Term
Spring 2020
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAT
Facilitator(s)
Karen Moroz
Content Expert
Joanna Wagonner-Norquest
Abstract
The Achievement Gap has plagued school districts across the country. Why are students from lower-income families underperforming academically when compared to their more affluent peers? This capstone addresses the Achievement Gap, the Opportunity Gap, and the Knowledge Gap with the intention of answering the question: How does integrating social studies content into third-grade writing improve historical knowledge, student writing, and vocabulary for the purpose of closing the Knowledge Gap? This capstone analyzes and discusses research on the Knowledge Gap and the need for elementary instruction in social studies, vocabulary, and writing. Additionally, research on the best practices for elementary instruction in these academic domains is identified and was used to create a high-quality, model curriculum that integrates the aforementioned areas of study into one unit to improve student general knowledge, vocabulary, and writing ability. Through the research for, the creation, and analysis of this unit, it can be concluded that integrating social studies or science content into elementary ELA instruction will improve student general knowledge, academic vocabulary, and writing ability. With these academic gains, teachers will begin to close the Knowledge Gap and lay the foundation for future academic success for all students.
Keywords
Curriculum, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Literacy
Recommended Citation
Eikenbary, Heather, "Knowledge and Skill: Integrating Social Studies and Writing Content for Third-Grade Students" (2020). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 490.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/490
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects