Term
Spring 2021
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MALED
Facilitator(s)
Trish Harvey and Julia Reimer
Content Expert
Cassandra Hansana
Abstract
As students transition to middle and high school, opportunities for student choice within curriculum become limited, and there is a need for students to have authentic literacy and decision-making opportunities. Key influences during research of this project include Kelly Gallagher, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, and Linda Gambrell and Lesley Mandel Morrow’s Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. Research indicates that benefits of literacy centers include fostering engagement, literacy skill growth, opportunities for small-group instruction, and developing student autonomy. The curriculum designed for this project took the form of student choice literacy centers. The purpose of this project was to design weekly literacy centers to implement in a seventh grade English Language Arts classroom in order to increase student engagement and autonomy; these improvements then further develop student literacy skills. These centers include at least one activity from each of the following categories: vocabulary, fluency/listening, digital literacy and print concepts, choice reading, choice writing, research, and missing work. There is also small-group instruction for completing needs assessments and to provide supplemental instruction for students identified with reading struggles. This project has students complete a portfolio assessment at the end of term, including tracking cards that indicate their practice at all of the centers throughout the term. This portfolio includes pieces that the student identifies as showcasing their abilities in a variety of literacy skills. These literacy centers are meant to encourage students to be curious and engaged learners.
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Curriculum, Literacy, Motivation, Centers
Recommended Citation
Laugen, Katelin, "Improving Engagement and Literacy Skills with Choice Literacy Centers" (2021). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 635.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/635
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects