Early Childhood Education Commons^™

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 …

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 …

Pizza Bagel Sundays, Kate D'Auria

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Kate D’Auria worked on an independent study where she created her own children’s book. The book is called Pizza Bagel Sundays and was illustrated by Yan Gabriella Peropat. Pizza Bagel Sundays is a memoir about her childhood and how she grew up in a single parent household. Though single parenting is one of the focuses of the book, it does have other themes such as family, love and how we spend time together. Research was done to see what other types of children’s literature is out there and see where the book fit in. Look at the literature that was …

An Unconventional Once Upon A Time: A Need For A Children's Book Describing The Challenges Of A Deployed Spouse, Rachel Adams

Graduate Student Independent Studies

There are many texts that focus on a child’s experiences and difficulties when a parent is away in the army or at war. Currently, there are no books that provide the perspective of a parent or spouse's struggles in dealing with their loved one who is away, and taking care of what is left at home. This independent study had a purpose of not only providing another resource for children to cope, but to allow for them to gain perspective of someone else’s experience as well. The story written speaks not from a child’s perspective, but from one of an …

Promoting Language Development In Prekindergarten And Kindergarten Classrooms Through Basic Materials : A Tool For Early Childhood Teachers In New Orleans, Jennifer Durkin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Offers prekindergarten and kindergarten educators in New Orleans a tool for better understanding why it is important and how to offer language rich opportunities in their classrooms.

Where The Wild Things Are And Why They Will Endure: An Analysis Of The Longevity Of Maurice Sendak's Work, Ana Appel

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study looks to explain why Maurice Sendak's works have achieved a place in the classic cannon of children's literature. It starts by discussing children's literary theory and looks at the era of children's literature within which Sendak wrote, his illustrations, and his writing. The study then looks at psychoanalytic themes in his work. It analyzes the use of the conscious, unconscious, id, and ego. It further describes the use of archetypes of the collective unconscious in Sendak's work and why this connects to many readers. Then, the study describes bibliotherapy, books as therapeutic aids, and discusses how Sendak's books …

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.

A Reflective Look At The Writing Process For Both Children And Adults: A Memoir Study, Jessica Block

Graduate Student Independent Studies

In order to teach the writing process, one must be a writer. This independent study explores the writing process from the inside out. It investigates the writing process from an adult perspective while also examines the writing process that developed for individual student writers within a second grade classroom. Over the course of three months, the students in my second grade classroom and I developed personal memoirs about a "small moment" from our lives. This study includes a comprehensive breakdown of lessons which scaffolded the memoir writing process.

It also includes a strong reflective component which reveals how we all …

A Family-School Literacy Program For Kindergarten Through Second Grade, Kathleen Wright

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Proposes a kindergarten to grade two family-school literacy program based on a balanced literacy curriculum. This program is designed to be carried out over one academic year. The focus of this study is on the family's role in school and in the home on children's literacy development. Includes descriptions of school and after school literacy events with accompanying materials.

The History Of Quiltmaking As A Storytelling Tool And Its Application In The Elementary Classroom, Leona Shapiro

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study documents the historical use of quiltmaking as a means of artistic expression and as a canvas for storytelling. It shows the use of quiltmaking in the elementary school classroom as a means of creative expression and as a vehicle that allows students to share varied cultures and relate family experiences verbally, in written form and using a cloth palette. The study documents the quiltmaking process and the development of family themes as children are engaged in the exploration of this storytelling tool.

Sibling Rivalry, Elana Peninah Pamm

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Independent Study was inspired by the creation of the children's book Sometimes, I Hate My Brother. The book was written to help children understand that when their brothers or sisters hurt them it isn't their fault, and also to become more aware of the harm caused by them if they hurt their siblings. Family interactions can bring up feelings in children that may overwhelm and confuse them. The book was written with the goal of helping children understand the repercussions of their actions and deal with their feelings when sibling problems exist.

The Language/Literacy Connection: Aiding The Dysnomic Reader, Danette Lipten

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study examines word-finding difficulties in the oral language of children and their impact on literacy learning. It presents suggestions for remediation in both domains, but focuses primarily on aiding the dysnomic reader. Specific strategies are discussed which are applicable to the teaching of normal emergent readers and that can be particularly useful to readers experiencing retrieval problems. A brief case study is presented of a child who is affected by dysnomia, along with a description of the author's work with this child. Appendices include games and sample lessons.

A Surprisingly Special Summer : A Story For Eight-To Ten-Year-Old Children, Connie Biewald

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A Surprisingly Special Summer is a story for children from about eight to ten years old. It's an earthbound fantasy, a story that takes place in the real world but involves a fantastical character and gives an account of the events caused by her presence. The fantastical character is Allura, a tiny person discovered by two children in a fortune cookie. She spends an exciting and growth-filled summer with them. They have many adventures and learn a great deal from one another.

An Examination Of The Writings Of Margaret Wise Brown With Special Reference To Uses Of Fantasy And Reality, Virginia Schonborg

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Here, in this section, where we shall examine the idea of fantasy in relation to the particular way that Margaret Wise Brown employed it in her writing, these five lines from "The Dream Book" epitomize her point of view. Unlike many writers of the sensory perception school, she does not present only the recording of "plink, plink, the water in the sink." Her own particular view sees the world as it is; is almost in love with it. Yet she seems to see the world with a sensitivity to the magic in it, as we shall see further on discussing …