Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Beginnings: How Families Come To Be, Heather Bourgeois

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

 The student will compare children and families from the book "Beginnings: How Families Come to Be" with what families looked like and did in the past.  The student will explore the concept of family diversity by comparing and contrasting the characters’ experiences.  The student will recall information about the book to answer questions about family diversity.

Universal Design For Learning (Udl) In Inclusive Preschool Science Classrooms, Marla J. Lohmann, Katrina A. Hovey, Ariane N. Gauvreau

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Science instruction is a critical aspect of early learning. Teachers can support young children’s learning about scientific concepts through the use of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, which is a proactive approach to instructional planning that helps ensure success for all learners. This teaching techniques article offers preschool teachers practical solutions for implementing in the UDL framework for science instruction in their classrooms.

Drawn Together, Paityn Pohren

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Carmen Learns English, Ashley Beckstrom Dokter

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

The Student will be able to identify and describe the main story elements in Carmen Learns English. ● The Student will be able to identify and explain the moral of Carmen Learns English. ● The Student will be able to present information orally using complete sentences and appropriate volume.

Families, Families, Families!, Amanda Sanchez

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

Students will write a personal narrative about their families using a logical sequence of events, transitions, and an ending. ● Students will improve their writing as needed by planning, revising and editing. ● Students will present their writing about their families using complete sentences, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation.

A Shelter In Our Car & Uncle Willie And The Soup Kitchen, Christina Fluegel

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

The student will compare and contrast the themes in A Shelter In Our Car and Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen. ● The student will define homelessness and know how it can affect people in their community. ● The student will demonstrate how citizens can volunteer to support members of their community.

Gay & Lesbian History For Kids: The Century-Long Struggle For Lgbt Rights, James Bunch

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

● The Students will utilize timelines to understand the history of the LGBT community. ● The Students will use primary and secondary sources to understand the challenges faced by the LGBT community throughout history. ● The Students will identify ways of being a good citizen including, acceptance, inclusion, and developing an appreciation of equity. ● The Students will use digital writing tools to collaboratively plan, draft, and revise a writing. ● The Students will use context clues, figurative language, word relationships, reference materials, and/or background knowledge to determine the meaning of multiple-meaning and unknown words and phrases.

Lovely, Mackenzie Cates

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

The student will be able to identify descriptive words in a text. The student will be able to explain descriptive words in a text. The student will be able to ask and answer questions about words they don’t know. The student will be able to communicate with their peers about descriptive words orally using complete sentences.

Chocolate Me, Abigail Singh

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

The students will show respect and kindness to classmates. ● The students will identify and explain the moral of self-acceptance and individuality in the story in the story Chocolate Me.

Book Review: Place, Pedagogy And Play: Participation, Design And Research With Children, Tim Thomas

International Journal of Playwork Practice

This book review outlines the key features of the book, Place, Pedagogy and Play: Participation, Design and Research with Children, edited by Matluba Kahn, Simon Bell, and Jenny Wood. The book consists of 13 chapters divided into three parts. Part 1 details the importance of outdoor play. Part 2 describes strategies teachers have implemented to connect learners to the outdoors and their impact on student learning. Part 3 highlights opportunities to involve children in the design of spaces they occupy. Strengths and weakness of the book are discussed.

Rethinking The Image Of The Child And Re-Imaging Schools, Juana Reyes

Education Department Faculty Articles

Over the last few years, there have been many calls to re-imagine schools. These recurring calls for reconceptualization of schools only intensified during the pandemic: What might schools look like post pandemic? How can we re-conceptualize schools and move away from antiquated practice that was initially built based on an agrarian society that had to address the influx of immigrants who were diverse in culture and language? The initial iteration of schooling in the United States was focused on the melting-pot ideology of assimilating immigrant and indigenous students into a mythical American ideology. The original system wasn't concerned with respecting …

Mathematical Identities And Tracking: An Exploration Of Efficacy In Children And Women, Emma Hagan

Education | Master's Theses

This study seeks to understand the impact of elementary school mathematical identities and mathematics tracking on the identities of women and girls. “Tracking” is an institutionalized education method developed in the 1960s and 1970s in which schools sort their students into smaller class-sized groups based on their observed achievement (Domina et al., 2016). Too often, when students test onto the lower track, they are confronted with a sense of futility and a lack of self-efficacy (Domina, Hanselman, Hwang & McEachin, 2016; Houtte & Stevens, 2015). Further, in STEM disciplines, students who identify as female report lower self-efficacy rates than those …

Practical Strategies For School Leaders To Improve African American Males’ Reading Achievement, Faye C. Bradley

Journal of Research Initiatives

The study identified parental involvement activities that significantly influenced the reading achievement of the African American male learner. Teachers and administrators were surveyed using an instrument adapted from Epstein's School, Family, and Community Partnership Survey, The Virginia Standards of Learning reading and language arts assessments provided data for reading achievement of fourth-grade African American males. Significant differences were found between principals and teachers in their ratings of Teacher Reports of Total School Program to Involve Families. A correlation was found between teacher estimates of parents' involvement and the mean SOL English score for African American male fourth-grade students.

