About Imaginary Play In New York City, Natasha Peña

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper describes the process of researching, creating, sharing, and reflecting on a picture book that features two New York City siblings engaging in imaginary play at the playground.


Elements At Play: Influences Of Gender On Play In Single-Sex Settings, Elizabeth "Lily" Geiger Apr 2019

Elements At Play: Influences Of Gender On Play In Single-Sex Settings, Elizabeth "Lily" Geiger

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis will examine the ways that gender impacts dramatic play in early childhood classrooms by analyzing experiences in two single-sex school environments. The paper will review past and present literature as it pertains to the general topics of play and gender and pose insights about the role that both play in single-sex classrooms. It will also take into consideration the various gendered elements of our world and the impact of our social environments. The aim of the paper is not to propose next steps for gender education, but to examine current work through descriptions and observations in two classroom …


Exploring Learning Differences: A Social Emotional Curriculum For Second Grade, Sophie Paci Apr 2019

Exploring Learning Differences: A Social Emotional Curriculum For Second Grade, Sophie Paci

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Exploring Learning Differences is a four-week social emotional learning curriculum designed for second grade students by Sophie Paci. The purpose of the curriculum is to encourage students to reflect on themselves as learners and to promote awareness about different learning needs in a community. Students explore this theme through class discussions, interactive read-alouds, group activities, art projects, and independent writing. As a literature-based curriculum, each lesson utilizes a children’s book to engage students in dialogue about learning differences. The literature collection features eight “core books” that are used in interactive read-alouds and ten supporting books students can read independently. The …


How To : An Original Picture Book For Children, Morgan Wright Mar 2019

How To : An Original Picture Book For Children, Morgan Wright

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This independent study was focused on the creation of an original, social-emotionally oriented “how to” picture and poetry book for children ages five through seven. A wide variety of books for children, from old classics to recent publications, deal with themes relevant to children’s social-emotional lives. However, many of these books are written in narrative fiction form, or are framed using a logical, adult-centered lens. The goal of this book project was to create poetry and illustrations which authentically conveyed the unique emotional textures and roundabout logic of childhood associated with everyday experiences. Child development research included cognitive and emotional …


Retention Study And Fourth Grade Queer Book Study Curriculum, Victoria C. C. Elias Jan 2019

Retention Study And Fourth Grade Queer Book Study Curriculum, Victoria C. C. Elias

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper presents a queer literature unit for a fourth grade class within the context of a larger literature curriculum on identity.


Eight Weeks And A Poetry Slam: A Poetry Curriculum For Second-Graders, Kate Hest Jan 2019

Eight Weeks And A Poetry Slam: A Poetry Curriculum For Second-Graders, Kate Hest

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper presents a rationale and an eight-week poetry reading and writing curriculum designed for second-grade students. At the heart of the curriculum is Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, used as a mentor text to guide students’ exploration of poetry. This central text is complemented by a diverse selection of poems and picture books.


Shades Of Black: Topics Of Self-Love And Appreciation, Natasha Harris Jan 2019

Shades Of Black: Topics Of Self-Love And Appreciation, Natasha Harris

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Integrative Master’s Project presents a curriculum designed to support the development of student-led affinity groups for African American or Black students attending predominantly White schools.


Critical Pedagogy In Practice: Reflections Of A K-5 Educator, Kelly Gresalfi Sep 2018

Critical Pedagogy In Practice: Reflections Of A K-5 Educator, Kelly Gresalfi

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The author illuminates major theoretical concepts integral to critical pedagogy as they apply to grades k-5 through a selective review of the literature and reflection on how these principles intersect with her personal and teaching experiences. A candid analysis of the author's ongoing journey to put these ideas into practice, including ways in which she has felt successful and areas she continues to find challenging, is offered. Suggestions for ways in which elementary school educators can approach their teaching practices and classroom structures through the lens of critical pedagogy are included. Reactions to the thesis from several of the …


L’Dor Vador: Storytelling For The Holiday Cycle In A Jewish Early Childhood Setting, Krista Bogetich Jul 2018

L’Dor Vador: Storytelling For The Holiday Cycle In A Jewish Early Childhood Setting, Krista Bogetich

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Storytelling is an effective and appropriate method of engaging young children in complex concepts such as values and ethics. This paper provides rationale for using storytelling in an early childhood setting, background information on Jewish holidays, and highlights the values in the stories told during those holidays. It includes synopses of stories told through original storytelling, descriptions of activities incorporated in the experiences, as well as children’s responses and photographs of children’s work.


Facilitating A Block Program In Kindergarten And First Grade: A Manual For Kindergarten And First Grade Teachers, Hannah Rau May 2018

Facilitating A Block Program In Kindergarten And First Grade: A Manual For Kindergarten And First Grade Teachers, Hannah Rau

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Many preschool classroom have unit blocks. Unfortunately, not as many early primary classrooms incorporate blocks into their programs. This paper discusses the power of using unit blocks in a Kindergarten and first grade. The first three sections of the thesis focus on the importance of a unit block curriculum in early primary classrooms by discussing the developmentally-appropriate ways blocks invite problem solving and mathematical and scientific thinking. The final section is a teacher’s manual designed as a guidebook to support teachers who are starting a block program in their Kindergarten and first grade classroom. In this manual, critical components of …


Adult Adhd: An Explorative Inquiry Into Assessment, Executive Function, Qol, Comorbid Psychopathy, And Practical Application, Manuel Angel Ramirez Apr 2018

Adult Adhd: An Explorative Inquiry Into Assessment, Executive Function, Qol, Comorbid Psychopathy, And Practical Application, Manuel Angel Ramirez

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a pattern of behavior present in multiple settings that can result in performance issues in social, educational and work settings. Although ADHD is prevalent in children, research has proven that the disorder lasts into adulthood. The current body of literature has also suggested that ADHD symptoms are related to specific impairments with executive functions. This paper will introduce ADHD and provide background information on the disorder. It will also examine current literature on assessment, executive function (EF), feasibility of EF measures, quality of life (QoL) as it pertains to …


Process & Research Of Dyslexia? A Book On The Demystification Of Dyslexia For Students With Dyslexia, Anna Slavin Apr 2018

Process & Research Of Dyslexia? A Book On The Demystification Of Dyslexia For Students With Dyslexia, Anna Slavin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper focuses on the ways in which the demystification of dyslexia for diagnosed or pre- diagnosed students alters their ability to self-advocate. It examines effective ways of demystification and, specifically, how literature can be used to directly teach children how to talk about their difference. This review of research highlights positive and negative effects of providing students with learning disability labels. It also notes that the majority of studies on the subject show that providing students with a label for their learning variations positively impacts self-esteem and academic engagement. However, it is noted that a dearth of children’s literature …


A Case For Child Life Specialists To Be Trauma-Informed, Kathleen Romano Apr 2018

A Case For Child Life Specialists To Be Trauma-Informed, Kathleen Romano

Graduate Student Independent Studies

According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network [NCTSN] (2003), “trauma occurs when a child experiences an intense event that threatens or causes harm to his or her emotional and physical well-being”. Roughly one in four children will experience a traumatic event before the age of sixteen. Due to the prevalence of traumatic events, it is necessary for healthcare professionals to know and understand the implications these experiences may have for children and their families. Child life specialists, who are a part of the interdisciplinary team in hospitals, provide a unique perspective with their knowledge of child development and coping. …