Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Improving 21st Century Literacy Skills And Student Engagement By Integrating Digital Storytelling Across The Curriculum, Sandra J. Steinfadt

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature review is to explore how literacy skills and engagement are increased through the integration of digital story telling into multiple content areas. Thirty peer reviewed articles were analyzed for this peer review. It has been revealed that the use of digital storytelling allows students more creative freedom and increases self-expression and helps students that normally struggle to create written pieces have greater success. Digital storytelling connects classroom content to students' lives, encourages deeper reflection, helps students analyze information and increases their motivation to succeed.

Technology, Toddlers And Vocabulary Development, Gwendolyn Dayton

Graduate Research Papers

Emergent literacy with toddler age children has a strong foundation in vocabulary development. There are many methods currently being employed to foster vocabulary development. Dialogic reading, sign language, finger plays and songs are just a few of those methods. It is important to look for a curriculum that provides a format to combine these strategies into a cohesive presentation. Understanding the increasing importance that technology plays in the lives of our children is also crucial. Selecting the right technology may provide the solution for infusing vocabulary development into the early learning environment. This project will design a curriculum to implement …

Vocabulary Instruction : Becoming Word Conscious To Support Reading Comprehension, Amy Evelyn Bries

Graduate Research Papers

Currently, many classroom teachers are striving to support students' comprehension skills. Teachers are currently teaching vocabulary through incidental exposures. The dependency of vocabulary skills are falling to the students. The students might be asked to memorize rather than gathering a deeper meaning of a word and how we use the word within context. Over the past several years research has shown that vocabulary develops more rapidly after grade three, but the primary grades need to begin with a strong literacy foundation in word learning strategies (Biemiller, 2003, 2006). This research project organized professional development sessions for teachers, to provide the …

Effective Comprehension Strategies In The Elementary Classroom, Melissa Ann Determan

Graduate Research Papers

This paper focuses on key fiction and nonfiction comprehension strategies and different methods for teaching these strategies in the elementary classroom. It is essential to use effective comprehension instruction within the classroom to unlock meaning and to build student success. These strategies include activating background knowledge, questioning, summarizing, and text structures.

Comparing Sixth Grade Students' Creativity In Word Play To Spatial Construction With Integrated Academic Content Eliciting A Distal Or Proximal Perspective, Ksenia S. Zhbanova

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Pressing global problems require solutions from innovative ideas that depend upon educating a new generation to think creatively. The current study aimed at assisting 24 sixth grade students in a summer program develop their creativity skills in two different areas while integrating academic content. Student performance was examined for transfer of skills across domains and for support of Construal Level Theory, which holds that addressing topics distant in space, time, probability or experience leads to abstract thought supporting greater creativity.

The study was a counterbalanced, repeated measures, two-experimental condition study with students divided into two groups of 12 each. In …

A Survey Of Literacy Instruction In Public Preschool Programs In Iowa, Anne Marie Berthelsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This paper focuses on the importance of emergent literacy instruction with preschool populations. Emergent literacy refers to the early developmental stages of reading in preschool children and focuses on strengthening pre-reading skills. This paper describes best practice for survey development as well as recommended changes to the methodology of a previous study. The paper also describes changes made to improve the previous emergent literacy survey and concludes with a discussion of how the results of the survey could be used to improve emergent literacy instruction for preschool children.

Special Issues In Engaging And Collaborating With Families Of English Language Learners, Stephanie Allison Strouse

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research demonstrates positive outcomes associated with family involvement (Fl), but little exists specific to English Language Learners' (ELLs) FI. Factors impacting FI are identified, but it is unclear which educators view as most significant and what practices are implemented to address them. This study utilized survey data to examine educators' attitudes within an Iowa Area Education Agency regarding FI of ELLs, current practices, perceptions of practices' effectiveness, and professional development (PD) related to ELLs. Participants reported positive relationships with families of ELLs and that ELL families value education, yet only moderate satisfaction with ELL FI. Results indicate incongruity between common …

Fifth Graders' Discussions Of Graphic Novels Facilitated By De Bono Thinking Skills, Kimberly Ann Jennings

Graduate Research Papers

The effectiveness of graphic novels, heavily illustrated novels and traditional novels as a reading teaching tool has not been heavily researched. During the 5th grade school year of the 2011-2012, 24 students were required to read six novels, two in each format. During and after the reading, students were required to complete assigned assessments. The results of the study were graded based on a rubric system and by the number of responses per novel. The graphic novel received the highest scores in all categories. The graphic novel should be considered as an alternate method of teaching reading to 5th graders.

Implementing Electronic Storybooks And The Effects On Reading Achievement At The Elementary Level, Chelsey Heidemann

Graduate Research Papers

Electronic storybooks are an innovative way to support the reading needs of students today. This literature review discusses the positive and negative effects electronic storybooks have on students' reading abilities. It focuses specifically on word accuracy, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Examples and information were taken from published journal a1ticles found through online databases and books. The review concludes that electronic storybooks can have a positive effect on a student's reading ability when using an electronic storybook that meets the needs of the learner.

Digital Storytelling : Building 21st Century Literacy Skills In The Secondary Classroom, William P. Lammers

Graduate Research Papers

Digital storytelling has been a popular activity in technologically well-equipped classrooms, and is gaining popularity due to its ability to help build important 21st century skills for learners and engaging lessons for instructors. This paper reviewed twenty peer-evaluated investigations from 2001 to 2010, citing five original qualitative case studies, twelve research-based papers regarding digital narratives and the skills needed for the 21st century learner. Included in this review is a definition of digital storytelling via a detailed model, an explanation of the 21st century literacies, obstacles to integrating digital narratives, and discussion of related communication skills. Recommendations were made based …

Beyond The Dictionary : What Teachers Can Do To Help Build Struggling Readers' Vocabularies, Stefanie Van Heukelom

Graduate Research Papers

Vocabulary is well documented as a predictor of reading comprehension and school success (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Davis, 1944 & 1968; Singer, 1965; Spearitt, 1972; Thurstone, 1946; Anderson & Nagy, 1991; Baker, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 1998; Becker, 1977; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998). Through the research of the National Reading Panel (2000), vocabulary was identified as one of the five facets for improving students' reading along with phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Research has estimated that for every word known by a student who is able to use morphology and context, an additional one to three words should then be …

Infant Literacy, Tera Weber

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project is to share the importance of reading to infants with their caregivers and teachers. This project will highlight what the research says regarding reading, what the infants gain from reading, and ideas on how to incorporate reading into group settings with infants through a professional development project. Participants in this professional development opportunity will be able to see recorded examples of teachers reading to infants, infants interacting with text, and materials that teachers may take back to their classrooms.

Invented Spelling And Its Value In Kindergarten, Michelle J. Mcdonald

Graduate Research Papers

This review examined the purpose of invented spelling in kindergarten, and what invented spelling can tell us about a child's development of letter/sound knowledge, phonemic awareness skills, concepts of print, and language skills. Additional examination of literature on invented spelling in a comprehensive literacy program focused on the connection between reading and writing. Several studies included comparisons of writing instructional methods. Invented spelling has value as an assessment tool for various literacy skills. Criticisms and controversies were reviewed, as well as recommendations for the use of invented spelling to optimize its value in the kindergarten curriculum. Findings of the review …

Integrating Literacy Into The Math Classroom : A Staff Development For Innovative Educators, Kathryn Pollina

Graduate Research Papers

With the collaboration and advice of several mentors and practicing teachers, I found using strategies proven to help students during literacy instruction also had the same effect during mathematics instruction. I took various instructional activities, focused around using reading and writing skills in math, and was able to effectively instruct this group of students. This experience piqued my interest in the connection between literacy and mathematics. As a result, I decided to continue my research into how to effectively integrate these two core subject areas, investigating the efficacy of combining mathematics with literacy instruction.

Writing Workshop: A Comparison Of Theory And Practice, Brandi Dawn Delveau

Honors Program Theses

Good writing starts with good teachers. Being a good teacher of writing involves understanding the most effective practices of writing. These effective practices are brought together through the implementation of the writing workshop in classrooms, although there will be slight variations from one author or educator to the next. Having a firm understanding of the writing workshop is a foundation for teaching writing in any elementary grade. The writing workshop is a teaching framework that allows children to learn to use the writing process, which consists of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The various components of the workshop (mini-lessons, …

Key Elements Of Poverty Influencing Language Development And Academic Achievement, Joanna L. Eggert