A Snapshot Of Ece Apprenticeship Programs, Emily Sharrock, Annie Schaeffing, Lily Rosenthal, Thelma Wong

Bank Street Education Center

This publication offers a closer look at the key features of existing apprenticeship programs across the United States—such as the diversity and range of approaches to credentials, partnership models, funding, and how programs deliver quality mentoring and/or coaching support—to reimagine how program quality can be strengthened to deepen learning for participants.

Supporting Meaningful Learning Experiences With Button-Operated Robots In Early Childhood Settings, Jacob Hall, David J. Mulder

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Bringing together recent research on button-operated robots in early childhood settings and developmentally appropriate practices, this chapter details strategies for the integration of robots. Educators are encouraged to design and implement robotics experiences that are intentional, active, constructive, cooperative, and authentic (Howland et al., 2012). To achieve these aims, educators should embed challenges within play-based activities and empower children to set and achieve their own goals. Additionally, educators can support children’s active engagement by selecting a button-operated robot that gives clear feedback and by offering just-in-time support as children address errors in their programs. For constructive learning, educators should prompt …

Developing Communication Skills In Preschoolers, Andrea Schlotman

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan looks at how the implementation of a Functional Communication Training Program in preschool classrooms can improve academics, social skills, and eliminate challenging behaviors. The literature review examines research that details the importance of communication and social skills curriculum for young learners. Children who can communicate effectively are less likely to display disruptive behaviors and are more likely to succeed in building strong relationships throughout their academic careers.

Improving Reading Comprehension And Vocabulary For English Language Learners, Rachael Vande Hoef

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research on the education of English Language Learners (ELL) has shown that ELL students underperform native English speakers academically. Right from the start, students’ home language impacts school readiness amongst ELL students. Fortunately, implementing vocabulary and reading interventions is successful in closing learning gaps among ELL students. The implementation of a blended learning approach has been found to increase literary gains among ELL students. Given this research, a school improvement plan was developed to enhance the literary gains of ELL students. This multi-faceted plan involves teacher collaboration, parental engagement, vocabulary and reading interventions, as well as a blended learning approach.

Using Restorative Practice To Decrease Behavior And Increase School Community, Kaylee West

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this school improvement plan (SIP) is to address the student behavioral concerns at Huntington Elementary School using restorative practices. Studies suggest that restorative practices can improve student behavior and social emotional skills. The restorative practices that the author intends for the school to use are described within the plan. The SIP aims to use training on restorative practices and restorative circles to improve school culture, community, and student behaviors.

Improving Understanding Of Mathematics Concepts In Kindergarten Students Through Movement Integration, Kendall Stallings

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project stemmed from the noticeable benefit of movement woven throughout the Wilson Fundations curriculum in developing early phonemic awareness. Knowing that kindergarteners have a natural inclination to move, this project aimed to determine whether similar benefits of movement could be garnered in mathematics instruction by boosting number sense and fact fluency. Participants completed an end-of-unit assessment and then received instruction with movement integration for the following unit before completing its endof- unit assessment. Assessment scores were converted into the school’s grading scale of M, W, or B, and a chi-square test of association was used to determine …

Preschool Approach To Teaching Alphabet Knowledge, Ashley Kreinbrink

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was completed by a researcher interested in the alphabet knowledge curriculum. More specifically, in the study of letters, and how to incorporate the relationship of uppercase and lowercase identification, letter sounds awareness, sound placements, and writing letter formation as critical components of an alphabet knowledge curriculum. This researcher taught preschool for thirteen years. The students were able to participate in the study. Students received Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge (EAK) lessons daily. The study was part of our priority standards aligned to the Iowa Early Learning Standards and Teaching Strategies GOLD. The students were asked to identify uppercase …

Addressing The Behavioral And Emotional Needs Of Elementary School Students: A School Improvement Project, Katherine Ross

