Term

Fall 2021

Capstone

Capstone Project

Degree Name

MALED

Facilitator(s)

Betsy Parrish

Content Expert

Karen Huberty

Abstract

This capstone addresses a gap in middle school instruction for students identified for special education services in reading. In Minnesota’s state standards, phonics instruction is only required through 5th grade (Minnesota Department of Education, 2011). However, students in middle school and beyond still may be learning to read past 5th grade. This research question is: What is the most effective way to integrate phonics instruction into reading lessons in a middle school, resource room special education classroom? This paper introduces what phonics is, the reason phonics should be integrated into reading instruction, a framework for embedded phonics, a description of special education and other identities students may hold, and how it all relates to Minnesota state standards. The project is an integrated phonics curriculum unit using the story When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (2020) and NewsELA articles related to refugees around the world. The phonics curriculum integrates short and long vowel sounds using words from the articles and book. Students must read and write words with the long and short vowel sounds. The project is intended for use with middle school students who are behind grade level in reading but could be used with students older and younger than middle school level depending on need. The project was designed using the backward design framework of Understanding by Design from Wiggins and McTighe (2011). The lessons themselves follow a framework adapted from both Fountas and Pinnell (2017) and Tanock (1994).

Project Type

Curriculum

Keywords

Literacy, Reading, Special Education

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

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