Honors Program Theses

This paper investigates central issues surrounding poverty and how it influences a child's language development and academic achievement. It examines the differences in amounts of language input in the home environments of children from varying socioeconomic statuses and how this shapes their language acquisition. The research also explores the exposure to prenatal teratogens in addition to environmental toxins associated with poverty that may play a role in disparities in development, such as lead exposure. Furthermore, the issue of unequal healthcare and educational access between individuals of differing income levels is addressed. Ultimately, the purpose of this research is to call …

Spanish Through Music: A Model For The Content-Based Classroom, Anna Gansen

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to identify reasons for Spanish teachers to implement content-based instruction and provide resources that support appropriate integration of musical content into foreign language classrooms while simultaneously upholding the priorities of the national standards for foreign language learning. I have combined research on content-based instructional methods with research on the relationship between language and music to determine common strategies foreign language teachers should remember when implementing music-based instruction. In addition, descriptions are included of a variety of music-centered activities that address national foreign language standards for learning and enhance both normal and content-based classrooms. Finally, …

Leadership Distinctions : The Impact Of Leadership On Teachers Of Second Chance Reading, Rebecca Sue Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Second Chance Reading (SCR), an instructional framework that targets and supports struggling adolescent readers and determined to be a sound and viably researched framework, can assist teachers in building and supporting proficient and lifelong learners when implemented as intended. This study examined educators from five unique communities who recently implemented the program. Four key questions guided the research and became the focus during semi-structured purposive interviews. (1) What was the relationship between Second Chance Reading teachers and principal leadership? (2) What leadership qualities were necessary to support Second Chance Reading teachers? (3) What barriers were preventing teachers from accomplishing their …

Student-Centered Literacy Instruction: An Examination Of An Elementary Teacher's Experience, Carolyn Marie Wiezorek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative study, I examined and interpreted the literacy instruction of a fourth grade instructor who identified herself as a student-centered teacher. I sought to understand and interpret the beliefs and attitudes of my participant, Julie. Through seven unstructured interviews and five observations, I collected, and simultaneously interpreted, data. Julie freely shared her beliefs, successes, challenges, and frustrations regarding her literacy instruction.

Because of the contextual nature of the study I sought emerging themes through analysis and reflection. Four themes surfaced: attitude and philosophy, environment, instructional practices, and impact on students. Julie possessed an attitude that all students could …

Readers' Workshop In The Elementary Classroom, Alaina Terese Daters

Graduate Research Papers

In this research project, Reader's Workshop is defined and explored in relation to an elementary classroom setting. The literature review describes the importance of independent reading, the structures and components of readers' workshop, how readers' workshop motivates and engages readers, and finally how to get started with readers' workshop in the elementary classroom. Following the literature review, there is a three-year professional development plan that lays out the key components of readers' workshop and its format for training a staff on how to implement this structure into their elementary classroom. Year one of the professional development project discusses what reader's …

Motivating Struggling Readers, Tawnie Kerska

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review discusses the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation with regard to struggling readers. Intrinsic motivation is the drive inside a student to do an activity on their own. Extrinsic motivation is to do something in order to receive some sort of reward or praise. Teachers need to move from using extrinsic motivators to creating more intrinsic motivation within students. It is essential for teachers to understand the five guiding principles behind motivating students: building self-efficacy, activating schema, interest and relevance, using extrinsic reinforcers to engage, and making facilitative attributions. Understanding these principles provides teachers with strategies to …

Social Discourse Of Literature Circles With A Focus On Gender, Laurie Hornor

Graduate Research Papers

This research study examined the social discourse of literature circles with a focus on gender within a fifth-grade regular education classroom. The researcher examined the nature of social discourse that was held by students and examined whether gender appeared to influence social discourse. The results from this study showed that gender did have an impact on how students responded to literature within discussion groups. Two main gender-related characteristics of the discussions were noted. The first characteristic was that males and females did hold beliefs that paralleled culturally-determined gender roles. These beliefs had an impact on how students responded to literature. …

Engaging Emergent Writers With Anchor Lessons, Jamie Meyer

Graduate Research Papers

This research project focused on the creation of writing curriculum for emergent writers aged 5 to 7 years old. The purpose of this study was to research how beginning writers can be scaffolded in their attempts to learn how to write. This study also examined how emergent writers can be engaged in developmentally appropriate ways, what writing concepts to expect from young writers, and how to motivate young children to write. Anchor lessons were developed that connect children's literature to writing concepts and engagement. Results illustrate that children need to be taught in the zone of proximal development, use materialization …