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Elementary school students are found to have increased behavioral and emotional needs require support above and beyond the scope of a general educator's capabilities. Research indicates the need for additional teacher training in the areas of adolescent behavioral disorders and trauma informed care in order for them to provide the best possible education, academically and socially. School counselors are often called upon to address student social emotional needs, however classroom teachers are typically the first to notice when a student needs access to additional support and also spend the most time with students; this school improvement plan addresses the necessity …

General Education Preschool Teachers' Preparedness To Teach Students With Disabilities Within A General Education Preschool Setting, Mary-Margaret Satterfield

Ed.D. Dissertations

Since Congress passed amendments in 1997 to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), there has been an emphasis on instruction to students with disabilities in the general education classroom, especially with preschool students. The significant increase of students with disabilities in general education classrooms precipitated the need for general education teachers to have knowledge and skills about special education to support and provide instruction to students with disabilities. The purpose of this basic, interpretive qualitative study was to investigate how general education preschool teachers in a large school district in Tennessee felt prepared by their preservice, in-service, and continuing education …

Effects Of Parental Involvement On Academics, Jessica Stamer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

A child needs their parents to be involved in their educational experience to support social emotional growth and academic growth during the developmental years of their life. It is no surprise that there are many issues that come from little parental involvement. In order to have the optimal parental involvement, educators must encourage involvement through a variety of ways based on the needs to the families in their classroom. Districts must have set plans, support, and encouragement for staff in place to ensure this goal is being met.

Implementing Play-Based Learning, Brooke Patton

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan discusses play-based learning (PBL), a subject often debated within an early childhood setting. This plan will review current research to define what play- based learning is and the impact PBL learning has on the development of preschool and kindergarten students. Research shows that PBL learning can be highly effective for academic growth and that children learn best in this type of setting. PBL lets children make connections between their personal lives and their environment. In addition, it provides children with joyful experiences associated with their learning, adds motivation, and keeps children’s attention. Consistent, intentional planning that …

Major Components Needed In A Literacy Curriculum To Promote Student Success, Brooke Smith

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan focuses on what components are beneficial in a literacy curriculum to promote success in students' reading skills and improve FAST Test scores. Research has found phonics, phonemic awareness, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, writing, and science of reading concepts should be included in a literacy curriculum to be effective. These components will help find a new literacy curriculum for a school district. In all success, an effective literacy curriculum will be found with creating a system to look through to find an effective literacy curriculum, piloting, and analyzing data. The objective in the end is to discover a …

Improving Trauma-Informed Practices In A School System, Maria Sloniker

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

According to research, trauma informed practices have faced disconnect when educating stakeholders who work directly with individuals who have faced a variety of traumatic events. With such disconnect, staff in the school systems have been unable to stay educated on the different resources available and training on best practices used. Administrators being present and working together to provide more effective professional development to help both students and staff who are directly impacted by trauma and trauma informed practices. Current research has supported the lack of knowledge and increase of teacher burnout when working with individuals who have faced adversity. A …

The Role Of Teachers In Values Education In Pakistan: A Case Of Early Childhood Education And Development From Pakistan., Sharifullah Baig, Abida Begum

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

The teachers in early childhood education and preschool have a significant influence on curriculum and daily practices in the class, therefore, have a dominant influence on the implementation of values education. Deeming values as a social construct, this small-scale qualitative case study was carried out to explore the priority values of early childhood education teachers and their ways of teaching values in a school in northern Pakistan. Interviews and classroom observations were conducted to gather in-depth data from the school leadership and the teachers. Teachers were found primarily focused on the inculcation of societal values, behaviors and life skills needed …

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.

The Impact Of A Vocational Rehabilitation Program In Animal Production On Enabling Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder Occupationally In Amman, Faisal Ali Alzyout

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

The article aimed to investigate the effect of a vocational rehabilitation program which is based on animal production on enabling persons with autism spectrum disorder occupationally in Amman. The sample consisted of (16) persons with autism spectrum disorders who attended two special education centers in Amman. They were chosen purposefully because these centers had vocational programs and adequate numbers of persons with autism spectrum disorder. The study subjects were randomly distributed into two groups: experimental and control, each of which included 8 people. The animal production training program was designed with certain skills and procedures. And a tool was developed …

Kole, Isaiah Aladejobi

Masters Theses

This project focuses on the development of building blocks influenced by the architecture and design styles of Yoruba culture and Washington DC. These building blocks aim to provide an educational and culturally enriching experience for individuals of all ages, with a particular focus on youth.

By combining the traditional design elements of Yoruba architecture with the modern urban aesthetic of Washington DC, the building blocks offer a unique blend of cultural influences for children and adults to explore. Through hands-on building activities, users can engage with the cultural heritage of these two regions, while also developing important skills such as …