Elementary Education Commons^™

Using Technology To Enhance Writing In Primary Grades, Lisa Butler

Graduate Research Papers

Computers in the primary classroom have been a controversial topic for many years. Many believe that computers do not benefit young children. In the past, very little research has been done in the primary classroom to prove or disprove the critics. Most of the studies focused on upper elementary, middle school, and high school. Three years ago, the federal government sought to validate the need for computers in the primary classroom. In doing so, the Natie (all names are pseudo names) Community Schools received a federal grant to study computers in the primary classroom. As a teacher in that school …

The Impact Of The Iowa Children's Water Festival On The Children's Attitudes And Behaviors Toward The Environment, Sang-Min Kim

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As a result of the growing concern about environmental issues, many countries have developed mechanisms and regulations directed at protection and conservation of the environment. As a part of this movement, many governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have launched a variety of environmental education programs, in an attempt to promote awareness of environmental issues. The Iowa Children’s Water Festival (ICWF) is an annual half-day environmental education program in Iowa. The goal of the ICWF is to provide educational opportunities throughout the state to K-5 children and to educate customers of tomorrow on the importance of safe, reliable drinking water (ICWF, …

Poetry For Teaching Elementary Mathematics Topics, Audrey C. Rule, J. Kagan

Open Educational Resources

Sixty poems focusing on elementary mathematics topics such as matching, classification, sequencing, counting, addition, subtraction, place value, decimals, multiplication, division, fractions, estimation, probability, patterns, shapes, symmetry, triangles, circles, polygons, angles, Venn diagrams, bar graphs, money, time, and measurement, are presented in this document. Poems display a variety of formats including acrostic, haiku, limerick, and rhyming verse. Each contains mathematical facts about the topic. Preservice teachers enrolled in .a mathematics education course wrote the majority of poems. Poems may be used in a enrich elementary student learning and as models for other preservice teachers who may use poetry writing to review, …

Environmental Print Activities For Teaching Mathematics And Content Areas, Audrey C. Rule, S. Mcintyre, M. J. Ranous

Open Educational Resources

Twenty-three mathematics activities that use environmental print materials are presented, along with two activities that focus on music education, one that highlights history concepts, and five science activities. The environmental print materials are words and images cut from food or other product packaging and mounted on mat board cards. Instructions for teachers regarding material preparation are given, along with directions for students to engage in each activity. Example layouts and labels for materials boxes are given for each activity. Mathematical topics include: more and less; numeration; addition and subtraction; time words; forming patterns; writing equations; story problems; chart coordinates; percents; …

Orchestrating A Student's Reading Fluency In The Elementary Classroom, Sarah A. Yoder

Graduate Research Papers

As you listen to a piece of music, you hear the sound of instruments blending together to create a harmonious sound, to create a mood, or tell a story. With that same sense of coordination and ease a successful, fluent reader quietly orchestrates his/her reading to derive meaning from a text. It is common for teachers to have the goal of developing fluent, young readers in the elementary classroom, but it is often unclear how to go about obtaining this goal. This article is written for elementary teachers who want to foster fluent reading, but are unsure how to direct …

Factors Motivating Children To Read, Tanya Marie Ossman

Graduate Research Papers

Reading is the most important skill learned by children during their educational careers. The ability to read is mastered by children through the careful guidance from teachers and parents. Adults tend to assume that providing children with the skills to read will foster a desire to read. Whether or not children pick up books and read them from front to back is dependent upon their motivation to read. The results of this review will provide insight into what factors are involved in reading motivation and what programs are available for children who lack the motivation for reading.

Integrating Technology Into The Classroom Through Online Projects : A Fairy Tale Unit, Luann K. Langel

Graduate Research Papers

The integration of technology and the Internet have brought new opportunities to today's educators. When technology is utilized correctly, effective teaching in the classroom is promoted. The project focuses on online projects than can be incorporated into the elementary classroom. The project designed and utilized is a telecollaborative project focusing on the genre of fairy tales being taught in the 3rd grade. The Internet can be utilized in the classroom for interpersonal exchanges, information collection, and problem solving. A wealth of information is available to students on the Internet. Students gain control of their learning as they begin to navigate …

How To Teach The Eight Multiple Intelligences Developed By Howard Gardner In An Elementary Classroom, Sarah Lyle

Graduate Research Papers

This project consists of research that supports Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory. Definitions for each type of intelligence and specific examples of people who might exhibit each type of intelligence are included in the introduction. Several strategies for teachers to use on a daily basis as well as a curriculum development for early elementary aged students are included in this project.

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Fire P.A.L.S. Program On Fire And Life Safety Knowledge And Behavioral Intent Of Selected Elementary School Students, Annette R. Vander Werff

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Fire P.A.L.S. program on fire and life safety knowledge and behavioral intent of selected elementary school students in 2nd-5th grades. Specifically, a quasi-experimental research design was used to compare two groups of elementary students from two different elementary schools on the basis of their fire and life safety knowledge and behavioral intent. One group of students received the Fire P.A.L.S. program, while the other group did not. The dependent variables, fire and life safety knowledge and behavioral intent, were measured using a pre- and post-test questionnaire. The …

An Investigation Of The Concept Of Balance In Children Ages 6–9: Logic And Protologic Identifiable In Making Mobiles, Seon Chun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research was conducted to explore children's construction of protologic (foreshadowing of operations) in the context of experience with balance mobiles in a constructivist setting and to explore the usefulness of making mobiles in promoting children's development of the concept of balance.

The statement of the problem is (a) Can constructivist principles of cognitive development be used to understand children's progress in the course of educational activities involving balance? If so, how? What does the progressive construction of notions about balance look like in children's behaviors? and (b) Does children's understanding of balance improve after experimenting with making mobiles?

The …

Writing In A Second Grade Math Class, Tammy Bakken

Graduate Research Papers

Writing in math has given me a much better benchmark-driven curriculum. I know more clearly how to help students accomplish math benchmarks. I used to have a separate time for the students in my classroom to write and a separate time for my students to do math. Nearly two years ago, I had the idea of writing in math. I read what other teachers had tried and I tried to include more writing in math. The results have confirmed my belief that writing in math is a worthwhile practice. Writing in math gave my students a greater understanding of math. …

The Benefits And Liabilities Of Ability Grouping In Elementary School Classrooms, Jill Miller

Graduate Research Papers

Ability grouping, the practice of homogeneously grouping students for instruction, is topic of much debate in education. The purpose of this paper is to identify advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping for students as well as for teachers in the elementary school setting through research of literature available. Further, implications of ability grouping as a method of instruction are discussed.

Developmental Process And Outcome Of Mckinley K-5 Elementary School "Portrait Of America 2001-2002" Multimedia Cd-Rom, Cheryl Edwards

Graduate Research Papers

McKinley K-5 Elementary School created and mass-produced a multi-media CDROM correlating with the Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks of Muscatine Community School District. Each grade level designed and developed lyrics and music about the related grade level curriculum. Some classes created a multimedia presentation while others gave a fine arts program. This was a student-centered, hands-on activity that was formed during the 2001-2002 school year.

Mathematics In The Real World, Audrey C. Rule

Open Educational Resources

This paper reports on a class assignment written by preservice teachers on the use of mathematics in different professions. The professions included licensed practical nurse, auto mechanic, research and development product manager for industrial cleaning products, dental office assistant, snack bar employee at a beach club, beauty salon owner and operator, apple orchard and fruit stand owner, secretary at a university alumni hall, bus person at a restaurant, video store clerk, professional mover, convenience store assistant manager, pizza restaurant server, meteorologist, and land surveyor. (YDS)

A Preferred Vision For Administering Elementary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Lynne E. Wallace

Graduate Research Papers

Historically, schools have been viewed as an integral part of the problem and solution for our nation's social, political, and economic problems. Americans generally believe that the public schools should address the ever-changing needs of our society. I agree with this belief, even though school systems sometimes are ill-equipped to handle this responsibility. Schools have the best opportunity to reach students to make the needed changes. Schools have the opportunity to pass on to students prevailing ideas and values to help them adjust to present society and be able to transform future society. The ideal school in the 21st Century …

Vocabulary : A Building Block In Reading, Lisa L. Capper

Graduate Research Papers

From all of my reading and research, I learned that vocabulary is an essential part of teaching. In all of the curriculum areas, knowledge of vocabulary is important. With word understanding, comprehension grows and so does the student's knowledge.

Vocabulary development activities not only include many opportunities for students to be actively involved with reading a variety of books, but, through vocabulary instruction, the teacher directly teaches important words and strategies to help students understand what they are reading. Through the use of a variety of strategies I observed how different strategies can help students learn and grow in their …

Literacy Volunteers In Elementary Classrooms : Why Do We Need Them And How Do We Train Them?, Laura Meyers

Graduate Research Papers

This project examines the need for specialized literacy volunteers, describes the uses of these volunteers in the elementary school classroom and provides a handbook that could be used to train literacy volunteers to work with students and staff. Surveys were sent to teachers in three elementary school buildings in northeast Iowa to gather input on perceived needs of students in the areas of reading and writing, opinions on specialized training for literacy volunteers and needs and uses of literacy volunteers in the classroom.

After gathering and evaluating data from teacher surveys and consulting current research in the field of reading …

Raising Cultural Awareness In The Elementary Classroom Through African-American Children's Literature, Kirsten Seebeck

Graduate Research Papers

This research project topic was selected because of the need for raised cultural awareness in elementary classrooms, as indicated in current research findings. I chose African-American literature because in this region of the United States, Iowa in particular, the classrooms tend to be largely homogenous. Children who are from African-American descent find themselves to be in the minority in their classroom settings.

These children are not seeing many other children like themselves in their school community. It is therefore important that they see themselves in the literature shared within this community, in order to help them to relate to their …

Bridging The Gap Between Fiction And Nonfiction In The Literature Circle Setting, Deborah L. Stien

Graduate Research Papers

Third grade students experienced literature circles as part of balance literacy program. First, students learned about literature circles and its importance. After several fiction literature circle cycles, the classroom teacher bridged the gap between fiction and nonfiction in a literature circle setting. This allowed students read nonfiction and learn about a topic connected to their previous fiction read. Students were excited to read nonfiction and began choosing this genre on their own. They realized the power of learning that was available to them in nonfiction text.

Utilizing The Classroom Computer In A Special Education Setting To Facilitate Cooperative Learning: A Case Study Using Kidpix, Audrey Dieken

Graduate Research Papers

Collaboration and cooperative teaching methods have been researched since the late 70's. The research indicates students will learn from each other given the proper environment and tools. In this study, six elementary students were evaluated to examine the effects of teaching individual tasks to students and observing the students for collaboration between partners. Two students were placed side-by-side at one computer and observed by an undergraduate researcher.

The results of the observations report the students were engaged in the activity of KidPix 60-l 00% of the time. All of the students were able to complete the tasks over 95% of …

Moving Students Forward In Spelling, Catherine Miller

Graduate Research Papers

This article describes how one teacher integrated additional spelling instructional strategies into her current basal program. The purpose of this article is to give an overview of research about methods of spelling instruction and describe strategies that can be incorporated into an existing program to motivate students toward becoming conventional spellers. The article emphasizes the importance of purposeful writing experiences to give students ample opportunities to practice their growing knowledge of spelling.

An Overview Of The Nature Of Science For K-12 Science Teachers, William J. Soesbe Iii

Graduate Research Papers

Recent publicity has emphasized the concern of American citizens over student performance in the sciences. In an effort to evaluate one aspect of kindergarten through twelfth grade curricula that may have contributed to this situation, a comprehensive review of the literature concerning the nature of science was developed into a philosophical paper. The findings are synthesized into an analysis of the nature of science that provides a broad outline of the subject and related issues. The nature of science is a way of knowing that when balanced with scientific content and processes aids in the development of scientific literacy. Nonetheless, …