Student Motivation : Encouraging Children To Read In School, Kelly White

Graduate Research Papers

Teaching students how to read, comprehend,. and enjoy text are goals that many teachers make in their classrooms each year. Yet, the biggest challenge that goes along with these goals is often student motivation. Motivating students happens in many forms in classrooms around the world. There are research-based techniques for males and females, English speaking and English language learners, each of the multiple intelligences, and overall individual student needs. There is no one proven catchall method for motivating students in the classroom. Instead, teachers are encouraged to find the motivation strategies and techniques that work for specific individuals. This paper …

An Analysis Of The Dynamic Indicators Of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) Assessment, Lisa Doering

Graduate Research Papers

The inception of the No Child Left Behind Act as well as the report published by the National Reading Panel have caused a sense of urgency in early intervention for students with high literacy needs. Therefore, students are being required more frequently to take high stakes assessments at a younger and younger age. Many schools use the DIBELS assessment, but there are also many other assessments available. This paper presents research as to the validity of the DIBELS assessment as well as describes several other available literacy assessments to use either in conjunction with or in isolation from DIBELS. This …

Kindergartners Can Read And Understand : Emergent Reading Strategies At Work, Kacey Lynn Beyer

Graduate Research Papers

The need for kindergarten educators to be effective in teaching both word solving and comprehension strategies is paramount. Educators are challenged to teach even the most emergent readers to use strategies to help them read and understand what they have read. The explicit teaching of both word solving and comprehension strategies in kindergarten builds a strong foundation for literacy learning throughout a student's school career and beyond. Fostering a love of literature and an attitude of lifelong literacy learning can be achieved for all students with the proper supports in place. This paper defines each word solving and comprehension strategy …

Accelerated Reader And Sustained Silent Reading's Impact On Students' Motivation To Read, Amy Benedict

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if students' motivation to read is influenced by the use of Accelerated Reader or SSR in their school. Fourth grade students had been selecting books to read based on Accelerated Reader levels. After reading each book the students took a quiz. SSR was implemented for two weeks to determine if students' attitudes towards reading would improve.

A mixed-methods approach was used in this research design. Quantitative data were collected through the MRP survey, administered both before the introduction of SSR and after implementing SSR. Qualitative data were collected through an individual conversational …

The Question Is The Answer : Making The Language Arts Classroom Meaningful With Essential Questions And Student-Driven Inquiry, Ashley A. Jorgensen

Graduate Research Papers

Coalition research scholar, Grant Wiggins, firmly believes the idea of a question-driven, inquiry approach to teaching and learning should be at the heart of a school's mission. In examining one of the chief questions of a school's mission, that is, 'What are the aims of a high school curriculum,' Wiggins says it must involve getting students to "use their minds well" (Cushman, 1989). Wiggins says that, "students should emerge from their high school career with an integrated vision of how to think within the culture, which implies a broad understanding, not just narrow or rote expertise" (Cushman, 1989). In order …

What Is Really Happening When I Teach? : A Self-Study In A Secondary English Classroom, Margaret Christensen Mnayer

Graduate Research Papers

As an educator in an urban school, determined to provide my students with the most effective teaching, I engaged in a self-study to examine my practices and evaluate effectiveness based on current research. I used Schulte's (2002) framework to build my self-study. Her indicators of a quality self-study are: 1) thorough descriptions of the context, data collection, and analysis, 2) thoughtful problemization of researcher and her practice, 3) indications for how study changed researcher's practice, and, 4) a description of how the new insights gained might contribute to knowledge base for other teachers.

Dramatic Literacy Lessons: Meeting The Speaking Standard Of The Iowa Core Curriculum, Ashley Brandt

Honors Program Theses

The Iowa Core Curriculum is a relatively new concept in Iowa, having just been approved May 21, 2009, and is designed to align with the subjects math and language arts with the National Common Core State Standard Initiative. There are currently very few resources available for teachers to gain the knowledge, expertise, and Iowa Core Curriculum specific lesson plans they may need to teach "essential concepts and skills". The focus of this thesis is to create a unit of lessons that are directly linked to the new ideas presented in the Iowa Core Curriculum for the Speaking skill sets of …