Early Childhood Education Commons^™

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 …

The Art Of Learning, Richard Rolapp

Marriott Student Review

No abstract provided.

Art & Early Childhood: Personal Narratives & Social Practices

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Claiming The Promise Of Place-Based Education

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Living A Philosophy Of Early Childhood Education: A Festschrift For Harriet Cuffaro

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

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 …

Teacher-Parent Relationship Building, Alana R. Bray

Honors College Theses

Problems can develop when clashes with culture or daily schedules occur and when communication skills breakdown. In order to build relationships with parents/guardians, teachers must develop the necessary skills to overcome those possible challenges. Teacher education programs should design more successful models to prepare future teachers for relationship building.

Creative He(Arts) Club, Lizbeth D. Chavez, Karen Martinez

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

The goal of the club is for students to explore different areas in the visual arts–including drawing, painting, printmaking, and pottery– and gain knowledge about a variety of materials and skills. By the end of club, students will have expanded their knowledge in art history and have learned about the components, elements, and principles of art. At the same time, the projects planned will allow students to apply what they learn to their own creativity and ideas.

Adventure Book Club: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Rose Wehrman

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

An afterschool book club, through these lesson plans, is exploring Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The integration of hands-on activities serves to help students connect to the story, think critically, and build interdisciplinary skills.

Nebline, March 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Emerald ash borer in Lancaster County: What to do now

Eat more dark-green veggies for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond

Recipe of the Month

Ag Estate Planning Workshop, March 5

Farmland Rent Meeting, March 14

Dicamba training, March 12

Early spring pest control for evergreen trees

Dropping like flies

Spring bird behaviors can be fascinating

2019 vegetable All-America Selections winners

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Addressing implicit bias

Upcoming early childhood trainings

Lincoln Early Childhood Conference

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Lois Muhlbach

4-H Achievement Celebration

Pick-A-Pig club first meeting, March 17

Rabbit Show, April 27

4-H camps …

Child’S Play: A Service Learning Project Conducted At Roroš, Nové Mešto Pod Smrkem, Sanaya Attari

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For my Independent Study Project, I designed a board game for young children inspired by the service learning activities held at ROROŠ. ROROŠ is a private organization located in the town of Nové Mešto pod Smrkem, offering different activities for children which provide a meaningful use of their leisure time. For a period of three weeks, I lived in Nové Mešto with Yveta Svobodová, one of the head directors of the organization. During my stay, I partook in several activities each week and used my experiences to generate new ideas when designing the final game. The game was completed by …

An Evaluation Of A Title One Elementary School's English For Speakers Of Other Languages Program, Kim L.P. Rigby

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Enrolled at many public schools in the United States are students who primarily speak languages other than English and lack proficiency in the English language. These students are required to show language proficiency on end-of-year English-only state assessments. One public elementary school utilizes a support program to assist second language learners in acquiring a level of language skills necessary for proficiency on state assessments. My evaluation of this school’s program utilized mixed methods to determine the viability of support services provided to second language learners. The findings of my evaluation revealed some weaknesses within the provided services and indicated …

Hegemonic Masculinities And Children’S Picture Books, Nathan N. Taylor

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study focused on the role of hegemonic masculinities in children’s picture books. Chiefly, marginalized and subordinated masculinities are highlighted to investigate their relationships with dominant and complicit masculinities. This was done under a feminist reading of patriarchy and the connection between patriarchy and masculinities. Utilizing a critical discourse analysis framework, the author problematizes the personal transformation of the protagonists in three children’s picture books. The personal transformation attends to the masculine subject on an individual level, but fails to address how hegemonic masculinities and patriarchy operate at a discursive and corporeal level. Suggestions are made from the findings on …

Mothers’ Voices In Early Childhood Education: A Dual Case Study Of Resettled Refugee Mothers’ Perspectives, Rebecca John

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. admits approximately 70,000 refugees each year. Many of these are families with young children. Refugee populations differ from broader immigrant populations in their background and experiences, yet they are rarely disaggregated from other immigrant populations within educational studies. Many refugee families meet the eligibility guidelines for early childhood educational programs, such as Head Start or public PreK programs; however, they often have difficulty navigating the enrollment process (Gross & Ntagengwa, 2016; Hooper, Zong, Capps, & Fix, 2016). To date, little is known about the specific experiences of resettled refugee mothers and their perspectives of navigating the early childhood …

Nebline, April 2019

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Two Extension Programs Help Grow Lincoln’s Healthy Environment

Double Up Food Bucks

Choose Healthy Here

Focus on Moving More in April

Recipe of the Month

Field Conditions and Planting

Beneficial Fungi and Tree Health

Response to Bed Bugs: Panic vs. Reasonable Actions

Cleaning Up After Rodents

2019 Perennial Plant of the Year

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Laugh Out Loud — Developing Humor in Children

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings

HEART OF 4-H-Megan Starner

Kiwanis Karnival, April 12

Horse Bits

Teen Council 4-H’ers Are True Leaders at 4-H Lock-In

New in 4-H at Super Fair

Youth for the Quality …

We’Re All Wonders, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Rescue & Jessica, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Sarah’S Sleepover, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Acceptance Of Other Differences And Unity (Susan Laughs): Lesson Plan, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