Comprehensible Input For Elementary Instruction, Comis Tang Loken

Graduate Research Papers

In the United States, more and more multi-ethnic linguistic populations will be entering school systems: The increasing need for helping these students from other cultures who know little or no English has become more and more apparent. Educators should modify their curricula and/or teaching strategies to improve English language learners (ELLs) ability in the use of English. Teachers help ELLs connect form (word) and meaning (concepts) and tie these to prior knowledge by providing understandable meaning, that is comprehensible input. Comprehensible input applies new words/sentences to old concepts. Vocabulary learning usually grows out of social interaction and talking personally to …

Portrayal Of Character Pillars Defined By Character Counts! In Children’S Bestselling Literature 1950-1999, Stephanie J. Stocks

Graduate Research Papers

Becoming a person of character is an individual responsibility, yet society uses institutions and media to help guide future generations to obtain virtues and moral values. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pillars of character depicted in children's literature published in the United States from 1950-1999 reflect the renewal in character education programs for schoolchildren.

A content analysis was used to analyze twenty-five best-selling children's picture books from 1950-1999 that were randomly selected to be in the sample population. This researcher looked for positive and negative instances of the six pillars, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, …

Implementing Portfolio Assessment In Grade Four, Marilyn L. Browder

Graduate Research Papers

Writing is a process. To assess this process, it needs to be described through qualitative techniques. One of these techniques is portfolio collection: Writing · . exhibits, collected over time, can facilitate students' self-reflections on their writing activity, interests, progress, and instructional needs. Such a collection is also valuable evidence for teachers in planning and maintaining their language programs and in reporting to caregivers.

This project involved the implementation of portfolio assessment in grade four by a first-year teacher. Through portfolio collection, the teacher as well as the students received much information that promoted writing and led to much interest …

Alternate Curriculum In Reading For Grade Four, Julie A. Schmit

Graduate Research Papers

Julie A. Schmit, a fourth grade teacher, specifically designed the two reading alternate units. These units were designed to provide challenging reading and learning experiences for talented and gifted students in grade four. These units provide challenging, above grade level materials and activities for the students whose reading, vocabulary, and language skills are advanced to such a degree that they would derive greater educational benefit from working with alternate materials.

School Playground Supervision Practices In The State Of Iowa, Heather Marie Bauer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate what types of playground supervision practices were being performed in Iowa public elementary schools. More specifically this study included the following research questions:

1. What is the typical public elementary school in Iowa? 2. Do schools in Iowa have playground supervision plans?
3. Who supervises the children?
4. Do schools require the supervisors to have playground safety training?
5. Do schools perform a regular maintenance check on their playground?

A questionnaire was designed to answer the research questions posed in this study. The questionnaire was reviewed by a panel of experts for …

Mentoring To Foster Children's Emerging Literacy, Janet K. Archer

Graduate Research Papers

Many children benefit from additional association with supportive adults at school. Mentoring programs are one way of providing support. Mentors can assist in fostering children's personal-social and thinking-language abilities.

A brochure with basic guidelines for mentors has been developed. It is intended as a reference source with suggestions for mentoring procedures and language activities.

A Literature-Based Thematic Unit For A Multi-Age Classroom : Friendship, Leslie Baxter

Graduate Research Papers

A literature-based thematic unit, friendship, has been developed for a multi-age classroom (grades three and four). This thematic unit can contribute to a major goal of a multi-age classroom: to provide students with a learning community in which they can find meaningful learning experiences, thus strengthening their personal-social and thinking-language abilities. The strands for the unit not only included friendship among peers, but also they extended the horizons of friendship to young children through mentoring, to peers at a distance through pen pals, and to the elderly through visitations to a retirement home.

In developing a print-rich learning environment for …

An Integrated Science Unit : Ants, Julia Dillehay

Graduate Research Papers

This instructional development project integrated language arts and the science areas. A print-rich environment extended content and offered models of language, thus energizing children to become actively involved in the study. Many literature genres and.related expressive activities provided children with many options for learning experiences. The focus for this science unit for grade two was on ants. A print-rich environment was provided along with computer software and access to information on the internet.