The Pirate Of Kindergarten, Katelyn Ryan

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

Book It, Bullies: Using Children's Literature To Address Bullying In The Classroom, Kamryn Gottier

Senior Honors Theses

Bullying is an ever-present issue rampant in schools and society today. It is incredibly eye-opening to consider the striking rates, harmful effects, and possible coping mechanisms associated with bullying. When considering this heavy topic from an educator’s point of view, it is critical that children’s literature be discussed as a powerful weapon to combat bullying. Educators should utilize literature to address bullying and initiate discussions concerning this challenging subject within their classes; prepare their students for being in an inclusion classroom among peers with and without disabilities; inform their students about disabilities that some of their classmates may be diagnosed …

Prekindergarten Teachers' Experiences Using Journals To Reflect On Video Recordings Of Their Classroom Instruction: A Phenomenological Investigation, Katherine Orpilla Alvarado-Mirarchi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore prekindergarten teachers’ experiences using journals to reflect on video recordings of their classroom instruction in an eastern Pennsylvania prekindergarten program. Three theories guided this study. Knowles, Holton, and Swanson’s (2015) theory of andragogy framed this study with a focus on the unique attributes of adult learners. Kolb’s (2015) experiential learning theory informed this study with an emphasis on the importance of workplace experiences for individual development. Dewey (1967) and Schon’s (1987) theory of reflective practice examined the process of reflective thought that is initiated by uncertainty that challenges one’s beliefs. …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of Early Childhood Educators' Perseverance Experience, Alison Lee Mellott

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences which motivated early childhood educators to persevere in their positions at the same early childhood education center, for five or more years, in south-central Pennsylvania. For the purpose of this research, perseverance was generally defined as continuous teaching at the same site for five or more years. The theory guiding this study was Herzberg’s (1968) motivation hygiene theory as it addressed experiences which impacted job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, directly impacting perseverance. One central research question and two supporting research questions were used to guide the study. The central …

When Crayons Meet Tibetan Living Room Walls: Early Childhood In Exile, Emma Hart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aims to understand early childhood caregiving among Tibetan refugees living in Nepal. Due to the brain’s enormous developmental plasticity from ages zero to three, children’s experiences during this period are extremely important to explaining their future learnings in school, interactions with people, and engagements with their surroundings. Through interviews and observations, Tibetan parents shared their conceptions of early childhood, parent-child interaction norms, dreams for their children, and how their status as refugees in Nepal affects these. Research was conducted in two Pokhara district Tibetan settlements and one settlement in Mustang. Connected by the flow of children and adults …

Research With Children: Context, Power, And Representation, Danielle Lane, Jolyn Blank, Phyllis Jones

The Qualitative Report

In this article, we examine methodological issues qualitative researchers encounter when they engage in research with children. Within this view, qualitative research is employed with children but not on children and focus is placed upon children’s voices, agency, and the ways they participate with researchers in the research process (Einarsdóttir, 2007). Our discussion draws upon a study we conducted with four- and five-year-old children on the preschool playground. We reflect upon methodological issues pertaining to researching with children; issues of context, power, and representation.

Self-Report Qris: Challenges With Validation, Jacob A. Esplin, Brionne G. Neilson, Ann M. Berghout Austin, Alexander Fronk

Faculty Publications

Research Findings: The current study looks at the validity of a voluntary self-report Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and the characteristics of participating childcare centers. The self-reported quality indicators are compared to external ratings of quality Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised ([ECERS-R]) and correlated with variables such as size of center and number of state subsidy clients. ECERS-R scores were unrelated to capacity but significantly lower for centers with a large percentage of state-supported clients. Regarding self-reported quality, centers frequently under-reported their quality and what was claimed was not always externally validated, suggesting a self-report QRIS may not be …

Parent And Teacher Perceptions About What Leads To Mastery In Reading At Classical Charter Schools In Texas, Brittany Kretz

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Throughout the United States and in the State of Texas there are high percentages of students who are not reading at grade level. This study looked at the activities done at home by families of students who scored above grade level on the Third Grade Reading STAAR from classical charter schools. In this quantitative study, a survey was given to the parents of fourth-grade students and the teachers of elementary students. The families used in the study were from classical charter schools located in Texas. The literature review discusses the curriculum used in classical schools and how reading is taught. …

Supporting Young Children Of Immigrants In Prek-3

Occasional Paper Series

This special issue of the Occasional Paper Series describes practices and policies that can positively impact the early schooling of children of immigrants in the United States. We consider the intersectionality of young children’s lives and what needs to change in order to ensure that race, class, immigration status, gender, and dis/ability can effectively contribute to children’s experiences at school and in other instructional contexts, rather than prevent them from getting the learning experiences they need and deserve.

Power To Change: Math As A Social-Emotional Language In A Classroom Of 4 And 5 Year Olds, Elinor J. Albin, Gretchen Vice

Occasional Paper Series

Tells the story of how mathematics influenced a long term investigation around feeling powerful within an early childhood classroom. Written by Early Childhood Teacher, Elinor J. Albin, and Dean of Faculty, Gretchen Vice, this essay outlines the guiding questions by which teachers at The Advent School in Boston, MA connect mathematics to overarching themes and social-emotional learning. “Power to Change” concludes with observations about how and why mathematics provided a language for building social-emotional intelligence in four and five year olds.

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 …